Health Insurance When Moving Within the EU: EHIC, S1 and Local Cover
Your European Health Insurance Card covers a holiday, not a move. Once you live or work in another EU country, which system covers you depends on your situation — worker, cross-border commuter, posted worker, student or pensioner. Here is how it works, from the European Commission's Your Europe service.
Quick answer
In the EU, the country responsible for your health cover depends on your economic status and where you live, not your nationality. If you work in a new EU country, you join its system. If you work in one country and live in another, you register where you work and get an S1 form to be treated where you live. If you're posted abroad for less than 2 years, you stay insured at home and use an S1 if you move. If you work in several countries but do at least 25% of your work where you live, you're usually covered there. Pensioners with no pension from their new country register an S1 from the country that pays them. Students need comprehensive cover and may be able to use the free EHIC if they aren't employed.
Which country covers you?
| Your situation | Who covers you | Form |
|---|---|---|
| Working and living in your new EU country | Your new country | Register with the local system |
| Working in one country, living in another | The country where you work; you're treated in both | S1 (former E106) from your insurer, registered where you live |
| Posted abroad for less than 2 years | Your home country | S1 if you move to the posting country |
| Working in several countries, at least 25% where you live | Usually your country of residence | — |
| Student or researcher, not employed | Home cover may apply | EHIC, if eligible; comprehensive cover required |
| Pensioner with no pension from your new country | The country paying your pension | S1 from that country, registered where you live |
What the EHIC does — and doesn't do
If you're insured in an EU country, you can ask your insurer for a European Health Insurance Card free of charge; sometimes it's printed on the back of your national card. It proves you're insured. If you don't have it, or can't use it — for example in private healthcare — you can't be refused treatment, but you may have to pay the full cost and claim reimbursement later. The EHIC is built for temporary stays: when you settle and start working, you need cover in the right system, as in the table above.
Cross-border commuters and their families
If you work in one EU country (or in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland or the UK) and live in another, you're entitled to treatment in both countries on the same terms as people insured there. Register where you work and get an S1 form from your health insurer. Your family members are normally covered too — but if you live in one country and work in Denmark, Ireland, Croatia, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Norway or the UK, your family is only entitled to treatment in that country in limited situations, such as necessary care during a stay.
Students and researchers
If you study, research or train in another EU country, you must have comprehensive health insurance there. If you're not employed, the EHIC may cover you if you're eligible; if you're employed in the host country, you must join a local scheme. Some national insurers only cover healthcare abroad for a limited time — often the case for mature students over 28 or 30 — in which case you need local or private insurance. Some PhD students count as resident workers and must join the local system.
Pensioners
If you receive a pension from your new country of residence that gives you the right to healthcare, you and your family are covered there — even if you also receive pensions from other countries. If you don't, request an S1 form from the institution in the country that pays your pension and register it when you arrive; it gives you full healthcare cover in your new country.
Before you go
- Check your status first. Your Europe's National Contact Points can confirm which system covers you before you need treatment.
- Carry both cards during the transition — your old EHIC and your new local insurance card.
- Practise the doctor's visit. Describing symptoms is hard in a new language. Language Lab includes doctor and pharmacy scenarios in 50 languages.
Key takeaways
- Rule: economic status and residence decide your cover, not nationality.
- S1 form: for cross-border commuters, posted workers who move, and pensioners paid from another country.
- EHIC: free, for temporary stays; not a substitute for local cover when you work.
FAQ
Can I use my EHIC after moving to another EU country?
The EHIC is for temporary stays. Once you live and work in another EU country, you normally need to be covered by that country's system. Students who aren't employed may be able to use the EHIC if they're eligible.
What is an S1 form?
The S1 (formerly E106) is a certificate from your health insurer that entitles you to healthcare in the country where you live when you're insured in another — for example as a cross-border commuter, a posted worker who moves, or a pensioner paid from another country.
I'm posted abroad by my employer. Which system covers me?
If the posting lasts less than 2 years, you can stay insured in your home country. If you move to the posting country, request an S1 form and give it to the local health insurance institution.
Is the EHIC free?
Yes. If you have health insurance in an EU country, your insurer issues the card free of charge.
Sources (official only)
- Your Europe — your health insurance cover when living abroad
- Your Europe — European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
Verified against the official pages above on 26 September 2026. Information, not legal advice.