European Health Insurance Card

If you are travelling within the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland, bring your European Health Insurance Card with you.

What is the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)?

It is a document that ensures the provision of health care when beneficiaries of a social security system from one of the States of the European Union, European Economic Area or Switzerland temporarily move in this area.

Identifies the holder. It is a single model, common to the entire European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland.

How can I get the EHIC?

Through Social Security or its health subsystem.

On the Internet

Social Security beneficiaries, with a social security identification number (NISS), can request the EHIC on the website in http://www.seg-social.pt/, through Segurança Social Directa, with a password or Citizen Card to access the service (prior registration is required).

In person

In mainland Portugal

At the Social Security services in the area of residence of the beneficiaries registered with Social Security, you can fill in the form Model GIT53-DGSS (PDF – 65 Kb), available in http://www.seg-social.pt/, in the Forms option> selecting the category> European Health Insurance Card, attaching a copy of one of the following documents:

Social Security identification card or document showing the beneficiary number

Beneficiary card of a public or private subsystem

National Health Service user card.

In the Citizen's Shops

With the public health subsystem (ADSE, SSMJ, etc.) or private.

In the Azores

At the Institute for Social Development of the Azores, IPRA

With the health subsystem (ADSE, SSMJ, etc.).

In Madeira

At the Social Security Centre

With the health subsystem (ADSE, SSMJ, etc.).

In which Member States is it issued and can it be used?

In 31 States:

27 Member States of the European Union (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, United Kingdom, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Romania and Sweden);

Three Member States of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway); Switzerland.

Each Member State is responsible for issuing and distributing the EHIC on its territory.

Under what circumstances can I use the EHIC?

When you move temporarily within the States of the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland. For example, when you go on vacation, business trip or study abroad.

The card does not cover situations in which the insured person travels to another State in order to receive medical treatment due to proven impossibility of treatment in Portugal (lack of technical means). If this is the situation, you must request the E112 form from the District Social Security Center in your area of residence, along with a certificate issued by the family doctor.

The card also does not cover private sector health care providers.

What benefits am I entitled to with the EHIC?

all benefits in kind which become medically necessary during a stay in the territory of another Member State or Party, taking into account the nature of the benefits and the intended duration of the stay.

The card guarantees the same access to public sector healthcare (i.e. a doctor, a pharmacy, a hospital or a health centre) as citizens of the country you are visiting. If it is necessary to receive medical treatment in a country where healthcare is not free, the cardholder will be reimbursed immediately or later when they return to their country.

Can I go to a doctor of my choice?

You can only use the EHIC if you go to a healthcare provider covered by the sickness insurance scheme established by the law of the host country. Before traveling, you should find out about the procedures for obtaining medical treatment in the State you are visiting. If you go to a private doctor or a private clinic, you will not be able to use your EHIC.

How do I identify the official health services of a state I go to?

Before leaving, or when arriving, you should find out what these services are and where they are located. You can consult the European Commission's website (National information and contacts).

I have a chronic illness that requires me to see a doctor very regularly. I want to go to another Member State for a temporary stay. Does the EHIC cover my medical care in that country?

Yes. If your illness requires treatment in specialised medical units, units with special equipment and/or specialised staff, as well as if your medical situation requires special medical surveillance and, in particular, the use of special techniques or equipment (e.g. renal dialysis treatments or oxygen therapy).

You must organize the trip in advance, making a prior booking of the treatment. You can ask the health centre or health subsystem with which you are affiliated to liaise with the institution in the other Member State. You must not make the journey without prior assurance that the medical assistance you need will be provided.

Chronic kidney failure beneficiaries can contact the institutions that provide treatment with the support of the Portuguese Association of Renal Insufficiency. They must not make the journey without prior assurance that the medical care they need will be provided.

What are the advantages of EHIC?

Administrative simplification of the identification of the holder and the institution financially responsible for the costs of health care that he may need;

It prevents the insured person from being forced to return prematurely to the competent State in order to receive the care required by his state of health.

Who can be a EHIC holder?

The European Health Insurance Card is intended for citizens of the 27 Member States of the European Union, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

The EHIC is nominative and individual. Its holders can be:

Workers, including those in international transport, students, pensioners and their families who

are covered by a social security scheme;

Beneficiaries of social protection subsystems who have assumed responsibility for the financial burden generated with the health care provided to EHIC holders;

Users of the National Health Service in case there is no link to social security or a health subsystem.

Since the card is individual, each member of the insured person's family must have his or her card.

What should I do if I become ill while travelling to a Member State?

He must be treated at the official health services or contracted services (according to each national legislation) of the State in which the holder of the EHIC is staying, as if he were a beneficiary of the social security system of that State.

Will I have to pay for the care I have been given?

An insured person of a State who is medically assisted in another State shall pay only the fees and/or co-payments which nationals of the latter State pay in order to obtain such health care.

How much does the EHIC cost?

The EHIC is issued free of charge to the holder.

What documentation is required to obtain the EHIC?

Depending on the situation, the social security beneficiary card, the user of the National Health Service or the subsystem that ensures their protection in the event of illness and the Identity Card/Citizen Card. Check with the institution where you are going to apply for it.

How long does it take to be delivered?

As a rule, it is sent to the holder's home within about 7 working days after receipt of the request.

What is the validity of the EHIC?

In principle, three years (general regime). You should consult the system or subsystem that ensures your protection in the event of illness.

What should I do if I lose or steal the EHIC?

You must communicate the fact, mandatorily and urgently, to the entity on whose behalf it was issued (district social security centre, autonomous region, subsystem), and then proceed according to the instructions provided by the latter.

If the loss or theft occurs during your journey, you can ask your social security institution or the health subsystem covering you to fax or email you a provisional replacement certificate (CPS). This measure is especially advised if you need to be hospitalized.

What is the Provisional Replacement Certificate?

It is a document equivalent to the EHIC and replaces it when the health insurance institution is unable to provide the card quickly, for an upcoming and unplanned trip, or when the card is lost or forgotten, in which case the institution covering it may send a CPS (by fax, for example) directly to the healthcare provider in the host country.

If I go on holiday to another EU country without any documents, what happens if I need medical assistance?

You will, of course, receive all the assistance you need to enable you to continue your holiday without having to return to your home country for treatment. However, don't forget that these documents not only make it easier for you to access medical care on the spot, as they ensure that you receive care in accordance with the rules in force in the state you are visiting, but also ensure that you are reimbursed for your expenses soon after your return, if you have been asked to pay directly for any medical expense other than a user fee or reimbursement, as required of nationals of the State concerned.

To learn more, see: https://www.sns.gov.pt/home/cartao-europeu-de-seguro-de-doenca/