European health insurance card

If you are resident in Spain, have a Span­ish so­cial se­cur­ity num­ber and you are act­ively pay­ing your con­tri­bu­tions into the Span­ish So­cial Se­cur­ity sys­tem, you can ap­ply for the Span­ish equi­val­ent of the European Health In­sur­ance Card (EHIC) which is the Tar­jeta San­it­ario Europea (TSE).

If you are trav­el­ling back to the UK, or to any other European coun­try, on hol­i­day, on busi­ness or to visit fam­ily and friends and re­quire med­ical as­sist­ance, present­a­tion of this will en­title you to re­ceive med­ical as­sist­ance, free of charge.

For our British citizens planning on moving to Spain or are already living in Spain will need to either have an S1 form or Private health insurance. Brexit has caused huge problems as the UK is no longer part of the EU. You will therefore need some form of health care i.e private or state.

All residents in Spain need to register to access healthcare.

Once registered for healthcare, basic state services are free, but there are some things that patients need to pay for. For example, you usually have to pay something towards prescriptions – either a reduced price or the full price.

UK nationals usually access the Spanish national health system in one of these ways:

• through entitlement to healthcare if they’re employed or self-employed and make social security contributions in Spain

• registering a UK-issued S1 form with the social security office (see ‘UK-funded healthcare: getting and using an S1 form in Spain’ below)

• through entitlement to healthcare as a permanent resident if they’ve lived in Spain for 5 years

• paying directly into the public health insurance scheme (Convenio Especial)

• using a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) for temporary stays when studying, or as a posted (detached) worker

Healthcare if you live and work in Spain

You must register as resident or apply for the appropriate visa if you want to stay in Spain for more than 3 months. See the guidance on Living in Spain for more information about visa and residency requirements in Spain.

You must show proof of healthcare cover:

• before you can register as a resident

• when you apply for a visa

This will usually be through social security contributions as an employee, private insurance or paying voluntary contributions (the ‘Convenio Especial’).

If you’re working or self-employed in Spain, you’re entitled to state healthcare on the same basis as a Spanish worker. Your dependants are also entitled (see ‘If you’re a dependant of someone living or working in Spain’ below).

Register at your local health centre with your social security number. You can get a social security number from your local National Social Security Institute (TGSS) office in Spain.

Your dependants need to register separately with the INSS.

Private Health insurance - Spanish registered Insurance provider

You may be entitled to a Spanish EHIC for travel, including visits to the UK.

If you are not working and not entitled to an S1 form

If you’ve been a resident in Spain for 5 years or more, you can apply for permanent residency. This will give you access to state healthcare on the same basis as a Spanish citizen.