Medical Treatments Abroad: British Nationals Abroad

(asked on 28th June 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps UK citizens visiting Spain and Portugal will have to take to prove that they are entitled to healthcare under the bilateral agreements on healthcare rights for UK citizens in the event that the UK leaves the EU without an agreement.


Answered by
Stephen Hammond Portrait
Stephen Hammond
This question was answered on 3rd July 2019

The Government of Spain has offered to continue to maintain the existing arrangements for reciprocal healthcare in the event that the United Kingdom leaves the European Union without a deal. This includes access to treatment that becomes necessary during the course of a visit to Spain.


This means that in Spain, UK-issued European Health Insurance Cards (EHICs) or the equivalent would continue to be accepted as proof of UK cover in a ‘no deal’ scenario. The UK EHIC or its equivalent would need to be presented with a valid passport. It is important to note that UK EHICs will be accepted in Spain for 21 months after EU exit.


The Government of Portugal’s ‘no deal’ unilateral offer is only extended to UK nationals. This means that other nationals, including EU citizens, resident in the UK who presently enjoy UK EHIC cover would be fully charged for accessing public healthcare when they visit Portugal. Only UK passports, and not UK EHICs, would be accepted as providing proof of UK cover. The unilateral offer covers the period from exit day until 31 December 2020.

Reticulating Splines