You’re packing for a holiday and alongside your passport, one of the most important things to have in your bag is the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
The EHIC allows you to access public healthcare in another EU country (as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) for free or at a reduced rate.
It is completely free to apply for, and you can use it when you are travelling on holiday or when you are staying in another EU state temporarily (no longer than three months). If you are travelling outside the EU, you will not be able to use the EHIC and need to get private healthcare.
The EHIC also covers students who are studying abroad for the academic year, as well as treatment for pre-existing medical conditions and routine maternity care, as long as you’re not going to the country to give birth.
It is important to stress that the EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance. It does not cover private healthcare or the cost of you returning to Ireland. It does not cover the costs of ongoing or permanent healthcare, or the costs if you are travelling to another EU country specifically to get medical treatment.
EHIC.
Furthermore, the EHIC does not guarantee free services. Some private hospitals may not accept the EHIC and healthcare systems in the EU may differ, namely, what is free in Ireland may not be free in another country. Saying all that, it is very important to have it to hand when on holidays.
How to apply
If you are an Irish citizen, an Irish pensioner or an EU citizen living in Ireland, you can apply easily for an EHIC. You can apply in-person (at any local health office except Dublin North West and Cork North and South Lee), by post or by using the application form online via hse.ie/services/schemes-allowances/ehic/apply/. You will also need to provide proof that you live in Ireland.
Your card will be posted out to you within approximately 10 working days. If you need an EHIC urgently, you can get a temporary replacement certificate in person at your local public EHIC office.
You can apply for yourself, your partner or a child, but each member of the family will need their own individual card.
The card lasts for up to four years and you will need to apply to renew it, which can be done online. Adults can access a digital version of their card on the HSE Health App.
‘I wouldn’t travel without it’
After her son had an accident on holiday last year, Sinéad Kavanagh who runs the beauty and lifestyle blog, The Beautiful Truth, has said that she would never travel anywhere without her EHIC. Sinéad, who lives in Leixlip, Co Kildare, tells Irish Country Living that her husband had applied for the EHIC years ago and they had renewed it but she never dreamed that she would need to use it.
Sinéad Kavanagh who runs the beauty and lifestyle blog, The Beautiful Truth, has said that she would never travel anywhere without her European Health Insurance Card.
That changed last July when her son, Conor (8) ended up in hospital in Gran Canaria with an elbow fracture. “We were on holidays, and we were at the pool. There was a small playground at the side of the pool and Conor said he’d fallen from the top of the slide. He fell [from a height of] about a metre and a half and landed on his elbow.
“There was a hospital around the corner which we took him to. It was a private hospital so our EHIC was no good there but we had private health insurance. When we got there though, we realised he needed surgery for the elbow.
“They sent us to the main hospital in Las Palmas and as soon as we were in the door, they asked us for the EHIC. The service was nothing short of incredible.
“We were triaged by the doctor. We were in a bed within 45 minutes, prepped up for surgery, they did bloods and the surgery was scheduled for that night. He had two pins set on either side of his elbow and put into a cast.”
Conor stayed in hospital for two nights and all his medical care was covered. “We were told it would have been an awful lot more difficult only we had the EHIC,” says Sinéad.
Conor (8) ended up in hospital in Gran Canaria with an elbow fracture and the European Health Insurance Card covered all his medical costs.
The doctors sent the family home with copies of x-rays, letters with permission to fly and Conor’s files to bring to their local hospital in Ireland.
“I could not give high enough praise for how we were treated in Gran Canaria, how quick the service was, it was amazing.
“They treated us like one of the locals. They was no red tape with it and it was so streamlined,” says Sinéad.
So when you’re packing your bags for holidays, remember that the EHIC could be one of the most important items you put in your suitcase this summer.
Apply or renew at hse.ie.
You’re packing for a holiday and alongside your passport, one of the most important things to have in your bag is the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
The EHIC allows you to access public healthcare in another EU country (as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) for free or at a reduced rate.
It is completely free to apply for, and you can use it when you are travelling on holiday or when you are staying in another EU state temporarily (no longer than three months). If you are travelling outside the EU, you will not be able to use the EHIC and need to get private healthcare.
The EHIC also covers students who are studying abroad for the academic year, as well as treatment for pre-existing medical conditions and routine maternity care, as long as you’re not going to the country to give birth.
It is important to stress that the EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance. It does not cover private healthcare or the cost of you returning to Ireland. It does not cover the costs of ongoing or permanent healthcare, or the costs if you are travelling to another EU country specifically to get medical treatment.
EHIC.
Furthermore, the EHIC does not guarantee free services. Some private hospitals may not accept the EHIC and healthcare systems in the EU may differ, namely, what is free in Ireland may not be free in another country. Saying all that, it is very important to have it to hand when on holidays.
How to apply
If you are an Irish citizen, an Irish pensioner or an EU citizen living in Ireland, you can apply easily for an EHIC. You can apply in-person (at any local health office except Dublin North West and Cork North and South Lee), by post or by using the application form online via hse.ie/services/schemes-allowances/ehic/apply/. You will also need to provide proof that you live in Ireland.
Your card will be posted out to you within approximately 10 working days. If you need an EHIC urgently, you can get a temporary replacement certificate in person at your local public EHIC office.
You can apply for yourself, your partner or a child, but each member of the family will need their own individual card.
The card lasts for up to four years and you will need to apply to renew it, which can be done online. Adults can access a digital version of their card on the HSE Health App.
‘I wouldn’t travel without it’
After her son had an accident on holiday last year, Sinéad Kavanagh who runs the beauty and lifestyle blog, The Beautiful Truth, has said that she would never travel anywhere without her EHIC. Sinéad, who lives in Leixlip, Co Kildare, tells Irish Country Living that her husband had applied for the EHIC years ago and they had renewed it but she never dreamed that she would need to use it.
Sinéad Kavanagh who runs the beauty and lifestyle blog, The Beautiful Truth, has said that she would never travel anywhere without her European Health Insurance Card.
That changed last July when her son, Conor (8) ended up in hospital in Gran Canaria with an elbow fracture. “We were on holidays, and we were at the pool. There was a small playground at the side of the pool and Conor said he’d fallen from the top of the slide. He fell [from a height of] about a metre and a half and landed on his elbow.
“There was a hospital around the corner which we took him to. It was a private hospital so our EHIC was no good there but we had private health insurance. When we got there though, we realised he needed surgery for the elbow.
“They sent us to the main hospital in Las Palmas and as soon as we were in the door, they asked us for the EHIC. The service was nothing short of incredible.
“We were triaged by the doctor. We were in a bed within 45 minutes, prepped up for surgery, they did bloods and the surgery was scheduled for that night. He had two pins set on either side of his elbow and put into a cast.”
Conor stayed in hospital for two nights and all his medical care was covered. “We were told it would have been an awful lot more difficult only we had the EHIC,” says Sinéad.
Conor (8) ended up in hospital in Gran Canaria with an elbow fracture and the European Health Insurance Card covered all his medical costs.
The doctors sent the family home with copies of x-rays, letters with permission to fly and Conor’s files to bring to their local hospital in Ireland.
“I could not give high enough praise for how we were treated in Gran Canaria, how quick the service was, it was amazing.
“They treated us like one of the locals. They was no red tape with it and it was so streamlined,” says Sinéad.
So when you’re packing your bags for holidays, remember that the EHIC could be one of the most important items you put in your suitcase this summer.
Apply or renew at hse.ie.
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