Insurance
What insurance do you need if you're planning on coming to London to learn English? Find out here!
If you’re coming to the UK for more than 6 months, you will probably pay a health surcharge as part of your visa. This means you will be able to use all NHS services for free, just like a permanent resident.
On the other hand, there are different rules if you come to the UK as a visitor, tourist or student for less than 6 months.
Here’s some information you need to know about healthcare and the NHS (National Health Service in the UK) before you arrive!
If you’re coming to the UK for less than 6 months as a visitor to study English, your ability to get healthcare in the UK depends on where you’re from.
If you’re from an EU country you should bring your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) with you. This will give you access to most NHS services for free.
You should still get private travel and health insurance for your visit to the UK as some things like prescriptions for medication and visits to the dentist are not free.
Visitors from Norway can use their passport to receive necessary medical care. Visitors to the UK from Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland will have to pay for access to the NHS after 31 December 2020. Any treatment you need that’s not necessary will be charged 150% the normal NHS price, so it’s important to get private travel and health insurance.
For more detailed information, click here.
If you’re a visitor to the UK from outside the European Economic Area (EEA), you will be charged 150% the normal NHS charge for any treatment that is not necessary. This is true even if you were a resident of the UK in the past. This is why it’s important to have private travel and health insurance when you visit the UK.
If you don’t pay the costs of the NHS services you use, this can affect your future visa applications.
For the full details, read more here.
The NHS is the National Health Service in the UK.
There are some services on the NHS that are always free. If you visit the UK you won’t have to pay for:
- Accident and emergency services (this doesn’t include emergency treatment if you are admitted to hospital)
- Family planning services (this doesn’t include termination of pregnancy or infertility treatment)
- Treatment for most infectious diseases
- Treatment for a physical or mental condition caused by torture, female genital mutilation, and physical / sexual violence
There are some groups of people, like refugees, who don’t have to pay for medical treatment on the NHS.
To see if you’re on the list, check the NHS site here.
You don’t need to have travel and health insurance to visit the UK, but it’s a good idea.
If you’re an EU citizen you can use the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), or from other countries, the Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC). These cards don’t cover all possible NHS costs.
If you want to be 100% covered, consider one of the following private insurance options:
- Allianz is an internationally recognised insurance company that can offer you a variety of plans to protect against medical problems or travel issues while you’re visiting the UK.
- AXA is another respected, global insurance brand. They offer three different levels of medical coverage for visitors to the UK (Bronze, Silver, and Gold). Choose the plan that best suits your needs!
If you want to shop around for your own travel and medical insurance, World First and International Insurance are a great place to start your search.
