European Health Insurance Card

jhp

You can apply for a new EHIC up to six months before the expiry date however any time left on your EHIC is not added to your new card.

seven-day-weekend

cherydee wrote: »

I cannot understand why there is not much time on their cards....on the website it states they last from 3 - 5 years. They did not get them from that website where they had to pay, did they...as it's a right rip off !

As you the say the main thing is they have the cards in time for their holidays !

Browntoa (above) says that his/hers only lasts for one year, so there must be circumstances where it is not 3-5 years.

Would like to know what they are!

dc_scotland

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

My son and his girlfriend recently applied for one of these cards. They have now arrived but are only valid until next March.

Why might this be? Mine is valid for five years!

Thanks for any help.

Are they permanent UK residents, or expats ? Changes to EHIC arrangements were made last year which affected some British expats, and I believe the cards issued to them are now valid for only 1 year.

seven-day-weekend

They are UK resident. Have never lived anywhere else.

My husband and I have been expats (are now UK resident again) and our cards last five years.

DUTR

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

My son and his girlfriend recently applied for one of these cards. They have now arrived but are only valid until next March.

Why might this be? Mine is valid for five years!

Thanks for any help.

You prompted me to check mine, which is valid until 2015, sure I have had it nearly 2 years.

shellsuit

Mine and the 3 kids cards were valid for a year. I applied for more and they are valid for 5 years now.

Husbands applied for last year (same time as me and the kids applied) is valid for 3 years.

I can't make head nor tail of it.

ixia

Just realised I need to renew mine!

seven-day-weekend

shellsuit wrote: »

Mine and the 3 kids cards were valid for a year. I applied for more and they are valid for 5 years now.

Husbands applied for last year (same time as me and the kids applied) is valid for 3 years.

I can't make head nor tail of it.

Glad it's not just me!:rotfl:

dc_scotland

The 3 to 5 year validity periods were initially introduced in order to spread the renewal process more evenly and make the whole system more efficient. The DoH didn't want to have to replace hundreds of thousands of cards one year, and very few the next, so the different validity periods were designed to ensure that they could cope with a similar number of card issues each year in a very short turnaround time. But I wasn't aware of a shorter 1 year validity being brought in for that same reason.

seven-day-weekend

I rang the appropriate dept today. They don't know why either! But say it is no problem, they can apply for a longer one if they wish.

They did say they staggered them as dc Scotland says above.

Thanks all for your help.