Free EHIC Discussion

gfplux

Hello all,
I am a UK national living and officially resident in Luxembourg (member of the EU)
I and my wife have the Luxembourg equivalent of the UK ehic card. (Free)
When we travel within the EU we can have treatment at the same cost as a RESIDENT in the country where we have treatment.
So for example here in Luxembourg when I visit my GP for an appointment I pay (approximately) €20 for the visit. If I need a prescription I pay (approximately) €17 and when I go to the chemist to have the prescription filled I will pay a small percentage of the "official" price for the drug.
So I have paid (approximately) €37 to my doctor (no credit) as I left the surgery. I then submit those bills to the Luxembourg health outhoritys who then refund about 85% of those fees. (+/- 4 weeks)
The chemist bill is already discounted.
If I were on a low income (and registered as such) the Doctor would give me the subsidy immediately.
So....... The point is if a UK Citizen with an ehic card requires treatment in Luxembourg they will only pay what I a resident would pay.
In my experience each country in the EU operates in a similar way with only the % subsidy changing.
This has nothing to do with unscrupulous hotel receptionists who might be taking a kick back from a private Doctor or private ambulance service in a Mediterranean holiday resort.

mamole

Getting your EHIC before you travel is obviously the sensible thing to do, however it's worth pointing out that even if you don't have one you can still claim the expenses back from the DWP, just follow the instructions posted previously. A friend of mine got caught like this earlier this year and managed to claim them back, so don't assume all is lost!

Pippi_elk

A quick question.

My husband hit his head the other day and got 4 staples which need to be removed 1-2 days after Xmas day. We will be in the Republic of Ireland for Xmas but don't fancy paying the €100 fee that Irish residents need to pay if they visit A&E (or the €50-€60 fee you need to pay if visit a GP- applies to even those GPs in the public system) just to remove a few stables.

Can we claim this back when we return to UK if its not for ' life saving' treatment (doctors said should be removed in that time frame so we can't wait until we return) ? We both have EHIC cards.

Heinz

Having just renewed mine and my wife's EHIC cards online, it may help if I post below the official link to do so (this is, in fact, the same link as for a new application).

https://www.ehic.org.uk/Internet/startApplication.do

Slightly worryingly, the above url is not a dot gov dot uk one but be assured, I have used it and is certainly appears to be the official (free) one. I'll update this post when I receive the cards in "about 10 days".

Pollycat

Heinz wrote: »

Having just renewed mine and my wife's EHIC cards online, it may help if I post below the official link to do so (this is, in fact, the same link as for a new application).

https://www.ehic.org.uk/Internet/startApplication.do

Slightly worryingly, the above url is not a dot gov dot uk one but be assured, I have used it and is certainly appears to be the official (free) one. I'll update this post when I receive the cards in "about 10 days".

Going by what it says right at the top of the website (above), I think you've safely used the official website.

The problem is, people Google 'EHIC' or 'passport renewal' and click on the top-listed website - which is usually one of the unofficial ones.
It's only when they realise that they've paid for something that should be free that they find their way to MSE.

Girlzmum

Just wondering if I can get a bit of advice. We're off on holiday in April with our 6 month old, I already have EHIC cards for the rest of the family and they are valid until 2017, so I tried to apply for EHIC card for him.

It states on the site that the main applicant has to be over 16 so I can't apply for just him, it also states that cards can be renewed 6 months before expiry so can't do that. I can't find anything on the help section that covers this. It seems a bit ridiculous that it lasts for 5 years but there is no provision for having a baby in between times!

I'm travelling with my SIL (same surname) and she needs to apply for EHIC, can she apply for my son even though they have different addresses?

harrywyatt

Googled "Ehic Renewals Free". Came up with 2 very official looking websites. They were all charging £23.50. In hindsite I can say "never assume", but of course of I did assume this was the charge. I thought policy must have changed in last 5 years and these cards are no longer free ( we are after all charged for most things in life these days).


Cutting a long story short we are a family of four and I have been charged nearly £100 to renew cards that should be free.


I feel such a fool, be warned, it is quite hard to find the actual site where these cards can be applied for with no charge. I did ask for a refund, just 6 hours after processing the payment but it had already been taken and the website offer no sympathy and almost seem to gloat in the fact that they have "legally" taken my money!

Pollycat

harrywyatt wrote: »

Googled "Ehic Renewals Free". Came up with 2 very official looking websites. They were all charging £23.50. In hindsite I can say "never assume", but of course of I did assume this was the charge. I thought policy must have changed in last 5 years and these cards are no longer free ( we are after all charged for most things in life these days).

Cutting a long story short we are a family of four and I have been charged nearly £100 to renew cards that should be free.

I feel such a fool, be warned, it is quite hard to find the actual site where these cards can be applied for with no charge. I did ask for a refund, just 6 hours after processing the payment but it had already been taken and the website offer no sympathy and almost seem to gloat in the fact that they have "legally" taken my money!

I guess there is no refund policy on the website you used?

If you believe the website is misleading you can report them to the OFT via CAB:
http://www.oft.gov.uk/contactus#.UvNppilFBjp

Also beware that it is not just for EHIC that these copycat websites exist.

Beware of:
ESTA
Passport application/renewal
Driving test theory
Booking Driving test
Driving licence application/renewal
Submitting tax returns

And don't assume that a website with 'org' or 'gov' in the name is official, it may not be.

Twisted_Cherry

I did a search yesterday for EHIC and came across the fake websites! I then found the official one and then realised where I had put the last card!

scully2mulderuk

Don't use e111.org.uk
I've stupidly been duped. Since my card was up for renewal, I thought the rules may have changed and the government are now charging.

I paid £9.95. I've written an email to them to ask for a full refund. This site is also linking to the nhs website for additional details, therefore I assumed this site was official.

I've reported this to the OFT/ Citizen's Advice.