GHIC for babies and children
Key facts
Short answer: yes, every baby needs their own GHIC. It's free, lasts up to 5 years, and you add children when you apply for your own card on the NHS site. Babies don't need a National Insurance number. Cards arrive by post within 15 working days of approval; if one hasn't arrived and your child needs treatment abroad, apply for a Provisional Replacement Certificate. A GHIC isn't travel insurance.
Every baby needs their own UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC). It's free, you add your children when you apply for your own card, and it gets your family state healthcare in Europe on the same basis as local residents. Here's what the NHS says about applying for a baby, what the card covers, and what to do if it hasn't arrived before you fly.
Everything below comes from the NHS and the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), which runs the GHIC service, checked October 2026. Rules change, so check before you travel.
Quick answers
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Does my baby need their own GHIC? | Yes. Every member of your family needs their own card. You can add your spouse, civil partner and children when you apply (NHS) |
| How much does a GHIC cost? | Nothing. A UK GHIC is free and lasts for up to 5 years. The NHS warns that unofficial websites may charge a fee, so apply through the NHS (NHS) |
| Does my baby need a National Insurance number? | No. You need your own National Insurance number, plus those of anyone else on the application who is 16 or over. You may be asked for an NHS number (NHSBSA) |
| Up to what age can I add a child? | Children must be under 18 when you apply and live with you (NHSBSA FAQ) |
| How long does it take to arrive? | You get an email within 24 hours saying whether it's approved. Once approved, the card should arrive by post within 15 working days (NHS) |
| The card hasn't arrived and we're away. What now? | If your child needs treatment, apply for a Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC). It gives the same cover, but it can only be issued once treatment is needed, not in advance (NHSBSA) |
| Is a GHIC the same as travel insurance? | No. It doesn't cover being flown home, private treatment, or ski and mountain rescue. The NHS advises having travel and medical insurance as well (NHS) |
| Where can we use it? | The EEA (EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), Montenegro, Australia, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, and St Helena, Tristan and Ascension. Switzerland too if you're a British national (NHS) |
How to apply for your baby's GHIC
The NHS says you can apply if you live in the UK, and you can add your family members to the same application (NHS).
- Start on the official NHS GHIC application. The service times out after 30 minutes of inactivity, so have everyone's details ready.
- Enter your own details first: full name, address, date of birth and National Insurance number (plus your Health and Care number if you're from Northern Ireland).
- When prompted, add an extra card for each child, including your baby. You only need National Insurance numbers for people aged 16 or over. Depending on your circumstances, you may also be asked for an NHS number (NHSBSA).
- Check your email: the NHS says it will email within 24 hours to say whether the application is approved (check your junk folder if nothing comes). It may ask for more information or documents first.
- Wait for the post: approved cards should arrive within 15 working days.
To be entitled to a UK GHIC, you must be ordinarily and legally resident in the UK and not have healthcare cover from an EEA country or Switzerland. Family members and dependants of an entitled person may also qualify (NHS).
Already have your card? Adding a new baby
If you've already applied and want to add a new baby, contact NHS Overseas Healthcare Services with your reference number, name, date of birth and address. The NHSBSA asks for each dependant's full name, date of birth, UK address, the date they moved to that address, nationality, relationship to you, and National Insurance number if they have one (NHS; NHSBSA FAQ).
Worth knowing: when a dependant is added to an existing application, the NHSBSA says their entitlement expires on the same day as the main applicant's. So a baby added to a parent's card that's due to run out next year will need a new card at the same time (NHSBSA FAQ). You can apply for a new card up to 9 months before the current one expires, and there's no deadline to apply (NHSBSA).
Foster carers can apply for a dependant GHIC for a foster child through the online portal (NHSBSA FAQ).
What a GHIC covers for a baby
The card covers state healthcare that can't reasonably wait until you're back in the UK, which the NHS calls "medically necessary healthcare". That includes (NHS):
- emergency treatment and visits to A&E
- treatment or routine medical care for long-term or pre-existing conditions
- routine maternity care, as long as you're not going abroad to give birth
Whether treatment is medically necessary is decided by the healthcare provider in the country you're visiting. Not all state healthcare is free abroad: you pay what a local resident would pay, and the GHIC won't cover those costs (NHS).
What it doesn't cover
- being flown back to the UK (medical repatriation)
- treatment in a private medical facility
- ski or mountain rescue
The NHS advises having a GHIC and private travel and medical insurance for the whole trip (NHS).
Using the card if your baby is ill abroad
- Take every family member's card with you and show it at the hospital or other service treating you.
- Make sure it's a public (state) provider, not a private one.
- Keep all receipts and paperwork. In some countries you pay all or part of the bill upfront and claim a refund afterwards.
- Some countries charge a co-payment (patient share). You can claim back the difference between the total bill and the co-payment, but the co-payment itself isn't refundable.
- To claim a refund, fill in the refund claim form and send it to NHS Overseas Healthcare Services with your receipts (NHSBSA: claim a refund).
All from the NHS GHIC page.
Forgotten or not arrived: the Provisional Replacement Certificate
If your child needs emergency treatment and you don't have their GHIC with you, or you've applied and it hasn't arrived yet, you can apply for a Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC). It gives the same level of cover as the card (NHSBSA: PRC).
- You can only apply from the time you need treatment. A PRC can cover treatment that has already happened, but it can't be issued in advance (NHSBSA).
- Apply online or by phone on 0191 218 1999 (from outside the UK +44 191 218 1999), Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Outside those hours, call as soon as possible on the next working day.
- You'll need the patient's name, address, date of birth and National Insurance number if known, plus the name and email address of the hospital or clinic (medical staff can give you the email). You can apply on someone else's behalf, such as your child.
- A PRC can be issued for EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Without a GHIC, EHIC or PRC, you'll have to pay in full for treatment, so ask for an invoice and a receipt (NHS).
Where the GHIC works
| Destination | GHIC valid? |
|---|---|
| EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway (the EEA) | Yes (list of EEA countries on GOV.UK) |
| Switzerland | Yes if you're a British, Swiss or EU national, a refugee, a stateless person, or a family member of one |
| Montenegro | Yes. UK nationals can also get emergency care with a UK passport; you pay for prescribed medicines and other treatment |
| Australia | Yes |
| Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man | Yes |
| St Helena, Tristan and Ascension | Yes |
| Anywhere else | You'll have to pay for treatment unless the UK has a healthcare agreement with that country |
Source: NHS. The NHS says the government is negotiating to expand where the GHIC can be used, so check coverage before you travel. GOV.UK has country-by-country healthcare guides for the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, and FCDO travel advice for every country.
GHIC or EHIC?
The UK GHIC replaced the old European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). An existing EHIC still works until the expiry date on the card; after that you apply for a GHIC. If you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, you can choose a new UK EHIC instead, which is also free and lasts up to 5 years (NHS).
A simple checklist before you go
- Apply for the whole family's cards in one session, using the NHS site only.
- Check every card's expiry date, especially a baby's card that was added to an older application.
- Pack the cards with the passports. Every baby needs their own passport too: see our baby passport guide.
- Buy travel insurance that covers your baby as well.
- Save the PRC phone number (+44 191 218 1999) in your phone.
Greener note
A GHIC works just as well on European trips you take by train or ferry instead of flying, which is usually the lower-carbon way to go. See Eurostar with a baby and trains and ferries.
Sources (checked October 2026)
- NHS: get healthcare cover abroad with a UK GHIC or UK EHIC
- NHSBSA: GHIC application service, applying for children and partners (FAQ), National Insurance numbers (FAQ), Provisional Replacement Certificate, claim a refund
- GOV.UK: EEA countries, healthcare country guides, foreign travel advice
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Last checked and updated: · Kiddieko · How we check facts
