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● Travelling in Europe

Healthcare in Europe, made simple for English speakers.

Emergencies, your GHIC and EHIC, prescriptions and pharmacies. What to do when you are ill away from home, country by country.

Find what you need
Reviewed by a doctor112 works everywhere in the EUPlain English, no jargon

Jump straight to it

112: the EU emergency number

One free number across Europe, the local ambulance numbers, and when to use it.

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GHIC, EHIC or insurance?

What each covers, the Brexit position, and why you still need travel cover.

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Paying, country by country

Where care is near-free on the card and where you pay upfront and reclaim.

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Seeing a doctor abroad

Pharmacy first, public vs private, tourist clinics and online options.

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Prescriptions & pharmacies

Using an EU prescription, running out mid-trip, and finding a duty pharmacy.

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Looking after yourself

Suncream, medicines, flights and common holiday illnesses, anywhere in the world.

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Where are you travelling?

A quick orientation. Tap a country for its emergency number and how the GHIC or EHIC works there.

Emergency
112 · 15
GHIC / EHIC
Pay & reclaim
Pharmacy first?
Yes

Example shown: France. Interactive in the full build; see paying country by country for the detail.

Five rules that cover most of it

  • Carry a free UK GHIC (or your EHIC) and travel insurance. The card covers state care; insurance covers private care and a flight home.
  • Try the pharmacy first. Across Europe the pharmacist is the normal first stop for minor illness.
  • Know 112. It works across the EU, free, from any phone.
  • Keep receipts and your policy number. You may need them to claim back costs.
  • Check your medication rules before you go, using the medicine\'s active-substance name.
Border changes for 2025 to 2026. The EU Entry/Exit System (biometric checks for non-EU visitors, including UK travellers) became fully operational on 10 April 2026, and ETIAS travel authorisation is expected in the last quarter of 2026, with a €20 fee. This is a border change, not a healthcare one, but allow extra time at the airport.
In Spain right now? If you have run out of a regular medicine, an English-speaking doctor can review a continuation supply online where it is safe and clinically appropriate. See a doctor with The Holiday Doctor → Outside Spain, see a local doctor or a travel telemedicine service.

Common questions

What is the 112 number?

112 is the single free emergency number across the EU and EEA, reachable from any phone, even one that is locked or has no credit. Operators in most member states can take calls in English. Use it for an ambulance, fire or police.

Is my EHIC or GHIC still valid?

A UK GHIC has replaced the EHIC for most people and is free from the NHS. Existing EHICs are valid until their printed expiry date. The card covers state care only, never private clinics or a flight home, so you also need travel insurance.

Can I use my UK prescription in Europe?

Usually not. Post-Brexit, a UK prescription is generally not dispensable in most EU countries (Ireland is the main exception). You normally need a local doctor, or a travel telemedicine service, to get a local prescription, even for a medicine you already take.

Do I pay upfront to see a doctor in Europe?

It depends on the country. Some give near-direct, low-cost state care on the card (Spain, Germany, Portugal); others, notably France, work on pay-upfront-and-reclaim. The card is not valid in Turkey and only conditionally in Switzerland.