Application for Gibraltar Health Card

The Primary Care Centre (PCC) is where you register for a Gibraltar Health Card. The PCC has an extensive staff complement with a wide-range of duties.  The PCC aims to provide the best possible healthcare to the community, ensuring that services are easily accessible, efficient and responsive to patient needs. High standards of physical and mental health are promoted through a planned programme of health promotion and preventative care. The staff at the PCC strive to maintain a pleasant and safe working environment, with teamwork and good communication being encouraged in order to include all members of the team in decision-making processes.

The Aims of the Primary Care Centre are:
• To provide the best possible healthcare for patients.
• To promote better physical and mental health by offering a planned programme
• To ensure that services are easily accessible,efficient and responsive to the needs of patients.
• To maintain a pleasant, safe and efficient working environment for everyone using the practice
• To include all members of the team in decision-making

Primary Care Centre
2nd Floor, ICC Building
2A Main Street
Gibraltar
Tel: +350 20072355
Fax: +350 20043948

The rules of entitlement to health care
Are essentially governed by the Medical (Group Practice Scheme) Act, the Medical (Group Practice Scheme) Regulations, the Medical (Group Practice Scheme) (Contributions) Regulations, the UK / Gibraltar Reciprocal Agreement and EC Regulations 883/2004. Some of the rules are quite complex and it is extremely difficult to summarise accuracy. The Group Practice Medical Scheme is a contributing scheme through which entitled persons and their dependants can access health care.

The classes of persons entitled to be registered are set out in section 4 of the Act, Regulation 4 of the Regulation and Schedule 1 to the Regulations Section 5 provides for the payment of contribution to the scheme (www.gibraltar.gov.gi) Laws of Gibraltar.

The scheme allows entitled persons and their dependants to access health care free of charge. Medicines are available at a cost of £2.50 per item on the prescription subject to a maximum charge of £7.50. Dental treatment is only available to children. Adults may be seen for an emergency treatment only at a fee of £4 per visit, (hence, you need private dental cover). Other services (such as the optometry clinic) are available on a referral from a G.P.

Application Requirements 
Before processing an application the person applying must produce the following, (If residing in Gibraltar)

1. 1. Permits of residence  / Civilian Registration Cards (if applied and still awaiting for them we could process the application with the receipt showing they’ve applied and with their passports for a period of 3 months)
   2. Certificate of Social Insurance Contributions (or recent pay slip)-For the person in employment.

3. Children’s Birth Certificate
4. Marriage Certificate (if partner not in employment and is a dependant)
5. One (1) Passport size photograph of each member of the family 

Cross Border Workers (Employed in Gibraltar and residing in Spain) Medical treatment
If you work in Gibraltar you are entitled to medical treatment on both sides of the border. You should first register in the country where you work and get an S1 form (former E106 form) from the Contribution Unit, Income Tax Department in Gibraltar. This form entitles your dependents to register for health insurance in the country where you live. Your dependants can receive treatment in the country where you work only when one of the following conditions are met:

•  Treatment becomes necessary on medical grounds during their stay in that country, taking into account the nature of the treatment and the expected length of the stay

•   Prior authorisation has been granted using form S2 (E112 form) issued by the health insurance authority in the country where you live. 

To register as a Cross Border worker you must produce the following:

1. Certificate of Social Insurance Contributions (or recent pay slip)
2. ETB work contract (yellow form)
3. Passport
4. 1 passport size photograph

EU Nationals who are not economically active and who reside in Gibraltar under a permit of residence or a residence permit granted under the provisions of the Immigration Control Ordinance and are either covered by a Private Medical Insurance or in receipt of an EEC form such as an E111 for immediate medical cover will be requested to pay the “Voluntary Contribution” towards the G.P.M.S.

Voluntary Contributions is based on a fee of £21.12 per week for a family unit, with a minimum payment of 13 weeks.

The scheme allows entitled persons to access health care free of charge. Medicines are available at a cost of £2.50 per item on the prescription subject to a maximum charge of £7.50. Dental treatment is only available for children.  Adults may be seen for emergency treatment only at a fee of £4 per visit.  Other services, (such as the optometry clinic) are available on referral from a GP.

EU National of a pensionable age who becomes resident in Gibraltar may be entitled to access state health care without paying contributions.  This is limited to pensioners who are entitled by virtue of reciprocal health arrangements, which exist between Gibraltar and the United Kingdom.

If at retirement age you become a cross border resident (ie Spain), you will need to obtain an E121 which allows you and your dependants to register in your country of residence. The E121 will be provided by the country where you obtain your state pension. Look up the country-by-country guide for more guidance on access to healthcare or visit GOV.UK’s section on Help for British nationals living overseas. If you are living in an EEA country or Switzerland and you receive a UK State Pension or long-term Incapacity Benefit, you may be entitled to state healthcare paid for by the UK. You’ll need to apply for a certificate of entitlement also known as an S1 form. If you are living in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland then the form is called E121.

 You can apply for your form via the International Pension Centre on 0191 218 7777. Once issued, register the S1/E121 form with the relevant authority abroad. Often you need to do this before you can register with a GP surgery or obtain a medical card. Once you have registered your S1/E121 in the country you are moving to, you will be entitled to apply for and use a UK-issued EHIC to access state-funded necessary medical treatment when you visit other EEA countries. If you get a UK benefit, such as short-term Incapacity Benefit or Maternity Allowance, your healthcare cover is subject to different rules. The period of your cover and application criteria may differ depending on your particular circumstances. For more information, contact the International Pension Centre (IPC) or the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

 EU Nationals who are not members of the GPMS may receive free medical treatment, which the doctor considers to be immediately owing to an accident or other immediately necessary treatment for a period of up to 30 days on production of an E111. British Nationals only need to produce their British Passport.