Moving your medical records

It is for anyone thinking about moving to Spain, planning the move or already making it. You will finish knowing exactly which records to request, how to prepare them and how to reach your Spanish record later.

Start with "How to request your records from home-country providers". Requests to hospitals, clinics and insurers take time, so it pays to begin them early. From there, follow the order that suits you:

• "The clinical summary your Spanish doctors will want" for a short overview of your diagnosis, treatment, dates and results.
• "Moving scans, lab results and biopsy slides to Spain" for imaging, lab histories and pathology material.
• "Do your medical records need translating into Spanish?" to decide what to translate.
• "Getting your medical records into the Spanish system" for handing them to a family doctor or hospital.
• "Seeing your Spanish health records and results online (historia clínica digital)" for tracking appointments and results once you are in the system.
• "Taking your Spanish medical records with you when you leave" for copies of your record and treatment plan before you move on.

Key rules

• Copy fee: In the UK and EU the first copy is free, and a reasonable fee may be charged only for repeated or excessive requests or extra copies.
• Release time: UK and EU providers must answer a records request within one month, and US providers within 30 days.
• Medicine names: Write medicines by active ingredient, with brand names only as an optional extra.
• Who writes it: Your GP writes the overview, and a specialist adds a report for any serious or complex condition.
• Cost: In the UK and EU the first copy is free, and US providers may charge only a reasonable cost-based fee.
• Imaging format: A DICOM disc or USB with a viewer is the safest way to bring scans; JPEGs, PDFs and phone photos are weak substitutes.

Moving your medical records: the whole process, step by step

• Ask your current clinician for a clinical summary (read: The clinical summary your Spanish doctors will want): As soon as you know you are moving, well before travel

• Request full records from each home-country provider (read: How to request your records from home-country providers): Well before you travel; UK and EU providers must answer within one month and US providers within 30 days, and the first copy is free in the UK and EU

• Collect scans, lab histories and biopsy slides on disc or as originals (read: Moving scans, lab results and biopsy slides to Spain): Start with your home-country request; imaging discs are often ready in a few days, and paper or imaging requests can take 1 to 2 weeks

• Decide which documents need translating (read: Do your medical records need translating into Spanish?): Once your records arrive, before you book Spanish appointments

• Hand your records to your Spanish family doctor or hospital (read: Getting your medical records into the Spanish system): After you register with Spanish health care and before your first review

• Check your Spanish records and results online (read: Seeing your Spanish health records and results online): Once your Spanish file is active

• Request a copy of your Spanish record before moving on (read: Taking your Spanish medical records with you when you leave): Before you leave Spain; Spanish centres commonly take around 30 days, from a few days to several weeks

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Your ID
• Proof of identity — How to request your records from home-country providers

Translations and legal papers

• Sworn translation — Do your medical records need translating into Spanish?

Other documents

• The request form — How to request your records from home-country providers, Taking your Spanish medical records with you when you leave
• Your tarjeta sanitaria — Getting your medical records into the Spanish system, Seeing your Spanish health records and results online (historia clínica digital)
• Overall clinical summary from your GP — The clinical summary your Spanish doctors will want
• Imaging copy in DICOM format on a CD — Moving scans, lab results and biopsy slides to Spain
• The radiologist's written report for each scan — Moving scans, lab results and biopsy slides to Spain
• A cumulative lab results table with dates in columns — Moving scans, lab results and biopsy slides to Spain
• Proof that you are entitled to public healthcare — Getting your medical records into the Spanish system

Each article lists the other documents it asks for, where you need them.

Moving your medical records: questions that cross several articles

Do I have a legal right to my records from my home-country provider?

Yes, in the UK, US and EU you have a legal right to see and get a copy of your health records, and in the US to have them sent to a third party. Many EU countries also have patient-rights laws on top. Read "How to request your records from home-country providers" for how to ask.

Will Spanish doctors accept my reports in English?

Yes, most Spanish hospital specialists and private doctors can read English reports and use them for treatment without formal translation. Older or rural public staff may prefer Spanish, and official procedures may need a translation. Read "Do your medical records need translating into Spanish?".

What format should my scans be in for a Spanish hospital?

Bring scans as DICOM images on a disc with a viewer, or on USB, plus the written report. See How to request your records from home-country providers.

Do I need to bring my biopsy slides for cancer care in Spain?

Often yes, but not always: oncology usually needs the original report, and the Spanish pathology team may ask to review the slides or run new tests on the block. The originating lab releases them on written request. Read "Moving scans, lab results and biopsy slides to Spain", then "Getting your medical records into the Spanish system".

What should my clinical summary contain for a Spanish family doctor?

It should list your diagnoses with dates, current medication with doses, allergies, surgeries, latest key results, vaccinations, implants, follow-up plan and your clinicians' contact details. Read "The clinical summary your Spanish doctors will want" for the full list, then hand it over as described in "Getting your medical records into the Spanish system".