Is a GHIC card enough, or do you need travel insurance for Europe? (UK, 2026)
No — a GHIC is not enough on its own. Your free UK Global Health Insurance Card gives you medically necessary state healthcare in EU countries at the same cost a local pays (often free or reduced), but it will not fly you home, pay for private treatment, cover a cancelled trip or lost bags, or help outside the participating countries. For a European trip in 2026 you want both: the GHIC for state care, and travel insurance for everything it leaves out.
Is a GHIC enough for a trip to Europe?
A GHIC is valuable but partial. It is designed to sit alongside travel insurance, not replace it. In short:
- What it does: gives you medically necessary state healthcare in the EU at the same price a local pays — often free, sometimes with a small co-payment — covering things like A&E, a GP for sudden illness and care for a chronic condition or pregnancy.
- What it never does: pay to fly you home (medical repatriation), cover private hospitals, mountain or sea rescue, a cancelled or cut-short trip, or lost baggage.
- Where it stops working: the card only helps in participating countries — EU states plus a short list of others. It is no use in the USA, Canada, Turkey or most of Asia.
- The bottom line: carry both. Many insurers also reduce or waive your medical excess if you used a valid GHIC, so the two work together.
The cost a GHIC leaves you exposed to
Source: MyInsuranceExpert review of published UK insurer and ABI guidance, 2026. Indicative ranges, not quotes — the actual cost depends on your condition, location and how you are moved.
| Situation | GHIC | Travel insurance |
|---|---|---|
| State hospital or GP treatment in the EU | Covered | Covers the excess/top-up |
| Private clinic or hospital | Not covered | Where medically needed |
| Medical flight home (repatriation) | Not covered | Covered |
| Mountain or sea rescue | Not covered | With the right add-on |
| Cancelled or cut-short trip | Not covered | Up to policy limit |
| Lost, stolen or delayed baggage | Not covered | Up to policy limit |
| Countries outside the scheme (USA, Canada, Turkey, most of Asia) | Not covered | On a worldwide policy |
Source: MyInsuranceExpert analysis of gov.uk GHIC guidance and UK travel policy wordings, 2026. Cover, limits and excesses vary by policy — always read your own schedule.
What a GHIC covers, and where it works
The GHIC replaced the old EHIC after Brexit. Existing EHICs stay valid until their printed expiry date, and both give broadly the same access to state healthcare. The card entitles you to treatment that becomes medically necessary during your stay, on the same terms as a resident of the country you are visiting.
- Emergency and necessary care: A&E, treatment for a sudden illness or injury, and care you cannot reasonably wait to have until you get home.
- Ongoing conditions: routine care for a pre-existing or chronic condition, such as dialysis or oxygen therapy, though you usually need to arrange this in advance.
- Maternity and childbirth: routine maternity care, unless you have travelled specifically to give birth.
- Where it works: all EU countries, plus a small number of others such as Switzerland and (for emergencies) Montenegro. The participating list can change — check the current list on gov.uk before you travel.
For how the medical side sits within a full policy and what a European trip typically costs to insure, see our guide to travel insurance cost in the UK for 2026. If you have a health condition to declare, our guide to travel insurance with pre-existing medical conditions explains how that affects cover.
What a GHIC does not cover — and why insurance still matters
A GHIC is a healthcare document, not an insurance policy. It has no financial cover for the wider risks of a trip, and it can leave you facing large bills even for medical events:
- Getting home: if you need an air ambulance or a medical escort on a commercial flight, that is repatriation — a GHIC pays none of it, and the bill can run into tens of thousands of pounds.
- Private treatment: the card only covers the state system. If you are treated privately — sometimes the only option in a resort or on a cruise — you pay in full.
- Rescue and cruises: mountain rescue after a skiing accident, sea rescue, and on-board cruise medical centres all sit outside the GHIC.
- Non-medical losses: cancellation, cutting a trip short, delays, and lost or stolen belongings are travel-insurance matters, not healthcare ones.
- Outside the scheme: the moment you leave a participating country, the card does nothing — so a trip that touches the USA, Turkey or Asia needs insurance for the medical side too.
A GHIC is free from the official NHS service — never pay a third-party site that charges a “processing fee” for one. Browse the wider travel insurance hub for more on cover levels, and if you are an older traveller, see travel insurance for over-65s.
GHIC and travel insurance FAQs
Where this guidance comes from
- gov.uk / NHS — how to apply for a free Global Health Insurance Card and what state healthcare it covers, 2026.
- Association of British Insurers (ABI) — guidance on why a GHIC is not a substitute for travel insurance and on repatriation costs.
- Which?, MoneySavingExpert and major UK comparison sites — GHIC versus travel insurance and indicative medical costs, 2026.
- Civil Aviation Authority — passenger context for disruption that sits alongside medical cover.
Figures are indicative typical costs drawn from published UK insurer and industry guidance — they are not quotes, and the exact amounts depend on your circumstances, destination and the policy you choose.
Reviewed by the MyInsuranceExpert editorial team
This guide was researched and reviewed by the MyInsuranceExpert editorial team. Our methodology combines the official gov.uk and NHS guidance on the GHIC with published UK travel policy wordings and ABI industry data. We describe how the card and insurance work together and use ranges rather than a single figure, because medical and repatriation costs vary widely by destination and circumstance.
Information only — not financial advice. MyInsuranceExpert is not an FCA-authorised intermediary and does not arrange or sell policies. Last updated: 2026-07-26