5. Health: the EHIC card and travel insurance

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

• Free: you get it from your health insurer before you leave – you should not have to pay for it.
• Where: all EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
• What: treatment that cannot wait until you get home, in the public healthcare system, on the same terms and at the same cost as people insured in that country. In some countries it is free, in others you pay part of the cost or pay first and claim the money back – keep all bills and receipts.
• Not covered: private clinics and doctors, rescue (for example in the mountains), the cost of bringing you home, and treatment you travel abroad for on purpose.
• Forgot your card and had to pay? You can usually claim reimbursement when you get home.
• Non-EU citizens insured in an EU country: the EHIC does not cover you in Denmark, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland (with some exceptions, such as refugees and family members of EU citizens).

Travel insurance

Because the EHIC covers only public care, travel insurance is worth having – especially for skiing and mountain trips, for countries outside the EU, and to cover the trip home, theft or a cancelled holiday. Some bank cards include it – check what yours covers.

Medicines

Take your regular medicines in their original packaging, with a copy of your prescription. In the EU a pharmacist can usually help with minor problems; for prescription medicines ask your doctor for a cross-border prescription.

Going to study or work abroad for longer? Check with your insurer whether the EHIC covers your stay or whether you need to register in the host country. Study in Europe »

Sources: Your Europe – unplanned healthcare and the EHIC Checked: 2 October 2026.