The EU provisions on social security

➥➥ You are entitled to family benefits, regardless of where you or the members of
your family reside within the <strong>EU</strong> or the EEA. <strong>The</strong>se benefits are paid by the institution
of the member state from which you draw your pension. If you are entitled
to several pensions from different member states, in principle, you receive the
highest amount of benefits provided under the legislation of one of these states
(see Section 5.9.B).
6.4. Tourist
Every year, millions of tourists travel across Europe to spend their holidays abroad. In
the case of sickness or accident, they need access to any necessary healthcare and sickness
benefits in the state where they are staying.
Provided that you are insured under a statutory healthcare insurance scheme in your
home state, the following circumstances apply.
➥➥
➥➥
You are entitled to all medically necessary sickness benefits in kind in the state of
stay under the same conditions as nationals of that state.
To obtain these benefits you must produce your European Health Insurance
Card (EHIC).
If you have forgotten or lost your EHIC you can ask your sickness insurance institution
to fax or e-mail you a provisional replacement certificate. This is equivalent
to the EHIC and will give you the same entitlement to medical treatment and
reimbursement of the associated costs during a temporary stay in another member
state. This approach is particularly advisable if you need to be hospitalised.
➥➥ <strong>The</strong> fact that you are unable to present your EHIC should have no bearing on your
medical treatment. However, the doctor or medical establishment might ask you to
pay the full cost or to pay up front a proportion of the costs which an insured person
in that same member state would not be asked to pay. You may then ask for a reimbursment
in the member state in which you are insured.
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