How To Access Healthcare

How To Access Healthcare

As a foreigner, you can take advantage of both the public and private healthcare systems in Spain.

 
Public Healthcare

Foreign employees working for Spanish companies or self-employed foreigners in Spain must usually contribute to Spanish social security (Seguridad Social). Those contributions entitle both you and your family to free or subsidized medical care on the same terms as Spaniards.

After you have registered with Seguridad Social, you will receive a registration card (cartilla de la seguridad social or tarjeta sanitaria) usually by post around 4-8 weeks later. A married couple with one partner working are covered by the same social security card and number, as are all dependents (e.g. children under 16) that are listed on your social security card.

If you are a European Union citizen, you are automatically entitled to free basic health care in Spain due to reciprocal agreements among EU countries. You simply need to carry with you a completed E111 form, which is available from post offices in your home country. Although this form is meant to have unlimited validity, we do know of cases where a form dated more than a year ago has caused problems. In addition, you are not meant to use this form if you are resident in Spain, but in practice this will not be checked unless you tell them.

 
Private Healthcare

With respect to private insurance, anyone is eligible. These companies typically offer both medical and dental coverage with a discount if you sign up for both. Obviously, prices vary greatly according to the age and sex of the applicant; however, it is not prohibitively expensive. To give you an idea, the average monthly medical premium for a 30-year old male starts around 38 Euro per month; for females it's a bit a higher at roughly 50 Euro per month.

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