Although the United Kingdom is part of the European Union (EU), you still need to carry a full British 10-year passport (or five-year child passport if you are under 16 and not on a parent’s passport) every time you travel to Europe. This includes day trips and travel by Eurostar.
Many countries no longer check passports at their land borders, but they still expect visitors to be able to produce a valid form of identification. For UK travellers this is the British passport. Remember, your passport will have to be checked at immigration control when you return to the UK.
The EHIC (the replacement for the E111 form) entitles UK residents who are travelling to Europe to reduce cost, sometimes free, state provided healthcare which becomes necessary when visiting a European Union (EU) country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.
The card is available free of charge, is valid for up to five years, and can be applied for:
The EHIC also covers you for pre-existing conditions that your travel insurance might not and indeed, some travel insurance policies are invalid without an EHIC.
The EHIC is not a replacement for travel insurance. It won't cover you for loss of luggage, holiday refunds or repatriation back to the UK - so you must have both to be fully covered.
For further information regarding the EHIC, including where it can be used, who is eligible and what it covers, visit www.dh.gov.uk/travellers (new window).
24-hour Passport Adviceline: 0300 222 0000 (see terms and conditions). Calls made to 0300 numbers from landlines and mobile phones are charged to customers at their network provider's national rate. Live operators are available to assist with your enquiry 24 hours a day.
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