The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) team have confirmed that all Armed Forces personnel, MOD civilians, MOD contractors and their families are entitled to use a UK issued EHIC and the services it provides during travel within Europe.
For more information please see:
https://nhsbsa-live.powerappsportals.com/knowledgebase/article/KA-02996/en-us
Acquiring an EHIC to enable reciprocal healthcare in Europe is based on country of legal residence, not country of citizenship. A valid EHIC currently gives you the right to access state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in another European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland. Therefore, in order to apply you should use your BFPO address.
The EHIC currently covers treatment that is medically necessary until your planned return home (which may be to your HN location). Treatment should be provided on the same basis as it would to a resident of that country, either at a reduced cost or, in some cases, free of charge. You may need to be prepared to fund the usual state contribution and all countries differ.
The EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance. It does not cover private medical healthcare or costs such as mountain rescue in ski resorts, being repatriated to your country of residence, or lost or stolen property. It is also not valid on some cruises.
We STRONGLY recommend that all personnel based abroad have travel insurance (for themselves and their accompanying family), for when they are off duty and outside the duty location. It is usually essential to have both an EHIC and a valid private travel health insurance policy in place before you travel. Some insurers now insist you hold an EHIC, and many will waive the excess if you have one.
We cannot predict what different healthcare providers in various countries will request or that insurance companies will fully understand the system. Individual providers may take a different view.
We advise NOT to apply for a S1 reciprocal agreement card as the healthcare provision that you and your families currently access in your host nation facilitated by the MoD is a separate system and using and S1 card may inadvertently affect access or funding.
Please note that this is a local view which has been checked carefully with UK agencies. However, it is your individual responsibility to check your individual circumstances.
