A European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) is not as comprehensive as the medical cover provided by travel insurance. A European travel insurance policy will also cover the costs of private treatment or repatriation back to the UK if you need it.
The EHIC and GHIC also only cover medical treatment. Travel insurance for Europe will also cover a wide range of mishaps, including cancelled trips, delayed flights or lost baggage.
Even with travel insurance for Europe, it's still important you pack your EHIC or GHIC - your policy may not pay out without it.
You should take your EHIC or GHIC away with you because this means you can get free, or at least reduced medical treatment, if you need it. European travel insurance is recommended because it means you’re covered for emergencies like lost or stolen goods, disrupted travel or cancellations.
The EHIC was never considered to be a replacement for travel insurance, and most authorities and insurers recommend that you get a policy with the appropriate level of cover in place for your trip.
European travel insurance covers the same things as a regular travel insurance policy. The only difference is that it won't cover you to travel outside of Europe. A good policy should typically cover:
Depending on which type of travel insurance policy you need, you may have to select which countries you’re visiting to make sure you’re covered. If you’re looking for a single-trip European policy, just enter the countries you plan on visiting when you’re getting a quote.
If you’re buying an annual or backpackers policy, you’ll need to select Europe from the list of destinations.
European travel insurance only covers a UK holiday if you’ve selected the UK as one of the countries you’re visiting. If you haven’t selected this, then you won’t be covered with your travel insurance.
If you’re planning a staycation, you can get a travel policy that covers you for solely your UK trip – this may even end up saving you some money too!
Again, this can vary depending on the insurer, so we recommend checking the policy wording to see if UK holidays are covered by a European travel insurance policy.
A lot of insurers will include Turkey as part of Europe when it comes to travel insurance, even though Turkey isn’t in the European Union.
But some insurers will say you need worldwide cover when travelling to Turkey. Once you see your quotes on the prices page, you can select ‘more info’ to read the policy documents and see if Turkey is included in that policy.
If you’re still unsure, it’s best to get in touch with your insurer to double-check.
No. Cape Verde is not part of Europe so would not be covered by European travel insurance. You’ll have to select worldwide cover if you're getting a backpacker or annual insurance policy or specify the destination when getting a single trip quote.
If you’re travelling to Europe for business and want to cover your equipment you can add business cover to your policy when you get a quote. It might also be worth asking your employer if they already have a policy that covers you if you’re travelling for business or work purposes.
Although Norway isn't in the European Union, it still counts as Europe for travel insurance purposes.
Yes. Iceland isn't in the European Union but it is part of the European Economic Area (EEA).
You should be. If you're buying a single-trip policy you need to tell the insurance company exactly which countries you will be travelling to and through. But if you buy annual cover, you'll have cover across Europe without specifying the countries.
You can buy travel insurance for a trip, right up to the day you leave. It's better to buy it as soon as you book your holiday though. This will mean you're covered if certain unforeseen events force you to cancel your trip.
You don't need specific health insurance to travel on holiday to Europe. A European travel insurance policy will cover you if you get sick or have an accident and need medical treatment while you're away.
You might think that because Europe is so close to home, you don’t need to worry about travel insurance. Even with an EHIC or GHIC, you’ll still only be entitled to state level care in some places. Having a European travel insurance policy in place with the right level of medical cover could help save you £1000’s if you fall ill or have an accident abroad.
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