EHIC cards are valid for five years, and it’s probably fair to say that over that period, there may be changes to your personal circumstances. You might get married and change your name or move house. EHIC might get left to the bottom of the list of things which you need to change after things like your passport and telling HMRC, but not changing your details on your EHIC might cause trouble for you if you need to access state healthcare when you’re abroad.
Does it matter if I don’t change my details?
If you fall ill in one of the EHIC countries and need to access healthcare using your EHIC, then the two documents you will need to present to access treatment are your passport, and your EHIC card. If your name is the same on both things, then it probably doesn’t matter if you don’t get round to changing your EHIC right away. However, if the name on your EHIC doesn’t match the name on your passport, you could find yourself in the tricky situation of being refused treatment or having to argue with hospital administrators – making an already stressful time even worse. If you are travelling with children under the age of 16, remember also it’s your responsibility as their parent to update or change their details as necessary.
Making the Changes
Updating your details on your EHIC card is a relatively simple task, and the easiest way to do it is online. Log onto the website, update the details on your account and a new card with your new details will be automatically sent out to you. You can update details for everyone in the family at the same time, and all cards will be sent out together. Alternatively, you can call the EHIC helpline during office hours and one of the operators will assist you in updating the details. Have your old EHIC card to hand as you will need to input details from the old card such as your National Insurance number or NHS number. Once you have updated your details hold onto your old card until the new one arrives, just in case you need to use it in the meantime.
Changing Details at Renewal Time
If your EHIC is due to expire soon, it might be worth hanging on to renewal time to update your details, especially if you are not planning a trip abroad any time soon. You can renew your EHIC at any time during the last six months of its validity, and any remaining time will be added to the validity of the new card. When renewing an EHIC you have to reconfirm all of the details you gave when you initially applied for the card, for yourself and for any other children whose cards were applied for at the same time. This is the perfect opportunity to make any updates to name or address, remembering that some details such as your date of birth, NHS number and National Insurance number will not change.