How to check an insurer or broker is authorised in Spain

Terms used

• DGSFP — The DGSFP is Spain's insurance and pension funds supervisor, which keeps the official registers of authorised insurers and sellers.
• CIF — The CIF is the tax identification number of a company, such as an insurer.
• Corredores — Corredores are insurance brokers who advise you and can offer policies from several insurers.
• OMIC — The OMIC is your town's municipal consumer information office, where you can get help with consumer complaints.

Key rules

• Before paying: Find both the insurer and the seller in the DGSFP registers before you pay anything.
• Health cover: The insurer must be authorised for health cover and its status must be active.
• EU insurers: An insurer from another EU country must also be authorised by its home regulator.
• Pressure to pay: Pressure to pay at once, or into a personal or foreign account, is a reason to walk away.
• Complaints: Complain to the insurer first, because the DGSFP normally expects that before it takes a complaint.

Check before you pay

Do not pay anything until you have found the seller in an official register. Spain's insurance supervisor, the DGSFP, publishes two free online registers. One lists insurers. The other lists the people who sell for them. The checklist below gives the steps in order.

What the two registers cover

• Register of insurance entities. This lists authorised insurers and the types of cover each may sell. Search by name or by tax ID (CIF).
• Register of insurance distributors. This lists agents and corredores, and their managers. Search by name or registration code. Broker codes start with J.

Ask the seller for the insurer's exact name and CIF first. A genuine seller gives them at once.

What to look for in the insurer's entry

1. The insurer appears in the register.
2. It is authorised for health cover. Look for "enfermedad" or "asistencia sanitaria".
3. Its status is active.

If the seller is an agent or broker, find them in the distributors register too. Then check that the insurer named in your policy is the one you were told about.

Insurers from other EU countries

Some EU insurers sell in Spain from their home country. They appear in the DGSFP lists of EU entities. Confirm their authorisation with their home regulator and in the register of insurance undertakings kept by EIOPA, the EU insurance authority. Go to the DGSFP and EIOPA sites directly, because web addresses and page layouts change.

Red flags

Walk away, or ask more questions, if you see any of these:

• The seller or insurer is missing from the registers.
• The premium is very low for very generous cover.
• You are pushed to pay now, or to pay by bank transfer, crypto or into a foreign or personal account.
• You get no policy document, no general conditions or no insurer name.
• The product is called a "discount card" or "health club" and never says it is insurance.
• There is no clear network of doctors and hospitals.
• Nothing is in Spanish, and there is no complaints procedure.
• The contact was unsolicited, or only reaches you by WhatsApp or a free email address.
• The seller will not give a CIF or a registered address.
• The cover excludes pre-existing conditions without telling you, or states no waiting periods.

One red flag is reason enough to stop and check again.

If something goes wrong

• Complain to the insurer first. Use its customer service department. It normally has two months to answer.
• Then go to the DGSFP's complaints service. You can file online with an electronic certificate, or by post. It can also act against unauthorised sellers.
• Report fraud. Contact the Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil. Both take online reports of internet fraud. You can also go to a court or the prosecutor.
• Ask your bank to reverse the payment. Do this quickly after a card or bank payment.
• Get consumer help. Try your town's municipal consumer office (OMIC), your regional consumer agency, or a consumer association such as OCU or FACUA.

The FAQ below covers checking a broker by company name and what to do after paying a scam seller.

Checklist

• Ask the seller for the insurer's name and tax ID (CIF) before you pay anything.

• Search the DGSFP register of insurance entities by name or CIF to confirm the insurer is authorised.

• Check that the insurer is authorised for health cover ("enfermedad" or "asistencia sanitaria").

• Check that the insurer's status in the register is active.

• Search the DGSFP register of insurance distributors for the agent or broker by name or registration code. Brokers (corredores) have codes starting with J.

What to watch out for

• Seller missing from the registers: A seller or insurer that is not in the DGSFP registers or an EU home-regulator register may be unauthorised. Do not pay. Report the seller to the DGSFP.

• Pressure to pay in unusual ways: Be wary of pressure to pay immediately, or by bank transfer, crypto or to a foreign or personal account. Pay only after you have the policy documents, and only to an account in the insurer's name. If you already paid, ask your bank to try to reverse the charge and report fraud to the Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil.

• Too-good premiums and missing paperwork: Very low premiums with generous cover, no policy document or general conditions, no insurer name, or no Spanish-language documents or complaints procedure are signs of a scam. Ask for the general conditions and the insurer's name in writing. Walk away if they are not given.

• Not really insurance: Products sold as a "discount card" or "health club", or with no clear network of doctors and hospitals, may not be insurance at all. Ask the seller to confirm in writing that it is an insurance policy and which insurer provides it.

• Hidden exclusions and hard-to-trace sellers: Cover that excludes pre-existing conditions without telling you, or states no waiting periods, needs a closer look. So does a seller who contacts you unprompted, uses only WhatsApp or a free email address, or refuses to give a CIF or registered address. Ask in writing about exclusions and waiting periods, and stop if the seller will not give a CIF or address.

Frequently asked questions

Can I check a broker if I only have their company name?

Yes, you can search the DGSFP register of distributors by company name, but the tax ID (CIF) or registration code gives a more exact match. Brokers (corredores) have codes starting with J. If the seller refuses to give a CIF, treat that as a reason to stop.

How do I check an insurer from another EU country that sells in Spain?

Check the DGSFP lists of EU entities first, then confirm the insurer's authorisation with its home-country regulator. You can also look it up in the European register of insurance undertakings kept by EIOPA, the EU insurance supervisor.

Where can I report a suspected unauthorised insurance seller?

You can report it to the DGSFP, which can act against unauthorised activity. For a complaint about a company it supervises, first complain to the company's customer service, which usually has two months to answer. If you suspect fraud, report it to the Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil, including online for internet fraud.

What can I do if I already paid a seller who turns out to be a scam?

Contact your bank straight away and ask it to try to reverse the charge. Then report the fraud to the Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil, and you can also get help from your municipal consumer office (OMIC) or a consumer association such as OCU or FACUA.