What is the Ehic Card? (E111)

Figures show that there is a high level of awareness about the EHIC scheme (old e111) in general, but that most of us are a bit confused when it comes to understanding what EHIC is, what it covers, and how to get your hands on one.

EHIC is a European based scheme. It’s an agreement between 32 countries to allow their residents to use each other’s state healthcare systems if they need to. The countries which are part of the scheme are the countries of the EU, plus Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. No other countries are included but the UK will continue to be part of EHIC at least as long as it takes to complete the Brexit process.

Most of the misconceptions about EHIC are because every healthcare system across Europe is different in how it operates. Not all countries get free healthcare as we do in the UK, and many patients are asked to pay for their food and “lodging