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Cards & Healthcare Schemes

How to apply for or renew a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

An EHIC gives you free or reduced-cost public healthcare on a temporary stay in the EU, EEA or Switzerland. Anyone living in Ireland who intends to stay at least a year can apply, free of charge, online at myehic.ie or on the HSE paper form; each family member needs their own card. Plastic cards are currently paused and a Provisional Replacement Certificate is issued instead. The card is not accepted in the UK and does not replace travel insurance.

Sources checked 24 September 2026. Next editorial check planned for 24 March 2027. Republic of Ireland only; Northern Ireland has different schemes. General information, not medical, legal or financial advice.

Front exterior of Dublin Airport Terminal 2, wide panoramic view of the glass facade and set-down road; a few tiny distant figures near the doors, not recognisable.
Photo: Ronan Menton, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Who this is for

  • Anyone living in Ireland who intends to live here for at least a year and is going on holiday or a short stay of up to three months in the EU, EEA or Switzerland.[1]
  • Students under 23 who live in Ireland and are going to study in the EU, EEA or Switzerland, who are covered for the academic year; mature students are not covered.[1]
  • Frontier workers living in Northern Ireland and working in Ireland, posted workers, Irish State pensioners living in the EU with an S1 registered there, and their dependants.[1]

Before you start

  • Name, address, date of birth and PPS number for yourself and each dependant. Each family member needs their own card; a parent or guardian applies for any child under 18, and anyone over 23 applies separately.[1][5]
  • For a paper application: copies (never originals) of photo ID, proof that everyone over 18 has lived in Ireland for the last 12 months (a household bill, or a letter from Revenue or Social Welfare), and proof of your PPS number such as a payslip, Public Services Card, Employment Detail Summary or a Department of Social Protection letter.[1]
  • Students aged 18 to 23: a letter from the college confirming the start and end date of the academic year.[1] Frontier workers: your most recent payslip and a recent utility bill.[1]

Step by step

  1. 1

    Apply or renew online at myehic.ie

    The HSE says the quickest way is online, through myehic.ie; Citizens Information links the same service through mymedicalcard.ie for both applying and renewing.[1][6] Cards are not reissued automatically: when yours expires you renew or replace it by making a new application online.[2][6] Your card number and details then appear in the HSE Health App.[1]
  2. 2

    Or use the paper form

    Download the EHIC application form (an Irish-language version is also published), complete it and email it with copies of the documents to PCRS.Applications@hse.ie, or post it to EHIC Applications, PO Box 11745, Dublin 11. The HSE says not to send original documents.[1][3] The form asks you to call 0818 22 44 78 with any questions before sending it.[5] Citizens Information says the card is posted within about 10 working days.[6]
  3. 3

    Travelling soon: ask for the provisional certificate

    If you are travelling in the next 10 days, apply online and choose the “Travelling in less than 10 days” option. The HSE sends a Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC), valid for three months, which gives the same entitlement as the card.[1] The May 2026 paper form describes the same certificate for anyone travelling within four weeks.[5] Contact the EHIC service if you need help with an urgent application.[1]
  4. 4

    Print or download what you are given

    Plastic card production is temporarily disrupted. Instead of a card, a Provisional Replacement Certificate is issued to your online account under “Your Messages”; print it and bring it with you. Paper applicants receive the certificate by post, and it stays valid for three months.[1] Citizens Information adds that a digital adult EHIC is still available in the HSE Health App.[6] Neither page gives an end date for the pause.
  5. 5

    Know how to use it abroad

    How the card works differs by country: in some you pay a patient share that is never refunded, and you may have to pay for something that would be free in Ireland. The European Commission publishes a country-by-country guide.[4] If you were charged because you could not show a valid card, or charged in error, send the receipts to E126.Refunds@hse.ie (overseas.medservices@hse.ie if you live in Dublin, Wicklow or Kildare) and the HSE asks the other country to confirm the refund due. Private treatment abroad is never refunded.[4]

Documents to have ready

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What the EHIC does and does not cover

Covered

Where
Public healthcare in the EU, the EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and Switzerland.
What
Care you need during a temporary stay of up to three months, including pre-existing conditions and routine maternity care if you are not travelling to give birth.
Who
Each person with their own card; students under 23 for the academic year.
Cost abroad
Free or reduced-cost treatment at the local public rate.

Not covered

Where
The UK (show an Irish passport instead, the HSE says), Andorra, Monaco and everywhere else.
What
Private healthcare, being flown home, ongoing or permanent care, and any trip made in order to get treatment.
Who
Mature students studying abroad; anyone without their own card.
Cost abroad
Patient co-payments, which cannot be refunded.

The UK

The HSE says you cannot use your EHIC in the UK, but you can still get the healthcare you need by showing your Irish passport to the GP or hospital.[4] Citizens Information frames it through the Common Travel Area: Irish citizens have access to healthcare while visiting the UK, and other EU citizens should continue to use the EHIC, which it says is still accepted there.[6]

Not a substitute for travel insurance

The HSE says an EHIC does not replace travel insurance.[4] Citizens Information explains why: the card covers only medical costs, while insurance can cover cancellation, lost luggage, repatriation and extras such as winter sports.[6] Planned treatment abroad is handled by separate schemes, the Treatment Abroad Scheme and the Cross-Border Healthcare Directive, not by the EHIC.[6]

If the card is lost or stolen abroad

No HSE or Citizens Information page describes a specific procedure for a card lost abroad. The routes that do exist are the online replacement on myehic.ie, the urgent online application that issues a three-month Provisional Replacement Certificate, the refund route above if you were charged for not showing a valid card, and the EHIC service on 0818 224 478.[1][2][3][4] The European Commission notes that without a card you cannot be refused treatment, but you may have to pay in full and claim it back at home.[7]

The card was never called the E111 in Ireland’s current scheme; that older form name still appears in searches but the document is the EHIC.

What happens next

Keep the card, the certificate or the HSE Health App entry with your travel documents and check the expiry date before each trip, because nothing is renewed automatically.[6]

If something goes wrong

EHIC service: phone 0818 224 478. Queries and help: clientregistration@hse.ie. Applications by email: PCRS.Applications@hse.ie. Post: EHIC Applications, PO Box 11745, Dublin 11.[3][1]

Common questions

Does the EHIC cost anything?
No. Applying, renewing and the temporary certificate are all free.
How long does an EHIC last?
Citizens Information says up to four years. The HSE pages do not state a period, so check the expiry date on your own card or certificate.
Can my children be on my card?
No. Each family member needs their own EHIC. You apply for yourself, your partner and dependent children under 23 in one application; anyone over 23 applies on their own.
Can I get an EHIC if I am from Ireland but live in Spain?
Only in specific cases: an Irish State pensioner with an Irish-issued S1 registered in your country of residence, a worker posted abroad by an Irish employer, a frontier worker, or a family member of one of these who is not covered in their own right. Otherwise you apply where you live.

Official application

Apply or renew at myehic.ie

myehic.ie is the HSE’s own EHIC service. FairCare does not collect any details.

Find services on FairCare

A listing here does not mean the provider takes part in any scheme described in this guide. Check with the provider.

Sources

  1. [1] HSE: Apply for an EHIC (undated page, read 24 September 2026)
  2. [2] HSE: Renew or replace your EHIC (undated page, read 24 September 2026)
  3. [3] HSE: EHIC contact (undated page, read 24 September 2026)
  4. [4] HSE: Using an EHIC, visitors to Ireland and refunds (undated page, read 24 September 2026)
  5. [5] HSE: EHIC application form (PDF), page dated 2026-05
  6. [6] Citizens Information: European Health Insurance Card, page dated 2026-07-16
  7. [7] European Commission, Your Europe: European Health Insurance Card, page dated 2026-09-16
Figures in this guide that change
  • Cost: Free, including renewal and the temporary certificate (source [6])
  • Validity: Up to 4 years (Citizens Information; the HSE pages give no period) (source [6])
  • Urgent travel: Travelling in less than 10 days: apply online for a Provisional Replacement Certificate valid 3 months (the May 2026 paper form says within 4 weeks) (source [1])
  • Postal delivery: About 10 working days (source [6])
  • EHIC service phone: 0818 224 478 (source [3])