Lost EHIC - how to prove Sickness Insurance?

[almighty_horse]

Hi,

I am an EU national applying for Permanent Residency in the UK based on a 5-year qualification period. I arrived as a student in September 2011 and had a home country (Poland) issued EHIC card for either 6 or 12 months (can’t remember). I need to prove I held Comprehensive Sickness Insurance throughout the qualifying 5-year period, but unfortunately threw the card away - it expired in 2012 and I did not expect I would need to use it in the future.

I never renewed the card, but I also commenced work on 27/02/2012 - initially it was to support my studies, but by June 2012 I was spending significantly more time working than studying, and work became my main activity, so I hope I will be able to demonstrate I did not need EHIC afterwards?

What can I do?

I have contacted the EHIC issuer in Poland, but they cannot certify I held the card, unless the request comes from the Public Institution that requires it. They quote EU law (Article 6 of Regulation EC 883/2004 and Article 12 of Regulation EC 987/2009) forbidding them from issuing that confirmation to an individual (or my employer, I tried), saying that if the Home Office requires it, they should request it themselves. Only then, the issuer will issue form E104 directly to them.

Your ideas will be much appreciated - thanks a lot for your help!

[johnkk]

The card doesn't matter; it acts just as evidence that you held CSI in an EU member state that covered you in the UK as well. You can submit any other evidence.

You'll have to call your insurance provider and ask for a document certifying that you held comprehensive sickness insurance (try to make them include this term) - or just 'full cover', for the period you care about. If its a private insurer, the should also state that their cover was applicable overseas in the UK (that is automatic for state insurance in EU as far as I know).

Then get this document translated and submit it in your EEA PR application.

That's exactly what I did - no EHIC.

[almighty_horse]

Hi,

Thanks for your response. However, I did not have any other CSI beyond EHIC, I was not insured privately and the EHIC is the only form of CSI I held.

[almighty_horse]

Hi,

I am an EU national applying for Permanent Residency in the UK based on a 5-year qualification period. I arrived as a student in September 2011 and had a home country (Poland) issued EHIC card for either 6 or 12 months (can’t remember). I need to prove I held Comprehensive Sickness Insurance throughout the qualifying 5-year period, but unfortunately threw the card away - it expired in 2012 and I did not expect I would need to use it in the future.

I never renewed the card, but I also commenced work on 27/02/2012 - initially it was to support my studies, but by June 2012 I was spending significantly more time working than studying, and work became my main activity, so I hope I will be able to demonstrate I did not need EHIC afterwards?

What can I do?

I have contacted the EHIC issuer in Poland, but they cannot certify I held the card, unless the request comes from the Public Institution that requires it. They quote EU law (Article 6 of Regulation EC 883/2004 and Article 12 of Regulation EC 987/2009) forbidding them from issuing that confirmation to an individual (or my employer, I tried), saying that if the Home Office requires it, they should request it themselves. Only then, the issuer will issue form E104 directly to them.

Your ideas will be much appreciated - thanks a lot for your help!

[noajthan]

Posts merged.
No need for multiple posts.

[johnkk]

Hi,

Thanks for your response. However, I did not have any other CSI beyond EHIC, I was not insured privately and the EHIC is the only form of CSI I held.

As I described before: EHIC is not CSI. The EHIC card is just a document that "proves" that you actually had insurance in your home country. Since you had EHIC, it means that an you had insurance with a medical provider.

As long as you can provide any form of documentation that you held this insurance in your home country, the Home Office will be happy. Try to find get another document beyond the EHIC card.
I do not know how the system works in Poland; you may need to contact your actual insurance provider if this is different to the EHIC issuer. To avoid confusion, in your request to your provider do not mention EHIC at all. You just need to prove that you were insured in Poland. Which you did. If you were not insured they would not have issued an EHIC card to you.

[almighty_horse]

John,

I think you're onto something here and I'm getting a lightbulb moment. Let's clarify.

Throughout my education period my mum's employer in Poland paid monthly contributions (deducted from her monthly salary) to what is known as Social Insurance Institution (Polish abbreviation ZUS), a Polish state organization responsible for social insurance matters. I have a document certifying that my mum paid the contributions that covered her and me and the document states that as a result both me and my mum had rights to healthcare, use of state medical facilities etc. in Poland. It doesn't mention "comprehensive sickness insurance" though.

However, to the best of my knowledge, they are not the "insurer", because the insurer will be what is known as the National Health Fund. ZUS only collects contributions that are then distributed to the National Health Fund (and other bodies, e.g. pension funds), which finances healthcare, as well as helps reduce medicine prices (just like NHS does with antibiotics, for example).

The Polish EHIC card was issued by the Fund, not the ZUS.

I am happy to translate and send that certificate to the Home Office, but wonder if they will accept "a confirmation that contributions were paid to ZUS and as a result the individual was insured" rather than "a confirmation that the individual was insured by the Fund".

[Wanderer]

I'm a UK citizen working and living in Denmark, and I was told the EHIC is really just for (intra-EU) visitors, for residence you need to enrol into the local social system, in my case via a Danish CPR card which allocates me a doctor etc and fully covers me for the Danish Health Care System.

[johnkk]

John,

I think you're onto something here and I'm getting a lightbulb moment. Let's clarify.

Throughout my education period my mum's employer in Poland paid monthly contributions (deducted from her monthly salary) to what is known as Social Insurance Institution (Polish abbreviation ZUS), a Polish state organization responsible for social insurance matters. I have a document certifying that my mum paid the contributions that covered her and me and the document states that as a result both me and my mum had rights to healthcare, use of state medical facilities etc. in Poland. It doesn't mention "comprehensive sickness insurance" though.

However, to the best of my knowledge, they are not the "insurer", because the insurer will be what is known as the National Health Fund. ZUS only collects contributions that are then distributed to the National Health Fund (and other bodies, e.g. pension funds), which finances healthcare, as well as helps reduce medicine prices (just like NHS does with antibiotics, for example).

The Polish EHIC card was issued by the Fund, not the ZUS.

I am happy to translate and send that certificate to the Home Office, but wonder if they will accept "a confirmation that contributions were paid to ZUS and as a result the individual was insured" rather than "a confirmation that the individual was insured by the Fund".

I think the current document you have should be enough of a proof (then again, I'm just a person on the internet and not an immigration lawyer or Home Office clerk!).
I would (a) try to get a more clear document by National Health Fund or, failing that,
(b) submit your current document & just explain the situation in a cover letter as well. Say you were insured in Poland and here is proof by the Social Insurance Institution certifying that you were insured via your mother's payments for the specific period (include dates).

[johnkk]

I'm a UK citizen working and living in Denmark, and I was told the EHIC is really just for (intra-EU) visitors, for residence you need to enrol into the local social system, in my case via a Danish CPR card which allocates me a doctor etc and fully covers me for the Danish Health Care System.

The EHIC card was indeed designed to be used in trips to another EU state. It makes you eligible to the basic health service within EU, allowing the state to easily charge your home state for services provided.

For EEA PR purposes though, for time counted as student (or self-sufficient), you need to show that you DON'T rely on your new EU state's health services. Instead you need to have private medical insurance or via your home state.

In your case, if you need to claim permanent residency in Denmark, I would assume that, for periods where you were not working in Denmark, you'll need to provide evidence of other private insurance or a UK-issued EHIC.

[Amofe]

Hi,

I am an EU national applying for Permanent Residency in the UK based on a 5-year qualification period. I arrived as a student in September 2011 and had a home country (Poland) issued EHIC card for either 6 or 12 months (can’t remember). I need to prove I held Comprehensive Sickness Insurance throughout the qualifying 5-year period, but unfortunately threw the card away - it expired in 2012 and I did not expect I would need to use it in the future.

I never renewed the card, but I also commenced work on 27/02/2012 - initially it was to support my studies, but by June 2012 I was spending significantly more time working than studying, and work became my main activity, so I hope I will be able to demonstrate I did not need EHIC afterwards?

What can I do?

I have contacted the EHIC issuer in Poland, but they cannot certify I held the card, unless the request comes from the Public Institution that requires it. They quote EU law (Article 6 of Regulation EC 883/2004 and Article 12 of Regulation EC 987/2009) forbidding them from issuing that confirmation to an individual (or my employer, I tried), saying that if the Home Office requires it, they should request it themselves. Only then, the issuer will issue form E104 directly to them.

Your ideas will be much appreciated - thanks a lot for your help!

I'm in nearly exactly the same situation as you are/were. I came to UK to study from 2011 till 2016, now I'm working. I had EHIC for 4,5 years only and whenever I applied for a new one, they would ask me to return the old one so now I don't have these cards anymore. However, I was and still am under ZUS insurance. Please tell me if you were able to obtain PR using ZUS?