[REVISION HISTORY]

European Health Insurance Card usage and coverage

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-12 11:45 UTC → 2026-08-21 05:19 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) provides travelers with access to urgent and necessary medical care in EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The coverage includes emergencies, chronic conditions, and pregnancy, offering the same conditions and costs as local residents. However, it is not a substitute for private travel insurance, as it does not cover planned treatments or private healthcare costs. While the card is free and can be applied for through national health insurers, it has significant limitations regarding out-of-pocket expenses. In several countries, patients face high co-payments or direct payments for hospital stays and medication. Eurostat data indicates high rates of direct patient payments in Bulgaria, Latvia, and Greece, while nations such as France, Italy, and Austria often require fixed daily fees for hospitalization that are not covered by the EHIC. A critical gap in coverage is medical repatriation. The card does not cover the costs of air transport back to a home country following serious illness or injury. These costs can be extreme, potentially exceeding 5 million CZK for long-distance repatriation or 2 million CZK for specialized care requiring ventilators in non-EU countries. For trips outside the EHIC network, experts advise obtaining comprehensive travel insurance to cover emergency medical treatment, hospital stays, medication, and medical evacuation. To assist travelers, replacement certificates can be obtained online while abroad if a card is lost or expired. In Lithuania, the State Health Insurance Fund has issued nearly 23,000 such certificates this year to support citizens traveling during the summer season.

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