Getting your medical records into the Spanish system

Key rules

• No automatic import: Foreign medical records are not imported into your Spanish file; a Spanish doctor must record the relevant content.
• Card first: You need your tarjeta sanitaria individual before a public doctor can open your record.
• Bring a summary: Put a short summary of your history on top of your reports.
• Keep copies: Hand over copies, never your only set.

Your foreign records are not imported automatically

Spain's health system does not pull in reports from other countries. You have to hand them to a Spanish doctor. The doctor reads them and records what is relevant. Depending on the region and the centre, that means scanning the reports into your electronic record or summarising the content in the doctor's notes.

What you need first

A public doctor can only open your record once you are registered with your regional health service and hold your tarjeta sanitaria individual. Registration is done at your health centre or the regional health service's office, and in some regions online. The documents you need are in the list below. They vary by region and by the basis of your entitlement, so check with your health centre.

Once you are registered, the health centre assigns you a médico de familia and a nurse. Your historia clínica is then opened in the regional system.

Handing over your records

At the family doctor. Bring your reports to your first appointment. Paper copies or a USB both work. Put a short summary of your medical history on top, so the doctor sees the key points quickly. Ask the doctor to scan or upload the reports to your record, or to note the relevant content. Whether documents are scanned varies by centre, so ask what they do.

At a specialist. Bring the same reports to specialist consultations.

For hospital care. Hand your reports in at admissions or at the specialist's consultation. Take imaging discs to the radiology desk.

Private care. Private providers use their own systems. Hand your records to them in the same way and ask how they file them.

Keep your own copy

Never hand over your only copy. Keep a copy of everything you give, and keep the originals safe. The checklist below walks you through the steps in order.

Documents you need

• Tarjeta sanitaria individual, the regional health card. You need it before a public doctor can open your record. Your regional health service issues it.

• Proof that you are entitled to public healthcare, for example Social Security affiliation or a residence-based entitlement.

• Empadronamiento, the registration certificate from your town hall showing where you live.

• Your ID: NIE or passport.

• Your foreign medical reports, as paper copies or on a USB. Imaging comes on a disc. Add a short summary on top and keep a copy for yourself.

Checklist

• Confirm at your health centre that a family doctor and nurse have been assigned to you.

• Write a short summary of your medical history to put on top of your reports.

• Keep a copy of everything you hand over.

Frequently asked questions

Will my foreign records appear in my Spanish file automatically?

No, foreign records are not imported automatically into your Spanish file. A doctor reads the reports you bring and may scan them into the regional record or summarise them in the clinical notes. How this is done varies by region and centre.

What do I need before a Spanish public doctor can hold my record?

You need a tarjeta sanitaria, the regional health card, before a public record can be opened. The health centre then assigns you a family doctor and nurse, and opens your clinical record. Requirements differ by region, so ask your health centre or regional health service what they want.

Where do I hand over imaging discs from abroad?

Hand imaging discs to the radiology desk when you have hospital care. Paper reports go to admissions or the specialist's consultation. Keep a copy of everything and bring a short summary on top.