Northern Ireland

New health insurance card available to people in north without Union flag branding

A new Global Health Insurance Card allows British citizens to access medical treatment in the EU
A new Global Health Insurance Card allows British citizens to access medical treatment in the EU A new Global Health Insurance Card allows British citizens to access medical treatment in the EU

A new health card to replace the European Health Insurance Card will be offered to people in Northern Ireland without union flag branding.

The NHS said that from March 2021, applicants from the north can choose to have a card, known as the Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), with a plain background rather than the standard, union flag-branded card.

The British government said it "recognises sensitivities around flags in Northern Ireland".

"As such, residents in Northern Ireland will be provided with an option to choose an alternative version of the GHIC card, which they will be able to apply for shortly," it said.

The GHIC allows people in Britain and the north to continue to access healthcare in the European Union after the UK left the bloc.

People with a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) can still use it until it expires or they can get a provisional replacement certificate if they need treatment and do not have a card.

People with dual nationality are eligible for a new EHIC, issued by the British government.

However, the NHS said Irish citizens in the north should apply for a GHIC.

"Irish citizens who were born in the UK, including people of Northern Ireland who are Irish citizens, will not usually be eligible for a new UK-issued EHIC," a statement on the NHS website read.

"If you’re resident in the UK, you should apply for a GHIC."

The card means travellers can access medically necessary treatment including kidney dialysis and chemotherapy in the EU.

But unlike the EHIC scheme, travellers will only have access to free or reduced-rate medical treatment in the EU and not the associated countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

The Irish government had said it would reimburse people in Northern Ireland who have to pay for medical treatment while on holiday in the EU after Brexit.

However, a deal to replace the EHIC was agreed by the European Union and the UK before Christmas.

The GHIC is available free of charge by phone (0300 330 1350) or from nhs.uk/Ghic