Remember the days when kids could travel overseas without a passport if they were listed on their mum or dad’s passport? Or when the “must-have” document for overseas healthcare was the E111 form, which you picked up from the Post Office? Times change, and we all now know that children of any age need their own passport. Similarly, although you’ll still see the E111 name around, the system changed over a decade ago and the European reciprocal healthcare agreement is now called the European Health Insurance Card, or EHIC. EHIC is available for all members of the family, so if you’re travelling with kids this summer, here’s what you need to know.

Under 16s Are Children

There’s a lot of debate about the age a child becomes an adult, but where EHIC is concerned, the magic age is 16. Before this age, children cannot apply for EHIC in their own name. An adult who has responsibility for them (usually a parent) must fill in the application using their own details, and adding the child under 16 as a dependent. This “under 16s” rule applies whatever the age of child under consideration. Parents can apply for EHIC for a baby who has just been born, or for all of their children at the same time. Young people over the age of 16 are considered adults for EHIC purposes, even if they are still at school and have never worked. When 16 or 17 year olds apply for their own EHIC, they will have to fill in either their National Insurance number or NHS number. National Insurance numbers are usually allocated automatically and sent out by post just before the young person’s 16th birthday.

Getting Treatment for a Child Overseas

Children can need medical attention for all sorts of reasons, and if your child falls ill overseas, you’ll want to get them to a doctor quickly. Made sure that you always tell people who are arranging this for you that you want to be treated as a state patient – it is not unheard of for a hotel or travel agent overseas to have a deal with a local private hospital or GP to send patients to them. Your EHIC card won’t be any good for treatment in a private hospital, so insist on being directed to a state provider.

Costs for Children’s Medical Treatment

Here in the UK, children qualify for free prescriptions, dental treatment or glasses, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking that the same rules apply everywhere. Every country has its own rules about what is and is not covered by state healthcare. Many have a system where patients make contributions towards the costs of their treatment, even when the patient is a small child. These charges will not be refunded to you if you are being treated using EHIC.

Pharmacist Advice

Often, childhood illnesses on holidays do not really require hospital or GP attention. If there is a local pharmacy, you can often get excellent advice from an English-speaking pharmacist who can dispense basic medicines, and sometimes even items which are only available from a doctor in the UK.