--- title: "Healthcare living abroad: what each thing covers | Gigapass" description: "Stopping contributions at home changes things. What happens to your card, what a European card covers once you are resident abroad and what you have to take out." url: https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/healthcare-living-abroad markdown: https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/healthcare-living-abroad.md lang: en site: Gigapass generated: 2026-10-24 languages: es: https://getgigapass.com/blog/sanidad-viviendo-en-el-extranjero de: https://getgigapass.com/de/blog/krankenversicherung-im-ausland-leben it: https://getgigapass.com/it/blog/sanita-vivendo-all-estero fr: https://getgigapass.com/fr/blog/sante-en-vivant-a-l-etranger pt: https://getgigapass.com/pt/blog/saude-vivendo-no-estrangeiro nl: https://getgigapass.com/nl/blog/zorg-als-je-in-het-buitenland-woont ja: https://getgigapass.com/ja/blog/kaigai-zaiju-iryo ko: https://getgigapass.com/ko/blog/haeoe-geoju-uiryo zh-hans: https://getgigapass.com/zh-hans/blog/zaiguowai-shenghuo-yiliao pl: https://getgigapass.com/pl/blog/opieka-zdrowotna-mieszkajac-za-granica sv: https://getgigapass.com/sv/blogg/vard-nar-man-bor-utomlands no: https://getgigapass.com/no/blogg/helse-nar-man-bor-i-utlandet da: https://getgigapass.com/da/blog/sundhed-nar-man-bor-i-udlandet tr: https://getgigapass.com/tr/blog/yurt-disinda-yasarken-saglik ru: https://getgigapass.com/ru/blog/meditsina-zhivya-za-granitsey zh-hant: https://getgigapass.com/zh-hant/blog/zaiguowai-shenghuo-yiliao ar: https://getgigapass.com/ar/mudawana/assiha-alaish-fi-alkharij he: https://getgigapass.com/he/blog/briut-kshegarim-bechul index: https://getgigapass.com/llms/en.txt --- # Healthcare when you live abroad: what happens to the card you had > Stopping contributions at home changes things. What happens to your card, what a European card covers once you are resident abroad and what you have to take out. [Home](https://getgigapass.com/en) › [Blog](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog) › Healthcare when you live abroad: what happens to the card you had Expats Stopping contributions at home changes things. What happens to your card, what a European card covers once you are resident abroad and what you have to take out. **Tomás Berruezo** 10 Aug 2026 5 min Photo by Nathalia Segato on Unsplash In this article › The underlying idea › What you have to sort out › The paperwork that helps It is the question people moving abroad ask most, and the short answer is that it depends on where you pay contributions, not on where your house is. ## The underlying idea Public health cover is tied to contributions or to residence, depending on the system. If you start working and paying contributions in another country you normally move into its system, and if you are contributing nowhere it has to be looked at case by case. And a card like the European health card is for TEMPORARY stays: it is not designed for residing in another country, and using it that way can end in a bill you are asked to pay back. What it does cover is in [what the European health card covers](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/european-health-insurance-card). ## What you have to sort out 1. Which system covers you once you move, and from what date. 2. Whether there is a waiting period before the local cover is effective. 3. Whether you need private insurance for that gap, or permanently. 4. What happens when you come back home to visit. Point two is the one most people find out too late: in some countries cover takes weeks or months to switch on. ## The paperwork that helps Take your medical records, your vaccination history and reports on anything chronic, translated if the destination asks for it. It is far easier to get hold of before you leave than to request from abroad. General information, not medical or legal advice. What you are entitled to depends on your employment situation, on the country and on the applicable agreements, and the answer comes from your own social security body and from the authorities at the destination. Know where you're going? Pick your destination, days and data. Install it before you leave and pay once. [See destinations](https://getgigapass.com/en#destinos) Tomás BerruezoPlans and small print Thirty years reading operator terms, first for work and now out of habit. If something is billed separately, he finds it. ## Frequently asked questions **Can I use the European health card while living abroad?** It is not meant for that: it covers temporary stays. Using it while resident in another country can end with the costs being reclaimed. **What happens to my health card if I move?** It depends on where you pay contributions. If you start contributing in another country you normally enter its health system. **Is there a waiting period?** In several countries yes: cover takes weeks or months to activate, and that gap is usually covered with private insurance. **What paperwork should I take?** Medical records, vaccination history and reports on any chronic condition, translated if the destination asks for them. ## Keep reading - [Expats](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/moving-abroad-checklist) | Moving abroad: the list of what to close down before you go | 7 min - [Expats](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/keep-phone-number-living-abroad) | Keeping your existing number while you live abroad: the options and the cost | 6 min - [Expats](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/moving-back-home-after-living-abroad) | Going home after years abroad: what you have to switch back on | 6 min