How the Universal Health Insurance card comes about, where it is used and what to do if it is lost, from the Authority’s own pages. The pages describe registration, not the card’s handover, so we say what to ask.
Universal Health Insurance in Egypt starts with registering your whole family at the primary care unit nearest you, in a governorate where the system runs. The Universal Health Insurance Authority (UHIA) mentions a family card, but the pages we read do not say how it is handed over: ask the unit or the hotline, 15344 (read 31 October 2026).
This guide covers how the card comes about, where it is used and what to do if it is lost, from UHIA’s own pages. It cannot tell you what you are entitled to: that is UHIA’s decision.
In short:
- Registration comes first. A family medical file is opened and each citizen gets a code.
- UHIA’s pages mention a family card but give no steps for receiving it.
- For a lost card, UHIA’s FAQ names one document: a police report of the loss.
Last checked: 31 October 2026, on the Authority’s pages listed under Sources. Procedures, governorate lists and phone numbers change, so confirm them before you rely on them.
How do I get the Universal Health Insurance card?
UHIA’s home page lists the registration steps (read 31 October 2026), and its undated FAQ adds the detail. Steps 2 and 3 below are theirs; steps 1 and 4 are ours:
- Check your governorate in the governorates section below, and gather the papers in the table.
- Take the family to the nearest primary care unit or family medicine centre. The FAQ says every member goes, for a comprehensive examination, with valid national IDs and the children’s computerised birth certificates.
- Let the unit open the family file. The FAQ says it records the family’s data, health history and medicines, and each citizen gets a code.
- Ask about the card. None of these steps describes it being issued.
UHIA’s news items also announce registration through the Digital Egypt portal (31 October 2022) and at Egypt Post offices (8 February 2024). Both are old, so confirm they still run.
What to have ready
| Papers | Who |
|---|---|
| National IDs of the head and every member (valid, both sides); computerised birth certificates for children under 15; the computerised marriage certificate; a family record “if required”; a social insurance printout (the page says “for all cases”) | Every family |
| A salary statement and the employer’s declaration of payment | Employees |
| A tax declaration | The self-employed |
| A social research report, or a copy of the Takaful or Karama card shown with the original | Those who cannot pay; Takaful and Karama beneficiaries |
From UHIA’s registration page, undated, read 31 October 2026. It lists more for special cases such as divorce, death, desertion, living abroad and conscription.
Where does the Universal Health Insurance card work?
The pages we read give no list of places where the card is shown, and do not say whether you must show it on a visit: ask your unit what to bring. They describe a route instead (read 31 October 2026):
| Situation | What UHIA says |
|---|---|
| First stop | The family doctor or general practitioner at the primary care unit your family belongs to. |
| Specialist or hospital | Referral to a higher level when needed; at those levels you may choose among public, private, university and military providers. |
| Ill in a governorate outside the system | UHIA commits to providing care through its contract with the approved network of providers in that governorate. |
| A unit with no UHIA contract | If the condition is urgent and care cannot be delayed, you may be treated there and may claim back the cost under UHIA’s rules and procedures. |
First two rows: UHIA’s ways-of-service page, dated 9 November 2021. The rest: its FAQ.
Is there a new Universal Health Insurance card?
The UHIA pages we read announce no new card. The FAQ mentions the card for a newborn (the original family card is among the papers), for a worker who lives alone in a system governorate whose home governorate is outside the system (an individual card for 12 months, with a statement) and for a lost one. If you are told yours must be replaced, ask UHIA which papers and which date apply.
What if my Universal Health Insurance card is lost?
UHIA’s FAQ asks this question itself and names one document: a police report of the loss, «محضر فقد بقسم الشرطة». It does not say where to apply, what it costs or how long it takes. Ask your unit or call 15344: where do I apply, is there a charge, and will my family file and code stay the same?
Which governorates have Universal Health Insurance now?
Only UHIA can say, and the answer changes: its FAQ speaks of a transitional stage until the system is applied in all governorates. On 31 October 2026 UHIA’s home page, under «المحافظات المتاحة» (available governorates), showed six: Ismailia, Luxor, Port Said, Aswan, Suez and South Sinai. Its branches and beneficiary service outlets pages listed branches and outlets in the same six. None of the three shows a date, and none announces another governorate. Before you travel to register, check UHIA’s home page or call 15344.
In Egypt: is this the same card as the Health Insurance Organization’s?
No, they are different schemes. UHIA’s FAQ treats the existing health insurance and Universal Health Insurance as two systems that run side by side in a transitional stage, while the new one reaches governorates one by one. Which one covers you is for the authorities to say. Universal Health Insurance in Egypt, explained covers UHIA’s scheme, and the map of healthcare in Egypt sets the routes side by side.
Where Medigize stands
Medigize is a navigation tool. It is not part of UHIA, and it does not register families or issue cards. We are building a record that moves with the patient, shared only with their consent. If you would like to follow that work, you can register your interest.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get the Universal Health Insurance card in Egypt?
Register your family at the nearest primary care unit, in a governorate where the system runs. The pages we read do not say how the card is then handed over: ask the unit or call 15344.
Is there a new Universal Health Insurance card?
The UHIA pages we read on 31 October 2026 announce no new card. If you are told yours must be replaced, ask UHIA which papers and which date apply.
What do I do if my Universal Health Insurance card is lost?
UHIA’s FAQ names one document, a police report of the loss. Ask your unit or the hotline where to apply, what it costs and how long it takes.
What is the Universal Health Insurance hotline?
UHIA’s home page lists 15344 and says to call it to book a family doctor visit (read 31 October 2026). It is not a medical emergency service: in an emergency, go to the nearest emergency department.
Which governorates have Universal Health Insurance?
The list changes, so check UHIA’s home page or call 15344. On 31 October 2026 its pages showed Ismailia, Luxor, Port Said, Aswan, Suez and South Sinai, with no date and no other governorate.
Medigize is a non-diagnostic navigation tool. This is general information, not medical advice. In an emergency, call an ambulance or go to the nearest emergency department.
Sources
- Universal Health Insurance Authority (UHIA): home page, read 31 October 2026
- UHIA: registration in the system (undated), read 31 October 2026
- UHIA: frequently asked questions (undated), read 31 October 2026
- UHIA: how is service provided under the system? (page dated 9 November 2021), read 31 October 2026
- UHIA: beneficiary service outlets (undated), read 31 October 2026
- UHIA: branches (undated), read 31 October 2026
- UHIA: electronic registration through the Digital Egypt portal (news item of 31 October 2022), read 31 October 2026
- UHIA: registration and data update through Egypt Post offices (news item of 8 February 2024), read 31 October 2026
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