E111 forms

 

Find out about the European Health Insurance Card....

 

If you are travelling in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, there are arrangements which may reduce your need for travel medical insurance in Europe. If you or any of your dependants are suddenly taken ill or have an accident during a visit to any of these countries, free or reduced-cost necessary treatment is available. Only state provided treatment is covered, and you will receive treatment on the same terms as ‘insured’ residents of the country you are visiting. Private treatment is generally not covered, and state provided treatment may not cover all of the things that you would expect to receive free of charge from the NHS.

 

The Form E111 gives rights to treatment during a temporary visit to Europe for people who are normally resident in the UK. E111 forms can be downloaded here, or can be obtained in hard copy at any UK post office.  

 

However, it is still advisable to take out travel insurance even when travelling to EU countries.  Few countries pay the full cost of medical treatment even under reciprocal health service arrangements.  Also, extra travel and accommodation expenses and repatriation costs are not covered by the reciprocal arrangements. Standards of healthcare can also vary between countries.

 

Note that the scheme does not cover non-emergency treatment in Europe: for this you will need to complete Form 112.

 

The EEA is made up of the 25 European Union (EU) member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The member states of the EU are: