GHIC vs EHIC: Health Cover Rules for UK Students Studying or on Exchange in the EU

Why GHIC replaced EHIC

Before Brexit, UK residents used the European Health Insurance Card, EHIC, to access state healthcare across the EU and EEA on the same terms as local residents. After Brexit, the UK introduced the Global Health Insurance Card, GHIC, to give UK residents similar access under the new UK-EU relationship. If you already hold a valid EHIC, you can keep using it until it expires, you do not need to switch immediately, according to NHS guidance on GHIC . The card exists because the UK and EU built a reciprocal healthcare arrangement into the wider post-Brexit relationship, rather than leaving UK travelers with no state healthcare access in the EU at all.

What GHIC actually covers

GHIC gives you access to necessary state-provided healthcare in participating countries, on the same basis as a resident of that country would get. This includes emergency treatment, care for pre-existing conditions, and routine maternity care, per the same NHS guidance. It does not automatically mean free treatment everywhere, since some countries charge residents a share of the cost too, and GHIC only matches what a local resident would pay, not what you would pay as an NHS patient at home.

GHIC does not cover medical repatriation back to the UK, treatment at private facilities, or mountain rescue. NHS guidance is explicit that GHIC is not a replacement for travel insurance, so students on exchange or short study trips still need a separate travel insurance policy for anything GHIC does not cover.

The coverage gap versus the old EHIC

The biggest practical difference for students is geographic. A standard GHIC covers EU member states, but does not extend to Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, countries the old EHIC covered as part of the wider EEA and Swiss arrangement. If you already held an EHIC through UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement rights before Brexit took effect, you can apply for a continuing UK EHIC instead, which still covers those additional countries. Everyone else applying fresh only gets the narrower GHIC coverage.

If your study or exchange program takes you to Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, check whether you qualify for a UK EHIC instead of GHIC, and if not, budget for private health cover in that country from day one, since GHIC will not apply there at all.

How to apply

Applying for GHIC is free and takes a few minutes online through the NHS application page . Decisions usually come within 24 hours, and the physical card arrives within around 15 working days. You can apply up to 9 months before your current card expires, so renew ahead of a study trip rather than waiting until the last minute. A GHIC lasts up to 5 years once issued.

If you need treatment while abroad

Carry your physical GHIC card or the digital version in the NHS app when you travel, since you need to show it before treatment, not after paying out of pocket. Contact the healthcare provider directly and explain you hold a GHIC, since not every clinic or pharmacy automatically checks for it. If a provider will not accept GHIC, or asks you to pay upfront, keep your receipts and claim through your travel insurance instead, since GHIC does not offer a refund process for treatment you already paid for privately.

Before you travel

• Apply for GHIC at least a few weeks before you leave, so your card arrives in time.

• Check if your destination is an EU country covered by standard GHIC, or Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, which are not.

• Buy separate travel insurance regardless, since GHIC does not cover repatriation, private treatment or mountain rescue.

• Keep your old EHIC until its printed expiry date if you still have one, rather than replacing it early.