Global Health Insurance Card

(asked on 7th March 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria are used to choose those selected for residency checks while applying for a UK Global Health Insurance Card; what assessment his Department has been made of the equity of those criteria; and whether a ministerial direction was issued in determining those criteria.


Answered by
Edward Argar Portrait
Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This question was answered on 10th March 2022

Applications for United Kingdom Global Health Insurance Cards (GHIC) are processed by the NHS Business Services Authority under the Healthcare (European Economic Area and Switzerland Arrangements) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. Applicants may be eligible for a GHIC if they are ordinarily resident in the UK and they do not have healthcare cover provided by a European Union country or Switzerland. UK residency was also an eligibility requirement under the previous European Health Insurance Card system.

To verify applications, the NHS Business Service Authority shares information with Indesser to establish a UK residential address. If an applicant’s residential address cannot be verified, the NHS Business Service Authority will request further evidence from the applicant. There is a wide range of documents which may be used to provide this evidence. This supports all eligible applicants in demonstrating their entitlement and no-one is disadvantaged. Applicants are asked to provide two of the following documents:

- one or more different utility service bills dated within the last three months;

- a local authority council tax bill dated for the current financial year;

- a valid housing association, council tenancy letter or rent agreement;

- a benefit award notice dated within the last three months;

- a letter from HM Revenue and Customs dated within the last three months;

- a bank, building society or credit union statement or passbook dated within the last three months;

- an electoral register entry dated for the current financial year;

- a letter from hospital or general practitioner on headed paper dated within the last three months;

- a mortgage statement from a recognised lender dated within the last three months;

- an HM Revenue and Customs self-assessment letter or tax demand dated for the current financial year; and

- a solicitor’s letter dated within the last three months that shows a recent house purchase or land registry including the address.

Applicants may also send alternative evidence showing their full name and address. The residency check was introduced to ensure that taxpayers’ money is spent on those who are eligible under the reciprocal healthcare agreements. There are no Ministerial Directions which relate to GHIC evidential requirements.

Reticulating Splines