Travelling this summer? Make sure to pack your EHIC!
Just imagine that you’re going to spend a few weeks in Greece or Portugal this summer to enjoy some sun, sea and great food. You’re having a great time, until something happens and you need to see a doctor … and you wish you could speak some Greek or Portuguese. In those situations, a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) might be very helpful.
EHIC: What is it?
The EHIC is unfortunately not a translation device and will not be able to help you explain to the medical staff what the problem is. However, it does show the medical staff that you are covered under a Dutch national health insurance policy. Please note that this implies that if you are insured under a Dutch private health insurance policy (such as the Insurance Passport for Students) you are not eligible to receive an EHIC.
Your EHIC grants you the same access to the public health care sector in the country you are visiting as local citizens of that country, free of charge. This means that you can go to a Greek or Portuguese hospital or pharmacy to receive the necessary medical care, without additional charges.
The EHIC is valid in all EU and EEA countries, plus Switzerland. Look elsewhere on our website to find out exactly which countries are in the EU/EEA.
How to obtain an EHIC
You can apply for an EHIC online. This will only take two minutes of your time, but the form is in Dutch. You will need to submit the following information:
- Burgerservicenummer: Citizen service number. You can find this on your insurance card or similar types of documents.
- Verzekerdenummer: Policy number of your health insurance. You can find this on your insurance card too.
- Huisnummer en toevoeging: House number and suffix.
- Postcode: Postal code
- Geboortedatum (DD-MM-EEJJ): Date of birth (use DD-MM-YYYY format)
- Zorgverzekeraar: Name of your insurance company.
- Verblijf in het buitenland: Please enter the start date (van) and end date (tot) of your intended stay abroad. Note that this question might not be asked once you have selected your insurance company.
Then please click controleer to check that all the information you have filled in is correct. Finally, click verstuur to submit your application. Done!
More information
You can find more information about the European Health Insurance Card on our website and the website of the European Commission.
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