Teenagers and healthcare: privacy, consent and seeing a doctor alone

Key rules

• Consent age: A minor can consent to their own treatment from 16, and from 12 their opinion must be heard and taken into account.
• Records: From 16, parents have no automatic right to read a teenager's health records.
• Seeing a doctor alone: No law guarantees a private consultation, but doctors often allow it for teenagers, and they do not have to warn parents first.
• Limits: Doctors must report suspected abuse, and may break confidentiality to avert serious danger.

The short version

In Spain a teenager gains control over their own healthcare step by step. A minor can consent to their own treatment from 16, and from 12 their opinion must be heard and taken into account. Confidentiality grows with age, but it has limits.

Under 12

A child under 12 cannot give consent. The doctor still explains things in words suited to their age and listens to them. Parents or the legal representative decide, always in the child's best interest. Parents with parental authority can see the child's health records as legal representatives.

From 12 to 15

The doctor must hear the teenager and take their opinion into account. The doctor judges whether the teenager understands enough to decide. If not, a parent or legal representative consents for them.

The records are the teenager's own information. Parents usually still get access, with the teenager's opinion heard. A centre can refuse access where the teenager gave the information in confidence, where it would harm them, or where the doctor judges that the teenager can decide for themselves.

From 16 (or if emancipated)

A 16- or 17-year-old can consent to treatment on their own. Parents have no automatic right to read their records. Centres and regions apply this threshold with different strictness, so expect some variation.

In treatment with serious risk to life or health, parents are informed and their opinion is considered. The decision is still the teenager's.

Some decisions follow separate rules. Clinical trials and assisted reproduction are treated like adult decisions, so a minor cannot consent alone. For termination of pregnancy, 16- and 17-year-olds can decide, with their parents informed under a 2023 change.

Seeing a doctor alone

No law gives a teenager an explicit right to a private consultation. In practice, paediatricians and nurses often see teenagers alone for part of the visit, mostly from around 14. Nothing requires the doctor to tell parents beforehand.

Public paediatric care normally runs to age 14. Some regions extend it to 15 or 18. After that the teenager moves to a family doctor.

Where confidentiality stops

Doctors keep what a teenager says private under normal professional secrecy rules. A doctor can involve parents or authorities without the teenager's consent when:

• the teenager is under 16, or the doctor judges they cannot understand the decision, so a parent consents for them;
• there is serious risk to the teenager's life or health, in a 16- or 17-year-old;
• the doctor suspects abuse, neglect or injuries. The doctor must report these to the court and prosecutor (a parte de lesiones) and to child protection services;
• breaking secrecy is needed to avert serious danger to the teenager or others.

How parents ask for records

Send the request to the centre's patient information or admissions office, called Atención al Usuario. Expect a refusal for a teenager of 16 or over, unless the teenager agrees.

Digital data

Data protection rules set the age of digital consent at 14. This matters for online health apps and patient portals.

If only one parent can sign

The question below covers what to do when only one parent is available to sign. Check the other boxes on this page for warnings and common questions.

What to watch out for

• Confidentiality has limits: A doctor may share information with parents or authorities without the teenager's consent in some cases. These include a minor under 16, a minor the doctor judges unable to decide, serious danger to the minor or others, and suspected abuse, neglect or injuries, which must be reported to the court and child protection services. Tell your teenager before the visit that privacy is not absolute, so they know when a doctor may have to speak up.

• Do not assume you can read the records after 16: From 16, or if emancipated, your teenager owns their health information and you have no automatic right of access. A request can also be refused for ages 12 to 15 if the information was given in confidence or could harm them. Ask your teenager first. If you still need the records, apply at the centre's patient information office (Atención al Usuario).

• Some decisions are not covered by the general age rule: Termination of pregnancy, clinical trials and assisted reproduction have their own rules. A 16 or 17-year-old can consent to an abortion, with parents informed. Ask the doctor which rules apply before assuming that you or your teenager can or cannot decide.

What if only one parent can sign for my child's treatment?

One parent can sign for routine care. For serious, non-routine treatment, both parents with parental authority must agree, unless a court has given one parent sole say over health decisions.

Routine care: one parent is enough

If you share parental authority with the other parent, either of you can consent alone to everyday care. This covers ordinary paediatric visits, vaccinations in the schedule and treatment of common illnesses. In practice, the parent who has the child at that moment can usually act alone.

Serious or non-routine treatment: both parents must agree

Surgery, major or irreversible treatment, and psychological or psychiatric treatment need consent from both parents. The exception is a court order giving one parent exclusive authority over health decisions. If you have one, bring it.

If you cannot agree, either parent can ask the family court to decide. The judge hears both parents, and the child too if aged 12 or over, then gives the decision to one parent. Treatment that depends on this decision waits until the judge rules, so start early.

In an emergency with risk to life, the doctor can treat without anyone's consent.

Documents to bring

Clinics differ, so ask the centre before the appointment what it needs. Most ask the accompanying parent for:

• Photo ID: DNI, NIE or passport.
• The child's health card or ID.
• The family record book (libro de familia) or birth certificate, to prove you are the parent.

If you are separated, the clinic may also ask for the divorce or separation judgment, or the approved parenting agreement (convenio regulador). These show who holds custody and parental authority.

For a non-routine procedure, expect to be asked for a consent form signed by the other parent, with a copy of their ID. Get this before the appointment. A missing signature or document is the usual reason a procedure is postponed.

Frequently asked questions

Can a doctor see my teenager alone without telling me first?

Yes, doctors and nurses can see a teenager alone, and nothing requires them to tell you in advance. In practice pediatricians and nurses often see teenagers alone for part of the visit, mostly from around 14. There is no written right to a consultation alone, so it depends on the doctor.

Can I still ask to see my teenager's health records?

Yes, you can usually ask for the records of a child under 16, but from 16 you have no automatic right of access. For ages 12 to 15 you act as representative and are normally given access.

Does a 16-year-old have to let me know about an abortion?

No, a 16 or 17-year-old can consent to an abortion herself, but her parents are informed. Under the 2023 reform the decision stays with her. Clinical trials and assisted reproduction follow the general adult rules.

When can a doctor tell parents or authorities something a teenager said in private?

A doctor can involve you without the teenager's consent if the teenager is under 16 or the doctor judges they cannot decide for themselves. For 16 and 17-year-olds, parents are informed when there is serious risk to life or health.