The GHIC is free, lasts up to five years, and gives you state healthcare on the same terms as a local in the EU and a handful of other countries. It is not travel insurance: it will not fly you home, pay a private clinic or send a rescue team. And in some of the most popular holiday destinations from the UK — Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Dubai — it does nothing at all.
- Apply only through the official NHS website. It is free; sites that charge a fee are not the NHS.
- Every family member needs their own card — children included.
- An old UK EHIC still works until the expiry date printed on it.
- Valid in the EU, Switzerland, Montenegro and Australia, among others. Not valid in Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Cape Verde, the UAE or the USA.
- Even where it works, you still need travel insurance.
Most British holidaymakers know they "should have a GHIC". Far fewer know what it actually does, and that gap is where expensive surprises come from. The card replaced the old EHIC after Brexit, and it does broadly the same job: it lets you use a country's state healthcare system on the same terms as someone who lives there.
That last phrase carries a lot of weight. "The same terms as a local" means that if locals pay part of the cost of a visit or a prescription, so do you. It means state hospitals, not the private clinics that line most resort strips. And it means nothing at all in a country that has no agreement with the UK.
How to Get One (Free)
Apply on the NHS website
The only official route is the NHS GHIC page. The card is free. Unofficial websites that look similar charge a fee to submit the same form — the NHS itself warns against them.
Add the whole family
Each person needs their own card. You can add your spouse or civil partner and your children to the same application.
Leave time before you fly
Apply well ahead of the trip rather than the week before. If you already hold a UK EHIC, keep using it until the expiry date on the card and apply for the GHIC when it runs out.
Where the GHIC Works
According to the NHS, the card covers the countries of the European Economic Area — every EU country plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein — along with Montenegro, Australia, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, St Helena, Tristan da Cunha and Ascension. Switzerland is covered for some travellers depending on nationality and status.
On the board we price from ten UK airports, that means the card is valid in:
- Tenerife and Lanzarote — the Canary Islands are Spain, and therefore the EU.
- Madeira — Portugal. Note that it will not pay for a mountain rescue on the levada trails, which matters more here than on a beach.
- Paphos — Cyprus is in the EU, and state treatment is covered.
In the EU, the GHIC gets you state care on local terms — including any patient contribution locals pay.
Where It Does Nothing
This is the list that catches people out, because several of the most popular holiday destinations from Britain are on it. In all of these, the GHIC is not accepted and private travel insurance is the only thing standing between you and the full bill:
| Destination | GHIC valid? | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | No | Private hospitals are good and expect payment or an insurer's guarantee before treatment. |
| Egypt | No | Declare diving on your policy — standard cover usually stops a few metres down. |
| Morocco | No | Private clinics in Marrakesh and Agadir expect payment up front. |
| Cape Verde | No | Anything serious means an evacuation flight. Declare kitesurfing if you plan to do it. |
| Dubai | No | Excellent and very expensive private care. Check the medication rules before you pack. |
| USA | No | The most expensive place in the world to fall ill. Insure for high medical limits. |
The same applies to every long-haul destination on our board — Thailand, the Maldives, Bali, Mexico, the Caribbean. Each destination page carries a health note written for that place; the rule of thumb is simple: outside Europe, assume the card is worthless.
What the GHIC Never Covers — Even in Spain
Even in a country where the card is valid, the NHS is explicit that it does not cover:
- Being flown back to the UK — medical repatriation can run into tens of thousands of pounds.
- Treatment in a private medical facility — and in resort areas, the clinic your hotel calls is very often private.
- Ski or mountain rescue.
Some countries also ask patients to pay a share of the cost of their care, and the GHIC does not remove that — you pay what a local would. That is why the NHS says plainly that the card does not replace travel insurance.
In Tenerife, Lanzarote or Paphos, a hotel reception asked for "a doctor" will very often call a private clinic. Private clinics do not accept the GHIC. If you want state care, ask specifically for the public health centre — centro de salud in Spain — or go to a state hospital. If you are happy to go private, make sure your travel insurer knows before the bill is run up.
So Do You Need Both?
Yes, and they do different jobs. The GHIC is free and makes state care straightforward in Europe; some travel insurers also reduce or waive the excess if you used a GHIC for treatment. The insurance covers what the card never will — repatriation, private care, cancellations, lost bags — and is the only cover you have at all outside Europe.
Does the GHIC work in Turkey?
No. The UK government's travel advice states that neither the GHIC nor the EHIC is valid in Turkey. You need private travel insurance.
Is my old EHIC still valid?
Yes, a UK EHIC can be used until the expiry date printed on it. Apply for a GHIC when it runs out.
Do I have to pay for a GHIC?
No. It is free from the NHS. Websites charging a fee are unofficial services, not the NHS.
Does the GHIC cover the Canary Islands?
Yes. The Canary Islands are part of Spain, so state treatment in Tenerife, Lanzarote and the other islands is covered on the same terms as for residents.
Heading somewhere warm this winter?
Every destination page carries its own health note, entry rules and this week's fare from ten UK airports.
See the winter sun board
