Medical assistance

The free circulation of citizens all over the EU involved the right to obtain medical care wherever they are. The mutual recognition of social safety rights by Member States ensures the immediate availability of health care services in case of sickness or accident for every citizen being temporarily abroad, within the EU: the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) makes it easier to obtain all this. EU citizens being abroad have the right to be assisted exactly like national citizens of that Member State, with the exception of high specialisation services. The same regulation has been extended, by agreement, to Swiss, Norway, Island    and Liechtenstein.

EU citizens have also the right to move to another Member State on purpose to get medical assistance in case they need specialised treatments they cannot obtain in their country within a reasonable time frame. In such cases it is better to ask previously for detailed information on authorization, reimbursement limits and procedures by his national health authorities.

The European Health Insurance Card is needed to obtain treatments and to get reimbursement more quickly: it is necessary to ask for the EHIC before moving abroad. For long stays in another Member State (for study or work reasons) the E106 Form is foreseen.

It is also advisable to have a medical insurance policy, covering the possible additional expenses related to the sickness or accident, like travel and subsistence.