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European Health Insurance Card

What is the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)? What is the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)?

The EHIC allows a person insured by or covered by a social protection scheme in one of the 27 Member States of the European Union (1), Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, to obtain from public health care providers the medical assistance that his/her state of health requires during their temporary stay in any of these States.

It is a single-format card, common throughout the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, which is free of charge and designed to make it easier to identify its holder and the institution which is financially responsible for the costs of the care he/she may need.

 

(1) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.

In what situations can it be used In what situations can it be used

This card is used to obtain the medically necessary healthcare  during a stay in one of the Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, taking into account the benefits to be provided and the expected length  of  stay, thus preventing the insured persons from having to return prematurely to their country of origin to receive the care that their state of health requires.

 

Health care is provided to EHIC holders in the same way as beneficiaries of the social security system of the country they are in, which means that it may not be free of charge and may be subject to the payment of (non-refundable) user charges or co-payments.

How to claim How to claim

You can apply for the EHIC through:

Social Security beneficiaries who have a Social Security Identification Number can request the CESD, with a password or Citizen Card to access the service.

 

  • Personally
    • In Mainland Portugal, at the  the Social Security offices
    • At the Citizen Spaces (digitally assisted service to access Social Security Direct)
    • In the Azores, at the Services of the Social Security Institute of the Azores
    • In Madeira, at the Services of the Social Security Institute of Madeira, IP-RAM

 

If you are a Social Security beneficiary and request it personally, you should fill in the form Mod.GIT53-DGSS, available in the upper right hand corner in "Related Documentation" or at any Social Security service.

The EHIC is sent to the address of the interested party.

 

Note: If it is not possible to issue the CESD in due time, the ISS, I.P. Service  Centre may provide the Social Security beneficiary with a provisional replacement certificate, which guarantees the same benefits as the card.

 

More information