If there’s one thing which is certain in the wake of the UK’s decision to leave the EU in June, it’s that there is a huge amount of confusion about what happens next. No country has ever chosen to leave the European Union before, and we’re entering uncharted territory. It’s understandable that so many people are confused and unsure about European matters, and this is especially the case when it comes to EHIC cover.

Article 50

There has been lots of discussions about “Article 50” in the post-referendum debate, and it’s important to understand how the process of withdrawing from the EU happens. The first thing which has to happen is that the UK invokes Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which starts a two year clock ticking down to the time where the UK ceases to be in the European Union. This has not happened yet, and probably won’t until the autumn of 2016. So at present, the UK is just as much a member of the EU as it ever has been, and EHIC, passport and visa requirements and freedom of movement rules remain the same as they were before the referendum – nothing has changed.

Current EHIC holders

Anyone travelling abroad to the countries which are part of the EHIC scheme can carry on using their EHIC cover in exactly the way as before until the date set for the UK to leave the EU. So there is no need to throw the cards in the bin or rip up the paperwork. EHIC will still be accepted across Europe, so pack your cards along with the rest of the holiday documentation and you will be able to access state healthcare by showing your EHIC and UK passport. If your EHIC is due to expire soon and you’re wondering whether to renew it, you have nothing to lose in doing so. Remember – EHIC will only cease to be valid on the day when the UK leaves the European Union, and this could be more than two years away.

The Future of EHIC

The UK government knows that EHIC is a valuable tool for UK travellers, and will be keen to negotiate to stay in the scheme after the UK leaves the EU. There is already a precedent for this as Iceland, Switzerland and Norway are not EU members but are part of the wider European Economic Area (EEA) and accept EHIC patients. If the UK decides not to be part of the EEA either, then the government can still choose to negotiate individually with countries to provide healthcare to each other’s citizens.  The UK already has a number of these agreements with countries like Australia, New Zealand, Barbados and British overseas dependencies like the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar. Long term, the future of EHIC and similar reciprocal healthcare agreements is still up in the air, but short term nothing will change and UK residents should continue to pack their EHIC cards for overseas trips and use them when necessary.