What Does a GHIC Card Cover? Co-Pays, Exclusions, and Validity

A UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) covers medically necessary state-provided healthcare while you are visiting EU countries and a handful of other territories, on the same terms a local resident would receive. That means emergency treatment, A&E visits, routine maternity care, and ongoing treatment for pre-existing conditions. It does not replace travel insurance, and it does not pay for private treatment or a flight home.¹

Medically Necessary State Healthcare

The card gives access to state-run healthcare that cannot reasonably wait until you return to the UK. In practice that covers emergency treatment and A&E visits, routine maternity care (provided the trip’s purpose was not to give birth abroad), and treatment for long-term or pre-existing conditions, including routine monitoring.¹ Whether a particular treatment counts as medically necessary is decided by the healthcare provider in the country you are visiting, not by the NHS.

Certain chronic-condition treatments are explicitly included but have to be arranged in advance with a provider in the destination country. The NHS names kidney dialysis, chemotherapy, and oxygen therapy as examples.² Coverage is not guaranteed, because local facilities may not have capacity. Anyone who relies on regular treatment should plan early.

Dental care is a patchier picture. In some countries covered by separate reciprocal healthcare agreements, including Montenegro, Gibraltar, and several Balkan states, some state dental treatment is available on the same basis as for locals. In Australia dental treatment is entirely excluded, and in other destinations the answer depends on the specific agreement in place.³ Check the rules for your specific destination before you travel.

Co-Payments and Upfront Costs You Still Have to Pay

Because the GHIC puts you on the same footing as a local resident, any charges that locals pay also apply to you. In France, patients pay the “ticket modérateur,” a co-payment that for a standard GP consultation at the regulated tariff leaves a portion of the €30 base fee with the patient.⁴ In Germany, patients pay small prescription charges and a daily hospital “hotel” fee. These local charges cannot be reclaimed through the NHS.⁵

In some countries the whole bill has to be paid upfront and a refund claimed afterwards. France is a common example: you pay, collect the official receipts (feuilles de soin), and send a refund claim form to NHS Overseas Healthcare Services by post. The NHS will reimburse the difference between the total bill and the co-payment a local resident would have been expected to pay. Original invoices and proof of payment are required, and each treatment episode needs its own claim form.⁶ No specific processing timeframe is published, so keep copies of everything.

Ambulance transport depends on local rules. In France, doctor-prescribed medical transport is reimbursed at 55% of the cost, and emergency transport arranged by the SAMU service is exempt from the usual per-journey patient charge.⁷ In other countries the picture varies, and the NHS does not make a blanket statement on ambulance coverage.

What the GHIC Does Not Cover

The gaps are significant, and they are the reason every official source insists the card is not a substitute for travel insurance.

Private medical treatment. If you end up in a private hospital, which can happen in an emergency if the nearest facility is private, the GHIC will not be accepted and you are liable for the full cost.⁸
Medical repatriation. Being flown back to the UK after illness, injury, or death is not covered.⁵
Mountain or ski rescue. Retrieval from a mountainside or ski slope falls outside the card’s scope.⁹
Elective or purpose-of-travel treatment. If the reason for your trip is to receive a specific medical procedure, the GHIC does not apply. A separate funding route (the S2 scheme) exists for planned treatment abroad.¹⁰
Travel disruption and personal property. Lost baggage, flight delays, cancellations, and stolen passports are travel-insurance territory.⁸

Some travel insurers actually require customers to hold a valid GHIC or EHIC and may deny a medical claim if the policyholder doesn’t have one. So the two forms of protection work best as a pair.

Where the Card Is Valid

The GHIC works across a wider range of territories than many holders realise:

All EU member states, including French overseas departments such as Martinique, Guadeloupe, Réunion, French Guiana, Mayotte, Saint-Martin, and Corsica.¹¹
Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.
Switzerland, with use restricted to British, Swiss, and EU nationals, refugees, stateless persons, and their family members.¹
Montenegro, for emergency treatment, though you pay for prescribed medicines and non-emergency medical care.
Australia, under a reciprocal agreement with Medicare that covers medically necessary out-of-hospital care, public-hospital treatment as a public patient, and certain PBS prescription medicines.¹²
Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man, and St Helena, Tristan da Cunha, and Ascension Island.

For the Republic of Ireland, UK residents can access state healthcare by showing proof of residency such as a passport or driving licence, so the GHIC is not needed there.¹¹

When you seek treatment, present the card at a state-run hospital or health centre on arrival or registration. Carry your passport alongside it, as some countries have additional identification requirements. The card is not accepted at private clinics or hospitals under any circumstances.¹³

If Your Card Is Lost or Hasn’t Arrived

If your card is lost, left at home, or simply hasn’t been delivered before you travel, a Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC) can fill the gap. The PRC provides exactly the same level of cover as the GHIC, including emergency treatment, pre-existing conditions, maternity care, oxygen therapy, and dialysis. You can apply online or by calling NHS Overseas Healthcare Services on 0191 218 1999, or +44 191 218 1999 from abroad, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.¹⁴ The certificate cannot be applied for in advance; it is only issued when treatment is actually needed, and you have to provide the name and email address of the treating hospital or clinic.¹⁵

If you receive treatment without a GHIC, EHIC, or PRC and are asked to pay the full amount, keep every invoice and receipt. You can claim a refund afterwards through NHS Overseas Healthcare Services, but only for state-provided treatment in EU countries, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein. The refund amount is based on the rates and rules of the country where treatment was received, and co-payments a local resident would have been expected to pay are not reimbursable.¹⁶

One further point on eligibility worth knowing: if you still hold a UK-issued EHIC, you can keep using it until the expiry date printed on the card, and some people with rights under the EU Withdrawal Agreement may qualify for a new UK EHIC rather than a GHIC. The practical coverage of both cards is broadly the same.¹

1
NHS. Apply for a Free UK Global Health Insurance Card
2
NHSBSA. UK GHIC and UK EHIC Coverage for Pre-Existing Conditions
3
GOV.UK. UK Reciprocal Healthcare Agreements With Non-EU Countries
4
Fab French Insurance. How to Handle Healthcare in France for Visiting Family and Friends
5
NHSBSA. What a UK GHIC and UK EHIC Does Not Cover
6
NHSBSA. Claim a Refund for Treatment Costs
7
CLEISS. Healthcare for UK Visitors in France
8
Allianz Assistance. EHIC and GHIC Cards Explained
9
GOV.UK. Foreign Travel Insurance
10
NHS. Planned Treatment S2 Funding Route
11
NHSBSA. Where Can I Use My UK GHIC or UK EHIC
12
Services Australia. Reciprocal Health Care Agreements Visiting From United Kingdom
13
NHSBSA Overseas Healthcare. Get Healthcare Cover Travelling Abroad
14
NHSBSA. Get Temporary Cover for Emergency Treatment Abroad
15
NHSBSA Overseas Healthcare. Apply for a Provisional Replacement Certificate
16
NHSBSA. Get a Refund for Overseas Treatment Costs