Hospital and specialist medicines
You will understand how specialist medicines reach you in Spain and what stands between you and your treatment.
Some medicines in Spain are not sold at the pharmacy counter. They are handed out only by a hospital pharmacy, usually for serious, long-term or rare conditions. This Topic explains how that route works: how to collect these medicines, what you pay, how to start an expensive drug, why some…
Pick the article that fits your situation
How hospital-dispensed medicines (dispensación hospitalaria) work
Some specialist medicines in Spain are not sold in ordinary pharmacies. You collect them from the hospital pharmacy on a hospital specialist's prescription. This page explains which drugs work this way, who prescribes them and how often you collect.
What you pay for hospital-dispensed medicines
Explains what you pay for medicines handed out by a hospital pharmacy. It covers patients in the public health system and those with only private insurance, so you know which route is free and where you may pay in full.
Starting an expensive specialist drug in Spain
How to continue a high-cost hospital drug you already take abroad once you live in Spain. It explains why you need a Spanish hospital specialist, what the hospital reviews, what can slow the first dose, and what to do if the drug is not funded.
Prior authorisation (visado) and restricted-use medicines
Explains what a visado is, why some medicines need it before the public health system pays for them, and who grants it. For people in Spain's public health system who have been told their prescription needs extra approval.
Home or local delivery of hospital medicines by region
Some regions and hospitals let you get specialist hospital medicines at home or at a nearby pharmacy, but there is no national scheme. This page helps patients in the public system find out whether their region and their own case qualify.
Rare-disease and compassionate-use medicines in Spain
Explains how to get an orphan, unauthorised or foreign medicine in Spain when no standard option exists. It is for patients treated in Spanish hospitals and their families, and it shows who applies, which route fits and who pays.
About this topic
It is for anyone considering, planning or carrying out a move to Spain, and it should leave you knowing how specialist medicines reach you and what stands between you and your treatment.
Start with "How hospital-dispensed medicines (dispensación hospitalaria) work". It shows you the route every other page builds on. After that, go to the page that matches your question: what you pay, starting a high-cost drug you already take abroad, prior authorisation, home or local delivery, or rare-disease routes.
Moving with an ongoing condition, medical equipment and supplies, and the copayment at the pharmacy counter are covered elsewhere in the guide.
Key rules
- Hospital pharmacy cost: Medicines handed out to outpatients by a public hospital pharmacy are free at the point of collection, with no copayment.
- Supply interval: Hospital pharmacies usually supply outpatients every 1 to 3 months, with monthly collection common for new treatments.
- Foreign prescription: A foreign prescription is not enough for public hospital pharmacy supply; a Spanish public-system specialist must adopt the treatment and prescribe it.
- Where you collect: These specialist drugs come from the hospital pharmacy, not a retail pharmacy.
- Who prescribes: A hospital specialist prescribes them; a family doctor generally cannot start them.
- What you need: You need public health entitlement, an active health card and a prescription from a public specialist.
Hospital and specialist medicines: the whole process, step by step
-
Check you are covered by the public health system and hold the regional health card: before you book any specialist visit
-
Book a visit with a Spanish public-system specialist, bringing your foreign reports (translated if needed); a foreign prescription alone is not enough. See "Starting an expensive specialist drug in Spain": as soon as your card is active
-
Wait for the hospital to approve the drug and for any extra approval (visado) if it is restricted-use. See "Prior authorisation (visado) and restricted-use medicines": a few days if the drug is already in the hospital list; several weeks to a few months if it needs committee or regional approval.
-
Collect your first supply from the hospital pharmacy, which is free. See "How hospital-dispensed medicines (dispensación hospitalaria) work" and "What you pay for hospital-dispensed medicines": once the drug is approved
-
Keep collecting refills, or ask about home or local delivery. See "Home or local delivery of hospital medicines by region": every 1 to 3 months, with monthly collection common for new treatments
Timings vary by hospital and region, so confirm them with your hospital pharmacy.
Hospital and specialist medicines: questions that cross several articles
Can I get hospital medicines if I only have private health insurance?
Generally no, because public hospital pharmacy supply is reserved for patients in the public health system with a prescription from a public specialist. Private hospitals have their own pharmacies, but you or your insurer pay, and many policies cover these drugs only in part. Read "What you pay for hospital-dispensed medicines".
Will a Spanish hospital accept my foreign prescription and my treatment plan?
No, a foreign prescription alone is not enough for public hospital supply. A Spanish public specialist must review your diagnosis and reports, then decide to continue, switch or restart the drug, and may prefer a cheaper equivalent. Read "Starting an expensive specialist drug in Spain".
Do I pay anything in any region for hospital-dispensed medicines?
No, these medicines are free at the point of collection, and no region is known to charge for them. Regions can differ on delivery and on which drugs are handed out by the hospital. Read "What you pay for hospital-dispensed medicines" and "Home or local delivery of hospital medicines by region".
What do I need to be covered as a newcomer before I can start?
You need legal residence, registration at your town hall (empadronamiento) and an active regional health card. If you have no qualifying status, a special health agreement (convenio especial) may be an option. Visitors from the EU are covered only for medically necessary care.
Explore places
Where you live changes the details. See how Spanish regions and cities compare on rent, jobs, weather, safety and healthcare.
What to read next
More in Costs, prescriptions, and medicines
Prescription copayments (copago) and prices
You will be able to predict what a prescription will cost you, check you are charged the right percentage, and know when nothing is subsidised.
Getting and renewing prescriptions
You will know how to get a valid Spanish prescription, keep it renewed and avoid a gap in your treatment.
Bringing and matching your medicines
You will arrive with a legal, documented supply and know how to find the Spanish equivalent of every medicine you take.
Also in Healthcare and insurance
Need certainty before you act?
For important relocation decisions, speak with a qualified human specialist.
Always verify important information with the relevant official authority or a qualified adviser before acting. This website uses large language models together with various public data sources, official government documents and other established sources. Due to the amount of data on this website, some information might be wrong. Information may also be incomplete or outdated.