Travelling this autumn? Check your GHIC and your medicines first
What happened
There has been a run of warnings this year about UK Global Health Insurance Cards, known as GHICs, expiring. According to figures obtained under Freedom of Information rules and reported over the summer, more than 1.2 million GHICs are due to expire during 2026. Nearly 800,000 of those were expected to run out during the peak holiday months of July to September. The GHIC is the card that replaced the old EHIC for most UK residents after Brexit. It lets you get medically necessary state healthcare in the European Economic Area, and in some other countries, on the same terms as a local resident. In practice that means treatment that cannot wait until you get home, such as emergency care, or ongoing treatment for a condition like dialysis, is covered at the local state rate. The card is free and lasts up to five years. The reason for the wave of warnings is timing. Millions of cards were issued in the couple of years after the GHIC launched, and five years on, a large batch is reaching its expiry date all at once, right in the middle of the travel season. An expired GHIC does not renew itself, and you cannot use it once the date has passed. So the message from consumer and travel groups has been simple: check the date on your card before you travel, and renew in good time if it has run out or is about to.
Why this matters
A GHIC can save you a very large amount of money, and the moment you need it is exactly the moment you cannot sort it out. If you fall ill or have an accident abroad and need hospital treatment, the bill without cover can run into thousands. A valid GHIC means you are treated on the same basis as a local, which in many European countries means low cost or free state care. But, and this is the part people most often get wrong, a GHIC is not a replacement for travel insurance. The two do different jobs, and you really want both. A GHIC covers state healthcare at the local rate. It does not cover private clinics, it does not cover the cost of flying you home if you are seriously ill, which is called repatriation and can be extraordinarily expensive, and it does not cover cancelled trips, lost luggage or stolen belongings. Travel insurance covers those. The sensible setup for a UK traveller in Europe is a valid GHIC for state healthcare, plus travel insurance for everything else. There is a second reason to check now rather than later. This year's bunching of expiry dates means renewal services are busier than usual, and a card that has lapsed cannot be used while you wait for the new one to arrive. Leaving it to the last week is how people end up travelling uncovered.
What the evidence actually says
A few things are worth pinning down, because travel health advice attracts a lot of loose claims. The expiry figures come from Freedom of Information data reported by a travel insurance comparison company. That means they are broadly credible, and it also means they come from a business with an interest in people thinking about travel cover. That does not make the numbers wrong, but it is fair to treat the exact totals as indicative rather than official statistics. What is not in doubt is the underlying advice, because it comes straight from the NHS and government guidance: a GHIC gives access to state healthcare in the EEA and some other countries, it is not a substitute for travel insurance, and it must be valid to be used. Those points are stable and reliable. One common myth is worth correcting. The GHIC is free. If a website charges you to apply for or renew one, you are on the wrong site. The official route through the NHS does not charge, and paid-for lookalike sites offer nothing extra. Another point often misunderstood: the GHIC does not cover every country you might visit, and coverage details can change over time as agreements are updated. So checking what applies to your specific destination, close to your travel date, is more reliable than assuming. Finally, the GHIC covers the traveller for healthcare, not for the practicalities of medicines you already take. That is a separate piece of planning, and it is the part we see go wrong most often.
Qurexa perspective
Healthcare cover is only half of travelling well with a health condition. The other half is your own medicines, and that is squarely our world. The NHS will generally supply enough of your regular medication to cover a temporary trip abroad, usually up to three months. But this needs a little planning, especially if your trip means your next repeat prescription falls due while you are away. Ordering early is the whole game here. A few practical habits make a real difference. Carry your medicines in your hand luggage, not the hold, so a lost bag never becomes a lost week of treatment. Take a bit more than you strictly need, to cover delays. Keep everything in its original, labelled packaging, and carry a copy of your prescription or repeat slip, which helps at borders and if you need to see a pharmacist abroad. Some medicines need extra thought. Anything that must be kept cool, such as certain injectables, needs a plan for the journey. And a small number of everyday UK medicines are restricted or banned in some countries, so it is worth checking the rules for your destination if you take something regularly, particularly strong painkillers or certain sleep and anxiety medicines. If you are a Qurexa customer heading away, talk to us about timing your delivery so you are stocked up before you go. It is a small conversation that prevents a genuinely stressful situation abroad.
Practical advice
Check the expiry date on your GHIC now, before you book or travel. If it has passed, or will pass before you return, renew it. Renew only through the official free NHS route. Never pay a third-party site to apply for or renew a GHIC. Apply in good time. Renewals are busier than usual this year, and a lapsed card cannot be used while you wait for the replacement. Buy travel insurance as well as holding a GHIC. The GHIC covers state healthcare at local rates; insurance covers repatriation, private treatment, cancellations and lost belongings. You want both. Declare pre-existing conditions to your insurer. If you do not, a claim related to that condition can be refused. Check whether your GHIC covers your specific destination, as it does not apply everywhere. Sort your medicines early. Order repeat prescriptions in good time, carry enough for the trip plus a buffer, keep them in hand luggage in original labelled packaging, and bring a copy of your prescription. Check destination rules for any medicine you take regularly. Some common UK medicines are restricted abroad. Make a note of your GHIC number and insurance details, and keep them somewhere you can reach even if your phone is lost.
What to know
More than 1.2 million UK Global Health Insurance Cards are due to expire in 2026, with nearly 800,000 running out during the July to September holiday season, according to Freedom of Information figures reported over the summer. An expired GHIC cannot be used, so checking the date before you travel is the key action. A GHIC gives you medically necessary state healthcare in the EEA and some other countries at the same rate as a local resident. It is free, lasts up to five years, and must be renewed through the official NHS route, never through a paid lookalike site. Crucially, a GHIC is not travel insurance. It does not cover repatriation, private care, cancellations or lost luggage. The right setup is a valid GHIC plus travel insurance, with any pre-existing conditions declared. Separately from healthcare cover, plan your medicines: the NHS can usually supply enough for a temporary trip of up to three months, but order early, carry medicines in hand luggage with a buffer and a copy of your prescription, and check whether anything you take is restricted at your destination. Sources: NHS, "Apply for a free UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC)", https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/apply-for-a-free-uk-global-health-insurance-card-ghic/; NHS, "Healthcare abroad", https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/; UK Global Health Insurance Card, Wikipedia (for issuer and background), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Global_Health_Insurance_Card This article is for general travel and information purposes and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional. For questions about your medicines and travel, speak to your pharmacist, and check official NHS and government guidance before you travel.
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