EIC Card nightmare
 

Hello

This is a fairly long story.

My mum is a Spanish resident domiciled in England. Couple of months ago she was in UK and was refused treatment because she just had a EHIC with an English address, they told her to get a Spanish one.

So now she's back in Spain that's exactly what we are trying to do, we tried to apply here but got rejected:
https://w6.seg-social.es/solTse/jsp/Entrada.jsp

She's was also told she must apply through the UK, however that route seemed to fail.

Now they are saying she doesn't get an EIC card, they say all she needs is a passport and proof that she is an English pensioner (ie documentation of her tax benefits as a pensioner). She has an S1 form registered in England apparently.

So I still want to get her an EIC card because that is what the hospital asked for, please help!!

Thanks

Alex

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

You say she's "Spanish resident domiciled in England" - what do you mean by this? Where is she living for most of the time?

Wherever she's living most of the time is where she's resident (the concept of domicile is only used for UK tax so inappropriate here).

If she is resident in Spain and has an S1, then the UK will give her an EHIC for use outside of Spain.

If she is resident in UK, then it's not an issue.


I think some clarification is required before we can answer your question.

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

She's English but lives in Spain most of the time, and is resident in Spain.

"If she is resident in Spain and has an S1, then the UK will give her an EHIC for use outside of Spain."

To be more specific as well, she tells me she has "an S1 form registered in England". Not sure if this helps at all, I'll probably have to get a little more detail from her about this.

I'm not sure of her next step and she is getting confusing messages herself.

Thanks.,..

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

Does she not have to have her S1 registered in Spain?

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

Well you tell me, I'd like to hear from people who've gone through this exact scenario, because everything she has been told has been contradictory depending on who she is talking to... thx.

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

She has to register her form in Spain to enable her to have healthcare in Spain.

The UK know she is a pensioner so should give her an EHIC. They should also treat her in UK if that is required.

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

Please reread the thread.

She has no problem getting healthcare in Spain at all, her problem is getting healthcare in the UK. UK are demanding a Spanish EIC card off her. She already has a UK EIC card.

Is there any ex pat resident in Spain (not a part timer), who has applied for an EIC card to get UK health treatment?

How exactly did you go about it?

Many Thanks

Alex

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

Surely, if she has a UK passport that should be sufficient for her to receive treatment in the UK. I live in the UK, but if I travel to Scotland and require hospital treatment - I get it, full stop. The fact that she might live outside the area in which she seeks treatment shouldn't matter, surely....

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

Passport doesn't matter, it's residency that matters, if she is a UK pensioner living in Spain she should have got an S1 form from Newcastle and be registered on the Spanish Health system, once that is done and assuming she IS receiving UK state pension, she should apply for, and get an EHIC card from the UK.

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

Again she has an EHIC from the UK!!! But the UK hospital won't take it as they say she lives in Spain, they want to see a Spanish EHIC instead... but she is having great difficulty getting it... they are telling her to get it from the UK instead when she applies.

Again she has no issues with the Spanish health system.

Round and round it goes, and nobody knows :)

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

I that case tell the hospital in the UK to check their facts on the UK Government web pages.

Working in Spain below pension age = EHIC from Spain.

Pensioner living in Spain and in receipt of UK Gov pension = EHIC from UK.

If they say different then they are wrong!


Just another thought on this where she may be going wrong.
She must not apply for the EHIC card from an English address, she must apply from here in Spain using her residential address here.

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

Just another thought on this...She must not apply for the EHIC card from an English address, she must send the request to the UK from Spain.

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

That is correct, the card must have a Spanish address, but, in any case, UK NHS is free to access for UK pensioners, so the hospital is completely unaware of the current rules, and, yes it's a good idea to tell them to look the rules up.

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

Most if not all State pensioners in Spain will have an EHIC issued by UK - they can NOT get one from Spain.

The hospital is wrong and that should be your first port of call. Get them to contact DWP.


I suspect something has been done wrongly and this is causing the confusion. Reread what you've been told and check that this is the case.


Has the EHIC got anything on it indicating that she is a UK pensioner?

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

Hi if you use Facebook then there is an official EHIC Facebook page. You can message them direct from that with questions they answer promptly. You may be able to get a direct phone number from them to discuss the issue? Here's a link https://m.facebook.com/NHSBSAEuropea...InsuranceCard/

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

Nothing obvious, however they should be able to identify it as a Expat card from the numbers on it (assuming they actually check!)

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

Yeah they actually checked. Let me get back to my mum, might take a while, appreciate the response here and will write back.. thanks.

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

As from January 2016 the UK stopped issuing EHIC cards for British pensioners resident in Spain who require treatment in the UK. You do not need it for the UK as by law you are now entitled to medical care and can even pre arrange operations, specialist appointments etc. You still need a EHIC card for other European countries.

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

She is English, she is living abroad, but drawing a UK pension. Regardless of where she actually resides, while in the UK she gets treated as if she lived in the UK - end of.

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

True so long as she actually resides in the EU

Re: EIC Card nightmare
 

Exactly and EHIC's have nothing whatsoever to do with it so don't waste another second on trying to get one !

Her UK NI number should tell anyone who needs to know all they need to know.