The GHIC card: what it covers and how to renew it

The GHIC is one of the most useful free things a UK family can own — and one of the most misunderstood. It is not insurance, it doesn’t cover everything, and there’s an industry of look-alike websites charging for it. Here’s the accurate picture, with the current NHS timings.

The key numbers

What it covers — and what it doesn’t

The UK GHIC entitles you to medically necessary state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay, on the same terms as a resident of that country. That includes emergency treatment and A&E visits, and treatment for pre-existing or chronic conditions that can’t wait until you’re home. “Same terms as a local” matters: if residents pay a contribution towards treatment, so do you.

Where it works

• EU and EEA countries — including Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
• Montenegro and Australia (reciprocal agreements).
• Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, St Helena, Tristan da Cunha and Ascension.
• Switzerland — only for British or Swiss nationals, EU citizens, refugees, stateless people, or family members of those.

An older UK EHIC works in the EEA and Switzerland until the expiry date printed on it. Anywhere not listed — the USA, Turkey, Egypt, Thailand — the GHIC does nothing and insurance is your only cover.

How to get or renew one

1. 1
   Go to the NHS website — nowhere elseSearch “NHS GHIC” and check the address ends in nhs.uk. Copycat sites rank in ads and charge a fee for the same free card.
2. 2
   Apply online with your NHS number or National Insurance numberYou need your name, date of birth, address and NHS/NI number. Add your spouse or civil partner and children to the same application.
3. 3
   Renew earlyYou can renew up to 9 months before the card expires. The new card is posted, and it usually arrives within 15 working days.
4. 4
   Put every card in the travel walletEach person needs their own physical card (there is no family card). Photograph the fronts so you have the details if one is lost.

Travelling before it arrives — the PRC

If your card hasn’t arrived (or is lost) and you need treatment abroad, you or someone on your behalf can phone NHS Overseas Healthcare Services and ask for a Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC). It’s emailed to you or the hospital and gives the same entitlement as the card for that treatment. It only works once you actually need care, so it isn’t a substitute for applying in time. If you’re in that situation, read my GHIC has expired and I’m travelling soon.

Common mistakes

• Paying for it. Any site charging for a GHIC is not the NHS.
• Assuming one card covers the family. It doesn’t — apply for the children too.
• Treating it as insurance. No repatriation, no private care, no cancellation.
• Going to a private clinic. The GHIC only works in the state system; hotels and resorts often point tourists to private doctors who won’t accept it.
• Letting it expire quietly. Five years is long enough to forget; the expiry sits on the front of the card.

In short

Free, up to 5 years, arrives within 15 working days, renewable 9 months early, one per person — apply only at nhs.uk. It gets you state healthcare like a local in the EEA (plus Montenegro, Australia, the Crown dependencies, and Switzerland in some cases), but it isn’t travel insurance and won’t fly you home. Carry both.