European Health Insurance Card

European Health Insurance Card - Replacement of E 111.

You should not travel to another Member State of the European Economic Area or Switzerland without your European health insurance card or a provisional replacement certificate. During your stay, these documents will facilitate access to health care, which will be provided in accordance with the legislation of the host State (for example, in some countries you will receive free health care).

If you have to pay any costs up front, these documents guarantee reimbursement of health care costs locally or very soon after your return home.

The European health insurance card cannot be used for private sector health care providers.

The model for the European health insurance card is identical in all the Member States. This enables health care providers in every Member State to identify the card immediately. The insured person can then benefit from a simplified procedure for receiving any medical assistance that might become necessary during a temporary stay.

If a patient has forgotten or lost his/her European Card, he/she can ask his/her sickness insurance institution to fax or e-mail you a provisional replacement certificate. This is equivalent to the European Health Insurance Card and will give him/her the same entitlement to health care and reimbursement of the associated costs incurred during a temporary stay in another Member State. This course of action is particularly advised if a patient need to be hospitalised.

The only personal information on the European health insurance card is the European Health Insurance Card holder’s surname and first name, personal identification number and date of birth.

The European health insurance card does not contain medical data.

There are two variants of the European Health Insurance Card:
One variant for the front of the European Health Insurance Card, the back then being freely available to the Member State issuing the European Health Insurance Card. This is the option chosen by most Member States.
One variant for the back of the European Health Insurance Card, if the Member State issuing the European Health Insurance Card wishes to place it on the back of an existing national or regional card. This is the option chosen by Austria, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Liechtenstein.
Photos on front and back
front back
Each Member State is responsible for producing and distributing the European health insurance card on its territory. To request a card, you should contact your health institution.