Many UK travellers heading to Europe wonder whether a GHIC means they can skip travel insurance, or whether insurance makes a GHIC unnecessary. The answer is that they do different jobs, and for full protection you need both. This guide explains the difference between a GHIC and travel insurance and why you still need both. It is general information, not financial or medical advice, so always check the official NHS guidance and your policy terms.
What a GHIC is
A GHIC, or Global Health Insurance Card, is a free card issued by the NHS that gives UK residents access to medically necessary state healthcare when temporarily visiting certain countries. It replaced the old European Health Insurance Card, or EHIC, after Brexit, though existing EHICs remain valid until they expire. The GHIC lets you receive state healthcare on the same basis as a local resident in the countries it covers. It is a useful, cost-free benefit for travellers, but it is important to understand its limits.
What a GHIC covers
A GHIC covers medically necessary state healthcare, meaning treatment that cannot reasonably wait until you return home, provided through the public healthcare system of the country you are visiting. This includes emergency treatment and care for pre-existing and chronic conditions that flare up during your stay. Crucially, you receive this care on the same terms as a local resident, which may be free or may involve the same charges locals pay. It is genuine, valuable healthcare access, but only within the state system.
What a GHIC does not cover
This is the critical part: a GHIC does not cover many things travel insurance does. It does not pay for medical repatriation, the often very expensive cost of flying you home, nor for treatment in private hospitals, mountain or sea rescue, or care you travelled specifically to receive. It also does nothing for cancellation, lost or stolen baggage, or other non-medical travel risks. These significant gaps are exactly why a GHIC, valuable as it is, cannot be relied upon as your only protection when travelling.
What travel insurance covers
Travel insurance fills the gaps a GHIC leaves. It covers emergency medical treatment including in private facilities, and crucially repatriation home, as well as cancellation, curtailment, lost or stolen belongings, travel delays, personal liability and more. Our guide on what travel insurance covers goes through it. Where a GHIC gives access to state healthcare in certain countries, travel insurance provides comprehensive protection across the whole range of things that can go wrong, including the costly repatriation a GHIC will not touch.
Why you need both
The two work best together. A GHIC can reduce or remove the cost of state healthcare in the countries it covers, while travel insurance provides the wider protection, including repatriation, private treatment, cancellation and lost belongings, that the GHIC does not. Using both means a GHIC may handle some treatment costs while your insurance covers everything else, giving you the fullest protection. The NHS and government strongly advise carrying both, and relying on just one leaves a serious gap in your cover when travelling.
A GHIC is free, so apply officially
A GHIC is completely free, issued by the NHS, so you should only ever apply through the official NHS website. Unfortunately, unofficial websites try to charge a fee for what is a free service, sometimes doing nothing useful in return. If a site asks you to pay for a GHIC, you are in the wrong place. Our guide on booking a holiday safely covers avoiding such traps. Applying through the official NHS service ensures you get your free card without being scammed.
Where a GHIC works
A GHIC covers the European Economic Area and some other countries, with the exact list set by reciprocal healthcare agreements, so it does not work everywhere in the world. Many popular European destinations are covered, but many long-haul destinations are not, and some popular spots, such as Turkey, fall outside it. Because the coverage is specific, check the official NHS information for the countries on your trip. Knowing where your GHIC does and does not work tells you where you are relying solely on your travel insurance.
How long a GHIC lasts
A GHIC is valid for up to five years, and each person needs their own card, including children, though you can usually add family members to a single application. It is worth checking the expiry date and renewing in good time, as you can apply to renew before it expires. Because cards expire, do not assume an old one is still valid. Keeping each family member's GHIC in date, alongside your travel insurance, ensures you have both forms of protection ready whenever you travel to a covered country.
Do not rely on a GHIC alone
The most important message is not to treat a GHIC as a substitute for travel insurance. While it is a valuable, free benefit, its gaps, especially the lack of repatriation cover and its limitation to state healthcare in certain countries, mean that relying on it alone could leave you facing enormous costs. Our guide on whether you need travel insurance explains the risks of going without. A GHIC complements insurance; it never replaces it, so always travel with both where you can.
Sorting both before you travel
Arrange both your GHIC and your travel insurance in good time before you travel. A GHIC takes a little while to arrive by post, so apply well ahead, and buy travel insurance as soon as you book so cancellation cover applies from the outset. Our guide on when to buy travel insurance explains the timing. Sorting both early means you set off fully protected, with the GHIC ready for state healthcare in covered countries and insurance covering the wider risks.
If you lose your card abroad
If you lose your GHIC or it does not arrive in time, you may be able to obtain a provisional replacement that gives the same access to state healthcare while you are away, arranged through the official NHS overseas healthcare service. This is useful in an emergency if your card is missing. Knowing that a provisional replacement exists, and how to request it through official channels, means a lost or delayed GHIC need not leave you without access to state healthcare in a covered country during your trip.
A card for every member of the family
Each person needs their own GHIC, including children and babies, although you can usually apply for the whole family in a single application, with each receiving their own card. It is worth checking that everyone travelling has a valid card before a trip to a covered country, as one family member's card does not cover the others. Sorting a GHIC for every member of the family, alongside suitable travel insurance, ensures the whole group has both forms of protection in place before you set off.
In short
A GHIC is a free NHS card giving UK residents access to medically necessary state healthcare in the EEA and some other countries on the same terms as locals, but it does not cover repatriation, private treatment, rescue, cancellation or lost baggage. Travel insurance covers those gaps. You need both for full protection. Apply for a GHIC free through the official NHS site only, and never rely on it alone. This is general information, not financial or medical advice.
Explore more in our Travel Insurance guides.