UK health cards in France: what EHICs and GHICs cover

Readers have contacted The Connexion to report confusion over when British EHIC and GHIC cards can be used in France, who is eligible for them, and what healthcare they cover.

Some say their cards have been rejected by French healthcare providers, including Tony Jones, a second-home owner who spends a significant amount of time in France and who encountered problems in Cahors (Lot).

He wrote: “We successfully used the EHIC card for 24 years, during which time we visited our local GP on many occasions and attended several hospitals.

“However, during 2025 our GHIC card was rejected at the local hospital after emergency treatment, while in 2026 our GHIC card has been rejected by the local CPAM office for GP services.

“We have therefore reluctantly come to the conclusion it has no useful purpose in France unless used to make a retrospective claim in the UK.”

EHIC and GHIC - the differences

To recap, the EHIC is the European Health Insurance Card, called Carte européenne d’assurance maladie (CEAM) in France, which is used for healthcare during holidays and other temporary stays for treatment that cannot reasonably wait until you return home.

Since 2021, the UK has issued the GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) instead to most people, which can be used for healthcare in France by visitors and second-home owners who live in the UK.

The GHIC is also issued to British state pensioners in France who have S1 forms, meaning that the UK pays France for their French healthcare. The exception is people who have lived in France since before Brexit, with Withdrawal Agreement residency rights, who may still receive a new UK EHIC.

S1 holders should not apply for a French CEAM, and will usually be refused if they do.

Britons living in France with UK EHICs/GHICs should not use these for French healthcare, but may use them when visiting other EU/EEA countries or Switzerland. In the UK, people with a registered UK-issued S1 are entitled to NHS treatment on the same basis as UK residents.

In France, EHIC/GHIC cards entitle a person to healthcare at the usual French tariffs and reimbursement rates, meaning that there is often an extra amount left to pay. This represents the part not reimbursed by the Assurance Maladie, including any extra fees charged by certain doctors on top of standard rates.

It is therefore advisable to have travel insurance, including medical cover, which may help with additional costs not covered by the cards, as well as expenses such as medical repatriation or certain private medical costs.

Visiting a medical establishment 

Note that doctors’ visits and some hospital outpatient procedures usually have to be paid for upfront. A claim can then be made to the local Caisse primaire d’assurance maladie (CPAM) for a refund. Include the feuille de soins form supplied by the healthcare professional, a copy of the EHIC/GHIC, and other evidence such as prescriptions. UK bank details can be provided for the refund.

Alternatively, it is possible to claim from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services on your return.

So, you do not simply present the card at the appointment and receive treatment ‘free’, as in the UK.

Treatment in a public hospital should not require upfront payment for the covered costs on presentation of a valid card, but there may be a bill afterwards for elements not covered.

A spokeswoman for the French Assurance Maladie said: “GHIC cards are issued by the country of affiliation and enable British nationals to present them to healthcare professionals in the countries they are visiting.

“This card must be presented to healthcare professionals or the relevant healthcare facility – for example, a hospital – which will check the validity for the healthcare cover. If the card is not presented or is not valid, the patient must pay for their treatment.

“If the card presented is valid, the hospital must accept it and the patient does not have to pay upfront (other than for non-refundable elements or the forfait patient urgences).

“A reminder regarding the procedures to be followed was sent to Cahors hospital a few months ago.”

She said CPAM in Lot had not identified the difficulties described.

Note that for hospital treatment, there is a €23 forfait patient urgences charge for A&E visits without admission, payable either during the visit or on receipt of an invoice. There may also be other costs not covered by the GHIC, payable on discharge from hospital or subsequently on receipt of a bill.