The European Health Insurance Card – formerly known as E111 card – is something what most nomads don’t know much about. However, I would say that as a nomad you should have a good understanding of what the EU insurance card is and what benefits you get from it.
Key Takeaways
- The EHIC offers you healthcare all over the EU/EEA and the UK.
- This doesn’t mean the treatment is free of charge.
- You need to apply for the EHIC in your country of residence if you meet certain requirements.
- The health card is no (full) substitute for a travel insurance or private health insurance.
What Is The European Health Insurance Card And What Does It Cover
The European Health Insurance Card is proof that you benefit from health care cover within Europe.
Consequently, it entitles you to receive medical care based on having this card. However, the EHIC does not grant you a blank check to just receive any medical care.
You will receive medical care that is necessary given your situation. What this exactly means and how this is interpreted depends on your situation and from differs country to country. However, the applicable legislation does explicitly mention that health care regarding pregnancy and child birth is also included as well as any pre-existing and chronic diseases.
I also need to mention that the European Health Insurance Card for digital nomads is not a substitute for a travel insurance. Therefore, the EHIC doesn’t cover any repatriation or private healthcare.
Furthermore, you won’t necessarily benefit from free healthcare. You can just benefit from coverage by the local healthcare system like locals.
List of Countries Where You Can Use the European Health Card
The European Health Insurance Card is valid in the countries of the European Union, the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom.
You can find the full list below:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
Eligibility Criteria for the European Medical Card
If you are a resident in a member state of the European Union or Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom you can apply for a European Health Insurance card if you pay social contributions there.
Application Process for the EU Medical Card
In many countries, you receive the card automatically once you are registered with the national health insurance provider.
If not, you can contact the local institution to request your card. The exact procedure will depend on your country.
Please note that if you change your registered address within Europe, you need to apply for a new card in your new country of residence.
You can find more information about the European Health Insurance Card on the website of the European Commission.
Does the European Health Insurance Substitute a Health Insurance for Digital Nomads?
The European medical card is no substitute for a digital nomad health insurance.
First of all is the EU healthcare card only available to nomads who have their registered address and pay social security contributions in an EU/EEA state or the UK.
If you fall withing this scope, the EU insurance card also only covers you in these countries. That means that if you travel to countries outside of Europe, you still need some alternative coverage.
One option is to get a digital nomad travel insurance for the time you leave Europe. However, this will only cover urgent care and these insurances are mostly limited in time. If you just travel outside of Europe for shorter times, this might work for you. Nevertheless, if you plan to travel extensively, you might run into difficulties finding a travel insurance that wants to cover you.
In this regard, I want to mention that many of the free travel insurances you get with fintechs or credit cards are limited to three months. This means that they only apply if you leave your home country for a maximum of three months at a time. On top of that, they often stipulate you need to fly directly from your home country and destination country and back. Therefore, these insurances are useless for most digital nomads.
If you plan to travel more extensively, getting a medical insurance for digital nomads could be a better option. Most people have a health insurance for a specific country but there are also plans out there which are valid is most of the world. In this way, you can get any medical care wherever you need it. What coverage you get and what the price point is depends on the countries involved and your personal situation (e.g. age).
If you want to learn more about to optimize your international lifestyle, reach out!
