Check the expiry date on EHIC cards before your holiday!

[ChippyMinton]

Just dug out the family's European Health Insurance cards (replaced the old E111) for our summer trip to France, to find they expired last month. It's easy to renew online here

You can ring up their alternated service if your cards don't arrive before you go. They will email a conformation to you.

Just as a note, even if you dont actually get the card in time, you are covered. I managed to lose one of ours and had a panic. Phoned the office and they organised a new one but also said that the cover was in place, the card is just evidence.

It says ten days and we dont go for a couple of weeks but should be ok
The site says you don't need it with you but it makes it a lot easier when it comes to doing the paperwork. Some places you have to pay and then claim back anyway

I just checked yesterday and our cards run out in one week and we leave in two. We obviously have a private insurance but I always keep the card with me as well.

Hopefully we will get it before we leave but asking for an email is a good tip.

Thanks for pointing this out.

Thanks for the reminder - ours are out of date too.

Applied on line on Monday afternoon, cards here on Friday really impressed!

I think even if you have private insurance many of them require you to use the EHIC first anyway before they'll pay out on any excess.

Renewed mine to, how long are they valid for?

Thanks, I can't find ours but know we got them to go to France when our dd2 now 7 was a baby. They're bound to be out of date. Applied for new ones.

Eve - 5 years

Oh yes, dh only remembered about ours a few weeks ago! Very speedy service though, was impressed. ( I clicked on a pay for them link by accident first and only realised when I had filled all the blasted details in they are v annoying )

We've mislaid dd's (used on a school trip and put aside separately). We know the number as ours were in sequence, can we order a duplicate ?

When we lost one we had to reapply, plus a parent needs to reapply with it. Think half of ours are due for renewal, but due to their parent has to apply too rule at least ds and I are ok!

ours arrived today - thank you OP!

i've just applied for ours as we're going away next week but it says you are covered from date of application if made online or over the phone.theres a number that you ring if you need to use it but don't have the card you need to give you nhs or national ins' number.

Thanks for this thread, after getting caught out with US visas I didn't want to make the same mistake with this. Couldn't find right website with google!

Many thanks for this; my son's is about to expire tho' ours last till 2017!