Insurance needs and buying

It is for anyone thinking about a move to Spain, planning one or already carrying it out. You will know which policies matter for your situation, which ones are required, and how to buy and compare them without a perfect paper trail.

Start with "Which insurance policies a newcomer household needs in Spain". It gives you the full map of home, liability, life, funeral, travel and other cover, and what each policy is for. The other pages then take you step by step through the details.

Key rules

• Lender insurance: A mortgage lender may require home insurance on the property but must accept an equivalent policy from any insurer you choose.
• Compulsory cover: No general non-motor insurance is compulsory by law for private individuals or homeowners in Spain, though mortgage lenders typically require home insurance.
• Cancel notice: To stop an annual policy renewing, give written notice you can prove at least one month before the renewal date.
• First policy: Home insurance comes first, and tenants should hold it too for contents and liability.
• Life insurance: Take it if you have dependants or a mortgage, but a bank cannot make it a condition of the loan.
• Tenants: You insure your belongings and liability, not the building.

Insurance needs and buying: the whole process, step by step

• Check your home-country policies (read: Keeping your home-country insurance policies after moving to Spain): before you move

• Tell your home-country insurers about the move, because home and travel cover usually stops or is refused once you live in Spain: before you move

• Rank what you need and sort required cover from optional (read: Which insurance policies a newcomer household needs in Spain, and Which insurance is compulsory in Spain and which is optional): before you start getting quotes

• Compare quotes like for like and read the policy before you sign (read: Comparing insurance quotes and Reading a Spanish insurance policy): before you buy

• Answer the insurer's questionnaire truthfully, because wrong answers can reduce a payout or void the policy: when you sign the policy

• Put home insurance in force; you may choose any insurer that offers equivalent cover: days before the mortgage signing at the notary, if you are buying with a mortgage

• Cancel any bundled policy you do not want (read: Saying no when your bank or a caller pushes insurance): give written notice you can prove at least one month before the renewal date

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Passport — Buying insurance in Spain without an NIE or Spanish bank account, When to buy each insurance in your first year in Spain
• An empadronamiento certificate — Buying insurance in Spain without an NIE or Spanish bank account

Income and work

• Your employment contract — Which insurance fits you as a tenant, owner, family or retiree
• Your latest payslip — Which insurance fits you as a tenant, owner, family or retiree

The home and the lease

• Your signed lease — Which insurance is compulsory in Spain and which is optional, When to buy each insurance in your first year in Spain
• Address of the property you are insuring — Buying insurance in Spain without an NIE or Spanish bank account
• Your loan contract and offer — Saying no when your bank or a caller pushes insurance

Guarantees

• The record of the community's general meeting decision on insurance — Which insurance is compulsory in Spain and which is optional

Other documents

• The standard information sheet — Saying no when your bank or a caller pushes insurance
• Your written notice to the insurer to stop the policy renewing — Saying no when your bank or a caller pushes insurance
• Your community's statutes — Which insurance is compulsory in Spain and which is optional

Each article lists the other documents it asks for, where you need them.

Insurance needs and buying: questions that cross several articles

Is any home insurance compulsory by law in Spain?

No, no general non-motor insurance is compulsory by law for private individuals or homeowners in Spain, though mortgage lenders typically require home insurance. Activities like hunting or owning certain dogs do carry legal minimums. Read Which insurance is compulsory in Spain and which is optional.

Can my mortgage lender make me buy its own insurance?

No, a mortgage lender may require home insurance but must accept an equivalent policy from any insurer you choose. It can still offer a better rate if you take its products. Read Which insurance is compulsory in Spain and which is optional, then Saying no when your bank or a caller pushes insurance.

Which policy should I buy first as a newcomer?

Home insurance comes first for most newcomers, with contents and liability cover for tenants, then life cover if you have dependants or a mortgage. Your lender, landlord or community may change the order. Read Which insurance policies a newcomer household needs in Spain and Which insurance fits you as a tenant, owner, family or retiree.

Can my landlord or community of owners require me to hold insurance?

Yes, a landlord can put a clause in your lease requiring contents or liability insurance, and a community can require cover through its statutes or a meeting decision. Check your lease and the community rules.