- A UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) is free, lasts up to 5 years, and gives access to medically necessary state healthcare across the EEA, but it does not cover medical repatriation, private treatment or ski and mountain rescue, and the NHS states it is not a replacement for travel insurance.
- The FCDO advises that for travel to France a GHIC or valid existing EHIC gives state treatment on the same basis as French citizens, but does not cover medical repatriation to the UK, changes to bookings, or private healthcare.
- ABI members paid out 472 million pounds across more than 500,000 travel claims in 2024, of which medical claims accounted for 262 million pounds at an average payout of 1,528 pounds; medical expenses were 34% of all claims, up from 29% in 2023.
- Some insurers waive the medical excess if a claim is supported by an EHIC or GHIC; the FCDO advises checking the policy terms directly.
Europe is the most common destination for UK travellers, and it is the place where many assume free state healthcare cards remove the need for insurance. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the NHS are explicit that this is not the case. A GHIC opens the door to state hospitals across the European Economic Area, but it stops well short of the costs that turn a routine trip into a five-figure bill. This guide sets out what cover for Europe actually needs to address, grounded in FCDO foreign travel advice and the GHIC rules published by the NHS.
How Europe cover differs
The defining feature of a European trip for a UK traveller is the GHIC. The card, issued free by the NHS and valid for up to 5 years, provides medically necessary state healthcare in EEA countries (plus Montenegro, Switzerland with restrictions, and a small number of other territories such as Australia, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man). Medically necessary means treatment that cannot reasonably wait until return to the UK, including emergency care, routine maternity care and management of pre-existing conditions.
The card's limits are where the gap opens. The NHS states that a GHIC does not cover being flown back to the UK (medical repatriation), treatment in a private medical facility, or ski and mountain rescue. In some countries travellers also face co-payments that local residents pay, and the card will not refund those. Because state care abroad is delivered on the same basis as for local citizens, a country that charges its own residents for part of a treatment will charge a UK visitor too.
This is why insurance for Europe is structured around what the GHIC does not reach: repatriation, private treatment, cancellation, baggage, and the cost of getting to hospital in the first place. The FCDO's guidance for France illustrates the point directly, listing medical repatriation to the UK, changes to travel and accommodation bookings, and private healthcare as costs a GHIC does not cover.
What to look for
The FCDO sets out the components a policy should address. The first is emergency medical and hospital treatment in state or private hospitals, where the guidance notes that emergency treatment and hospital bills can be enormously expensive. The second is emergency transport such as an ambulance, which the FCDO notes is often charged separately to other medical expenses, and emergency travel home on medical grounds, which it describes as potentially very expensive. For Europe, repatriation is the single most important figure because it is the cost the GHIC explicitly excludes.
Trip length is the second area to check. The FCDO notes that many policies carry a maximum trip length and an annual limit on total time spent outside the UK. A traveller making several short European breaks across a year needs to confirm the annual policy's per-trip cap and total-days cap, not just the headline cover.
The excess waiver is a Europe-specific feature worth confirming. The FCDO states that some insurers waive any excess on medical treatment if a GHIC or EHIC is used, which can reduce the out-of-pocket cost of a claim. The guidance directs travellers to check the policy terms or contact the insurer, because the waiver is not universal.
Cover limits and exclusions
The ABI claims data gives a sense of the scale insurance is built to absorb. Across 2024, ABI members paid 472 million pounds on more than 500,000 travel claims. Medical claims made up 262 million pounds of that total at an average payout of 1,528 pounds, and medical expenses rose to 34% of all claims from 29% the year before. Even within Europe, where state healthcare cards apply, the average medical claim runs well above a thousand pounds once private elements, repatriation and ancillary costs are included.
The most common exclusion to check is undeclared medical history. The FCDO is direct: travellers should declare existing conditions or pending treatment or tests so that they are covered if related complications arise during the trip, and failing to declare something may invalidate the policy. This applies to Europe just as it does to long-haul travel, and the GHIC does not paper over it, because a GHIC handles the state-treatment side while the insurer handles repatriation and private costs that turn on the declared history.
Cruise itineraries are a further exclusion trap even within European waters. The FCDO advises checking the operator's booking conditions because cruises generally require an additional level of cover, given that it is harder to reach a hospital for treatment at sea. A standard European policy may not extend to a Mediterranean cruise without a cruise add-on.
Providers offering cover in this segment
Among UK distributors with a standalone consumer travel product and retrievable regulatory detail, Staysure publishes a dedicated European travel insurance product. Staysure is a trading name of TICORP Limited, registered in Gibraltar, authorised and regulated by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission and trading into the UK under Financial Conduct Authority reference number 663617. Its Comprehensive and Signature policies advertise unlimited emergency medical cover and emergency expenses, with cancellation cover up to 15,000 pounds on Signature policies. There is no upper age limit, and the provider states it covers more than 1,300 medical conditions, with winter sports available as a separately listed optional add-on.
One detail specific to European annual policies is geographic scope. Staysure's European page notes that Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia are not in Europe but are covered on a European annual policy, which is a useful illustration of why the precise country list inside a policy matters more than the word Europe on the front. Travellers should confirm against the policy wording which countries a European product treats as in-area, rather than assuming a geographic boundary.
The figures above are drawn from the provider's own published product pages and regulatory footer at the time of writing. Cover limits, age rules and pricing change, so the policy wording and Insurance Product Information Document should be confirmed directly before purchase.
Common pitfalls
The first pitfall is treating the GHIC as the whole solution. It is free and valuable, but the NHS and FCDO both state it is not a replacement for travel insurance, and it does nothing for repatriation, private care, ski rescue, cancellation or baggage.
The second is the activity gap. The FCDO advises that some activities, including sports and adventure tourism, need specialist insurance or an add-on. Winter sports in the Alps and water sports in the Mediterranean are the common European examples, and the GHIC's exclusion of ski and mountain rescue makes the add-on materially important for a ski trip.
The third is the excess and the waiver. A policy with a low premium but a high medical excess can leave a traveller paying a large share of a smaller claim. Confirming whether the insurer waives the excess on a GHIC-supported claim, as the FCDO flags, is a practical check that affects the real cost of a European medical claim.
