The E111

What you should not do – but what many people continue to do – is to use the UK E111 form as a guarantee of healthcare cover in Spain. This form is intended to provide a British citizen with emergency healthcare while on holiday in another EU country. There are many individuals who actually live in Spain who continue to use the E111 as their source of local healthcare provision. They can do this because they still have an official UK address even although they may not actually live there. It is possible that this loophole could be closed in the future through stricter controls since it is actually illegal. In reality if any of these individuals who use the E111 are retired EU pensioners they should request the E121 form from their local social security office in the UK. Younger families should either register with Spanish social security or take out private health insurance.