Travel insurance

It is for anyone thinking about, planning or going through a move to Spain. After reading, you will know what travel cover a Spanish resident needs, which exclusions matter, and how to claim.

Start with "Travel insurance for residents and what your EHIC covers". It explains how to choose medical, cancellation and baggage cover for trips from Spain, and where the EHIC stops. Then pick the page that fits your situation:

• Trips to your home country: "Does your travel insurance still work when you live in Spain?"
• Family visiting you: "Insurance for relatives visiting you in Spain"
• Cover from your bank: "Insurance already included with your credit card or bank account"
• Something went wrong on a trip: "Claiming for cancelled trips, delays and lost baggage"

Health insurance needed for a residence visa and your right to public healthcare are covered elsewhere.

Key rules

• Flight compensation: For flights covered by EU rules, compensation is EUR 250 for flights up to 1,500 km, EUR 400 for longer intra-EU flights and flights of 1,500-3,500 km, and EUR 600 for longer flights, when the delay at arrival is 3 hours or more.
• Visa minimum cover: A visitor applying for a short-stay Schengen visa needs medical travel insurance of at least EUR 30,000, valid across the whole Schengen area for the full stay, covering emergency care, medical repatriation and death.
• Telling your insurer: Tell your insurer about a claim as soon as it happens, generally within 7 days unless your policy sets a different period.
• Baggage deadlines: Report lost baggage at the airport straight away, and complain in writing within 7 days for damaged baggage and within 21 days for delayed baggage.
• EHIC limits: The EHIC covers only medically necessary state-provided care at local rates; it does not cover private care, repatriation, cancellation, baggage or delays.
• EHIC: Your card is a safety net for state care only, so buy private cover for everything it excludes.

Travel insurance: the whole process, step by step

• Check how your policy defines residence and what it excludes, then pick cover (Travel insurance for residents and what your EHIC covers; Does your travel insurance still work when you live in Spain?): before you book or buy

• If you are inviting a relative who needs a Schengen visa, arrange their medical insurance (Insurance for relatives visiting you in Spain): before the visa application, valid for the full stay

• Check what your bank card already covers, including paying for the trip with that card (Insurance already included with your credit card or bank account): before you travel, and pay for the trip with the card

• Report lost baggage at the airport straight away and get a written irregularity report (Claiming for cancelled trips, delays and lost baggage): as soon as you find the baggage missing

• Tell your insurer about the incident (Claiming for cancelled trips, delays and lost baggage): as soon as it happens, generally within 7 days unless your policy sets a different period

• Complain in writing to the airline about damaged or delayed baggage (Claiming for cancelled trips, delays and lost baggage): within 7 days for damaged baggage and within 21 days for delayed baggage

• Claim flight compensation in writing from the airline, then escalate to the Spanish aviation authority or court if refused (Claiming for cancelled trips, delays and lost baggage): after the trip; compensation applies when the delay at arrival is 3 hours or more, and a written claim to the airline comes first

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Padrón registration — Does your travel insurance still work when you live in Spain?

Payments and receipts

• Receipts for extra expenses — Insurance already included with your credit card or bank account, Claiming for cancelled trips, delays and lost baggage

Guarantees

• An insurance certificate showing the visitor's name — Insurance for relatives visiting you in Spain

Other documents

• The airline's written confirmation of a delay — Insurance already included with your credit card or bank account, Claiming for cancelled trips, delays and lost baggage
• Proof that you paid for the trip with the card — Insurance already included with your credit card or bank account
• Your policy number — Claiming for cancelled trips, delays and lost baggage
• Your booking confirmation and tickets — Claiming for cancelled trips, delays and lost baggage
• Spanish health card — Does your travel insurance still work when you live in Spain?
• A medical report from the treating doctor — Claiming for cancelled trips, delays and lost baggage

Travel insurance: questions that cross several articles

Does my EHIC replace private travel insurance?

No, the EHIC only covers medically necessary state-provided care at local rates, so it does not replace private travel insurance. It leaves out private care, repatriation, cancellation, baggage and delays. Read Travel insurance for residents and what your EHIC covers, then Claiming for cancelled trips, delays and lost baggage.

Why might my policy refuse a claim for a trip to my home country?

Many policies exclude claims in your country of residence, so a trip home may not be covered. Some allow a limited number of days at home or cover only cancellation. Read Does your travel insurance still work when you live in Spain? and check the definitions section of your policy.

How do insurers decide which country I live in?

Insurers usually treat your habitual home as your residence, often tied to the municipal register, your health card or tax residence. Some add a stay of more than 183 days a year.

Can I claim from both my card insurance and my travel policy?

Yes, you may be able to claim from both, but card cover is usually secondary and needs the trip paid with the card. Call the insurer before incurring medical costs.