Getting a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) in Luxembourg is relatively straightforward, so let’s jump right into it.
To get an EHIC in Luxembourg, you must be affiliated with the Luxembourg social security system. This means you must be insured with a Luxembourg health insurance fund, most commonly the Caisse Nationale de Santé (CNS).
You can also qualify as a co-insured person, for example as a dependent spouse or child of someone insured in Luxembourg.
Legal residence alone is not enough – social security affiliation is the key requirement.
Unlike in many other countries, Luxembourg issues a single, two-sided card. One side is your national social security card, which gives you access to healthcare in Luxembourg.
The other side is your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which allows you to access necessary medical treatment during temporary stays in EU and EEA countries, as well as Switzerland, under the same conditions as locally insured patients.
In many cases, your card is issued automatically.
If you are an employee, the card is usually created and sent by post once your employer has filed a declaration with the Centre commun de la sécurité sociale (CCSS).
If you are self-employed, you must register yourself with the CCSS. Once your affiliation is confirmed, the card can be issued, but you may need to request it manually if it is not sent automatically.
Find more information on these processes here.
Co-insured persons, pensioners and people receiving replacement income such as unemployment benefits or the social inclusion income (REVIS) can also apply for the card through their health insurance fund.
You can also order the card online at any time via here, provided you have a Luxembourg social security number.
Each family member, including children, must have their own card.
The EHIC has a limited validity period, which is printed on the card.
The validity does not always last five years. For people newly affiliated with the Luxembourg system, the card may initially be valid for only a few months. With continued insurance coverage, the validity period increases, up to a maximum of five years.
Cards are meant to be renewed automatically around two months before expiry, but this does not always happen in practice. It is therefore advisable to check the expiry date and request a new card if necessary.
If your card is lost, stolen, not received, or you need proof urgently, you can request a provisional replacement certificate via Guichet.lu. This certificate is valid for up to three months and can be used abroad under the same conditions as the EHIC.
The EHIC is free of charge.
It covers medically necessary treatment during temporary stays abroad, but it is not a substitute for travel insurance and does not cover private healthcare, planned treatment abroad, or repatriation costs.
For more information, consult Guichet.lu or the CCSS website.
