Healthcare eligibility
Introduction
England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland each set their own policies and eligibility rules for access to publicly funded healthcare. While all four systems provide a range of services that are free at the point of use for everyone (such as accident and emergency (A&E) care, which is free until a person is formally admitted as an inpatient) the detailed rules on who can access primary and secondary care without charge differ between nations.
Visitors from the EU, EEA or Switzerland should bring a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to access medically necessary healthcare in each nation at no charge. It is important to note that an EHIC does not cover transport with medical support to return to your home country (known as medical repatriation), which if required, can be very expensive. It is therefore important that you have adequate insurance in place.
For more information on each nation’s system, please see the sections below.
Healthcare eligibility
Healthcare eligibility in England
The NHS in England is a residency-based system. This means you may need to pay for services if you are not ordinarily resident in the UK or exempt. Paying for healthcare can be expensive, so if you are planning to visit England, it is essential that you have adequate insurance to cover your healthcare needs, including any need which may arise while you are in the UK. This includes if you are a former UK resident.
For more detailed information, please visit the NHS website link below:
Healthcare eligibility in Scotland
The NHS in Scotland is a residency-based healthcare system. This means you may need to pay for healthcare services if you are not ordinarily resident in Scotland and this can be expensive. If you are planning to visit Scotland, it is essential that you have adequate insurance to cover your healthcare needs, including any need for treatment which may arise while you are in Scotland. This includes if you are a former UK resident.
For more detailed information on visitor eligibility to access healthcare in Scotland, please visit the NHS Inform website link below:
Healthcare eligibility in Wales
The NHS in Wales is a residency-based system. This means you may need to pay for services if you are not ordinarily resident in the UK or exempt from charge. Paying for healthcare can be expensive, so if you are planning to visit Wales, it is essential that you have adequate insurance to cover your healthcare needs, including any need which may arise whilst you are in the UK. This includes if you are a former UK resident.
Healthcare eligibility in Northern Ireland
The NHS is called Health and Social Care (HSC) in Northern Ireland and is a residency-based system. This means you may need to pay for services if you are not ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland or exempt. Paying for healthcare can be expensive, so if you are planning to visit Northern Ireland, it is essential that you have adequate insurance to cover your healthcare needs, including any need which may arise while you are in the UK. This includes if you are a former UK resident.
For more detailed information, please visit the nidirect website link below:
