Can I use my EHIC card in Denmark?

Yes — the European Health Insurance Card gives EU/EEA and Swiss citizens medically necessary PUBLIC healthcare in Denmark on the same terms as Danish residents. The key words are necessary and public: it covers acute care and hospitals, not private clinics or planned treatment.

✓ Covers necessary public healthcare✓ Emergency care and hospitals✗ Does not cover private clinics

Need a doctor while visiting?

For everyday GP-level problems, visitors are usually seen fastest at a private clinic — fixed price, itemised receipt for your travel insurance.

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Pay by card in the clinic after your visit — no prepayment.

What EHIC actually covers in Denmark

  • Emergency and urgent care — call 1813 in the Copenhagen area; emergency rooms and urgent public treatment are covered.
  • Hospital treatment — medically necessary care that cannot wait until you get home.
  • UK visitors — the UK GHIC works the same way in Denmark.

What it does not cover

  • Private clinics — including YourGP; here you pay directly and claim from your travel insurance instead.
  • Planned treatment — travelling to Denmark specifically for care requires separate authorisation.
  • Repatriation — getting you home if seriously ill is a travel-insurance matter, never EHIC.

The practical gap: Danish public GP clinics generally cannot take visitors for booked, everyday appointments — their lists are for registered residents. So for a sore throat, a UTI or a prescription, the realistic choice is a private clinic, with your travel insurance reimbursing the visit.

Medical review and sources

Medically reviewed by Alexander Tetzlaff, MD, Specialist in General Medicine and doctor at YourGP — meet the team.
Published and last reviewed: 2 September 2026.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Is treatment free with EHIC?

Public treatment is covered on the same terms as for Danish residents — most necessary public care in Denmark has no patient charge.

Do I need my physical card?

Bring it. The card (or a provisional replacement certificate from your home insurer) is what the public system asks for.

I am not from the EU — what then?

EHIC does not apply. Acute emergencies are always treated, but you will be billed — that is exactly what travel insurance is for.

Does EHIC cover a visit at YourGP?

No — we are a private clinic. You pay a fixed price and receive an itemised receipt, which most travel policies reimburse.

Insurance sorted — just need a doctor?

Book the first available time. Most patients are seen the same or the next day.

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