Children's and teen healthcare

It is for anyone considering, planning or carrying out a move to Spain with children. After reading, you will know who your child sees, what routine care to expect at each age and what to do when they are ill.

Start with "Getting a pediatrician (pediatra) for your child". It explains how to get a named pediatrician and health centre, and how choosing and changing them works. Everything else in this Topic builds on that.

Emergency care, children's dental, eye and mental health, early intervention, disability certificates and vaccines are covered elsewhere.

Key rules

• Pediatric age limit: Pediatric care in public primary care generally runs until the 14th birthday, though some regions extend it to 15, so confirm the age with your regional health service.
• Fever and school: A child with fever stays home until they have been without fever for 24 hours without medication.
• Consent age: A minor can consent to their own treatment from 16, and from 12 their opinion must be heard and taken into account.
• Assignment: Your region assigns the centre by home address and names a pediatrician when the tarjeta sanitaria is issued.
• Residence permit: A missing residence permit does not stop a registered child getting care.
• Regional calendar: Each region sets its own visit ages, so the calendar for your region is the one that counts.

Children's and teen healthcare: the whole process, step by step

From registration to the move to a family doctor

• Register your child on the padrón and apply for the tarjeta sanitaria (health card). Read: Getting a pediatrician (pediatra) for your child: First, as soon as your child lives at your address

• Get a named pediatrician and centro de salud, assigned by your home address. Read: Getting a pediatrician (pediatra) for your child: After the health card is issued

• Newborn visit. Read: Routine child health check-ups (revisiones del niño sano) by age: In the first 7 to 10 days

• Early check-ups with weighing and measuring, often alongside vaccinations. Read: Routine child health check-ups (revisiones del niño sano) by age: From about 2 weeks to 1 month, then at 2, 4, 6 and 9 or 12 months

• Toddler and childhood check-ups. Read: Routine child health check-ups (revisiones del niño sano) by age: At 15 months, 18 months, then 2, 3, 4 and 6 years

• Growth is plotted on charts at scheduled visits. Read: How Spanish primary care tracks your child's growth and weight: Yearly or every two years after the first 18 months, up to the cutoff age

• Use the right route when your child is ill: a same-day slot at the centro de salud, out-of-hours care, or urgencias. Read: Your child is ill: who to call and where to go: Whenever your child is ill

• Check the rules for staying home with common illnesses. Read: Common childhood illnesses and when children must stay home: Each time your child is ill and goes to nursery or school

• Later check-ups, then prepare for the switch to a family doctor. Read: When your child moves from pediatrician (pediatra) to family doctor: Check-ups at 8-9, 10-12 and 14 years; the switch generally comes at the 14th birthday

• Teen privacy and consent. Read: Teenagers and healthcare: privacy, consent and seeing a doctor alone: From the early teens

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Your child's passport — Getting a pediatrician (pediatra) for your child
• Your child's padrón certificate — Getting a pediatrician (pediatra) for your child

Other documents

• Proof that your child is entitled to public coverage — Getting a pediatrician (pediatra) for your child
• Copy of your child's vaccination record — Medical certificates for nursery, school, camps and sports
• Copy of your child's health card — Medical certificates for nursery, school, camps and sports
• Health form for allergies — Medical certificates for nursery, school, camps and sports
• A parent's tarjeta sanitaria or Social Security number — Getting a pediatrician (pediatra) for your child
• General report that your child is fit for community life and has no contagious — Medical certificates for nursery, school, camps and sports
• Medical certificate of fitness for sport — Medical certificates for nursery, school, camps and sports

Children's and teen healthcare: questions that cross several articles

Can my child get a pediatrician if we have no residence permit?

Yes, a foreign child registered on the padrón is entitled to care on the same terms as Spanish children, and a missing residence permit does not bar access. You still need proof of identity, the padrón registration and proof of coverage. Read: Getting a pediatrician (pediatra) for your child.

Who sees my child at check-ups, the nurse or the pediatrician?

Both share the check-ups: nurses usually lead the newborn visit, weighing and measuring, feeding advice and vaccination visits, while pediatricians lead the main medical exams. The split varies by region and centre. Read: Routine child health check-ups (revisiones del niño sano) by age and How Spanish primary care tracks your child's growth and weight.

What do I do when my child is ill but it is not an emergency?

Ask for a same-day slot at your centro de salud by phoning early in the morning or using the regional app. Outside centre hours, go to an out-of-hours primary care point. Read: Your child is ill: who to call and where to go.

When should I skip the clinic and go to urgencias or call 112?

Go straight to hospital urgencias or call 112 for difficulty breathing, seizures, unusual drowsiness, or fever in a baby under 3 months. See Your child is ill: who to call and where to go.

Does my child keep the same doctor as a teenager?

Usually not, because pediatric care generally ends at the 14th birthday, and some regions extend it to 15. After that a family doctor takes over. Read: When your child moves from pediatrician (pediatra) to family doctor and Teenagers and healthcare: privacy, consent and seeing a doctor alone.