When to end home-country health cover and doctor registration

Terms used

• S1 — The S1 is a form from your home health authority that lets Spain cover your healthcare while your home country pays.
• INSS — The INSS is Spain's national social security office, where you register for public health cover or register an S1.
• Tarjeta sanitaria — The tarjeta sanitaria is the Spanish health card, issued by your regional health service, that gives you access to public healthcare.
• Centro de salud — The centro de salud is your local public health centre, where you register with a family doctor.

Key rules

• Overlap: Leave your home doctor registration until the move is permanent and Spanish cover or private insurance is arranged.
• Records: Your medical records do not travel to Spain by themselves, so ask for them before you deregister.
• S1: Once your S1 is registered in Spain, deregister from your home GP, and if it ends, tell both authorities.
• End date: Ask your home health authority for the exact date your cover ends.

The order that keeps you covered

Keep your home cover and home doctor registration until your move is permanent and your Spanish cover or private insurance is active. Only then end them. Ending too early can leave you with no doctor and no insurance for weeks.

Before you end anything

Do these first, in this order:

1. Register with Spanish social security (INSS). If you have an S1, register the S1 there instead.
2. Get your Spanish health card (tarjeta sanitaria) from the regional health service.
3. Register with your local health centre (centro de salud) and choose or be given a family doctor.

Once you can book a visit in Spain, you are ready to end the home side.

Ask your home doctor for your records first

Your records are not sent to Spain automatically. Before you leave, ask your home GP for:

• a copy or summary of your medical records
• a list of your current medicines, with generic names
• recent test results and your vaccination history
• if possible, a letter from the doctor in English that can be translated

In the UK, the practice sends your records to the NHS records service after you deregister. You can ask for a copy then, but it is easier to get one before. Once you are registered at your centro de salud, share these documents with your new doctor.

Ending your home public cover

Home public cover generally ends when you stop being resident there, which for most people is when you move your permanent home to Spain. A temporary stay abroad does not necessarily end it. Under EU rules you are covered by one country at a time, so once Spain is responsible for you, your home country is not.

Tell your home health authority that you have moved. Ask for the exact date your cover ends, because dates and rules differ by country. In the UK, the NHS residence test ends your entitlement when you leave permanently, and your GP removes you from the list.

If you have an S1

An S1 is a form from your home health authority. It applies if you live in Spain but your pension or certain other benefits make your home country pay for your healthcare. You register it with the INSS, and you get a Spanish health card. Spain then treats you as insured, and your home country reimburses Spain.

Once your S1 is registered, you are treated as resident abroad, so you should deregister from your home GP. Your home authority keeps the S1 record.

If your S1 ends, for example because your home country stops being responsible, tell both your home authority and Spanish social security. Then arrange other cover, such as Spanish public cover if you qualify, or private insurance. Not everyone is entitled to an S1, so ask your home authority whether you qualify.

The timeline, checklist and questions below go through these steps.

Timeline and deadlines

• Ask your home GP for your records, medicines list, test results, vaccination history and an English letter: before you leave

• Register with Spanish social security (INSS), or register your S1 there if you have one: once you live in Spain

• Get your Spanish health card (tarjeta sanitaria) from the regional health service: after registering with social security

• Tell your home health authority you have moved and ask for the date your cover ends: when your move becomes permanent

• Deregister from your home GP: only after your Spanish cover or private insurance is in place

• Tell both your home authority and Spanish social security, then arrange other cover: if your S1 ends

Checklist

• Confirm your move to Spain is permanent before you start ending any home cover.

• Register with Spanish social security (INSS, the national social security office), or register your S1 there if you have one.

• Ask your home GP for a copy or summary of your medical records, a list of current medicines with generic names, recent test results, your vaccination history and, if possible, a doctor's letter in English.

• Register with your Spanish centro de salud (local health centre) and share your records with your new doctor.

• Deregister from your home GP once your Spanish cover or private insurance is active.

Frequently asked questions

Does a temporary stay in Spain end my home health cover?

No, a temporary stay abroad does not necessarily end your home health cover. Cover generally ends when you stop being resident at home, which for most people is when they move their permanent home to Spain. Ask your home health authority which of the two applies to you.

Will my medical records be sent to Spain automatically?

No, your medical records are not sent to Spain automatically. In the UK, your GP practice passes them to the NHS records service after you deregister, and you can ask for a copy.

What happens if my S1 ends after I have registered it in Spain?

If your S1 ends, you must tell both your home health authority and Spanish social security. You then need to arrange other cover. An S1 ends, for example, when your home country stops being responsible for your healthcare costs.