One country came off the list this week. If you are going there, read this
What happened
On 2 October 2026 the Department of Health and Social Care updated its guidance on the UK's reciprocal healthcare agreements with countries outside the EU. The change was one line: the entry for Bosnia and Herzegovina was removed, because the UK does not currently have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with the country. A reciprocal healthcare agreement means that, in certain circumstances, UK residents can get medically necessary state healthcare in another country on the same basis as local residents - often free or at reduced cost. The current list of non-EU countries and territories with agreements is: Anguilla, Ascension Island, Australia, the British Virgin Islands, the Falkland Islands, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Israel (limited to industrial accidents only), Jersey, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Montserrat, New Zealand, St Helena, Serbia, Tristan da Cunha and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Bosnia and Herzegovina is no longer among them. If you are travelling there, the practical effect is that you should assume you will pay for any medical treatment you need, and that only travel insurance will cover it.
Why this matters
This is a small administrative change with a potentially large personal cost. Medical bills abroad can be ruinous. An air ambulance back to the UK can cost tens of thousands of pounds. Even a straightforward hospital admission can run into thousands. The risk is not that people will deliberately travel uninsured. It is that someone will travel believing an agreement covers them when it no longer does. The Balkans are a region where several neighbouring countries - Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia - do still have agreements. Bosnia and Herzegovina sitting among them, and now not on the list, is exactly the kind of detail a traveller can get wrong. It is also a useful moment to correct a common misunderstanding. Reciprocal healthcare agreements, and the Global Health Insurance Card for the EU, are not a substitute for travel insurance. They never were. They typically cover medically necessary state treatment. They do not cover private hospitals, repatriation to the UK, mountain rescue, cancelled trips, or lost luggage. The single most expensive thing that can happen to you abroad - being flown home - is usually the thing they do not cover at all.
What the evidence actually says
The DHSC guidance is clear about the change and appropriately cautious about what agreements provide. The removal is stated plainly: the entry was removed because the UK does not currently have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The word 'currently' is worth noting - it describes the present position rather than a permanent one. The guidance does not say that treatment in Bosnia and Herzegovina is unavailable, unsafe or unusually expensive. It says nothing about the quality of care. It says only that no agreement exists, which means normal charges apply. It is also worth understanding how limited some agreements are even when they do exist. The Israel entry, for example, covers industrial accidents only. An agreement appearing on the list does not tell you what it covers; you have to read the detail for that country. And agreements generally cover medically necessary treatment that cannot reasonably wait until you return home. They do not cover planned treatment, and they do not cover going abroad specifically to get treatment. Finally, this guidance covers the UK's agreements with non-EU countries. Cover in the EU works differently, through the UK Global Health Insurance Card, and that is a separate system with its own rules.
Qurexa perspective
We support people with long-term conditions and repeat prescriptions, so the question we get asked most about travel is not about insurance. It is about tablets. Here is the honest version. A healthcare agreement, where one exists, might help if you fall ill abroad. It will not help if you simply run out of your own medicine, because that is not an emergency in most systems - it is your responsibility. So the rule we would give anyone with a regular prescription is simple: take more than you need. Work out your trip length, add a week, and take that. Then take it properly. Keep medicines in their original labelled packaging. Carry a copy of your prescription or a printed repeat slip. Split your supply between your hand luggage and your hold bag, so losing one bag does not lose all your medicine. Keep anything you could not manage without in your hand luggage. Check before you go whether any of your medicines are restricted or banned in the country you are visiting. Medicines that are ordinary in the UK - some strong painkillers, some ADHD medications, some sleeping tablets - are controlled elsewhere, and the rules vary more than most people expect. If you need a fridge for a medicine like insulin, plan for that before you book, not when you arrive. And order your repeat prescription early. A pharmacy cannot dispense a holiday supply the afternoon before your flight if the prescription has not been issued.
Practical advice
Before any trip outside the UK, check the current reciprocal healthcare guidance on GOV.UK for your destination. Lists change, as this week shows. Buy travel insurance that covers medical treatment and repatriation, and buy it when you book rather than before you fly. Declare all pre-existing medical conditions honestly, including anything you take regular medicine for. An undeclared condition is the most common reason a medical claim is refused. Check the FCDO travel advice page for your destination, which includes a health section. If you are travelling in the EU, make sure your UK Global Health Insurance Card is valid and not expired, and remember it is not a replacement for insurance. Take enough medicine for your trip plus about a week, in original packaging, with a copy of your prescription. Check whether your medicines are allowed in your destination country. The embassy or high commission of that country is the authority on this. Carry a written list of your medicines, doses and any allergies, and keep a photo of it on your phone. If you have a long-term condition, consider a medical alert card or bracelet. And if you are going somewhere without an agreement - which, as of this week, includes Bosnia and Herzegovina - make sure your insurance is in place before you travel, not after you arrive.
What to know
On 2 October 2026 the Department of Health and Social Care removed Bosnia and Herzegovina from the list of non-EU countries with a reciprocal healthcare agreement with the UK, because no such agreement currently exists. Travellers there should expect to pay for medical treatment and rely on travel insurance. Countries and territories that do have agreements include Australia, New Zealand, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, several UK overseas territories, and Israel for industrial accidents only. Reciprocal agreements and the UK Global Health Insurance Card cover medically necessary state treatment. They do not cover repatriation to the UK, private treatment or trip cancellation, so travel insurance is still essential. If you take regular medicines, pack your trip length plus about a week, in original packaging, and check they are permitted at your destination. Sources: Department of Health and Social Care (GOV.UK), 'UK reciprocal healthcare agreements with non-EU countries', updated 2 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-reciprocal-healthcare-agreements-with-non-eu-countries; NHS, 'Healthcare abroad', https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/healthcare-abroad/; FCDO (GOV.UK), 'Foreign travel insurance', https://www.gov.uk/guidance/foreign-travel-insurance This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional.
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