Cover for your situation

It is for anyone considering, planning or carrying out a move to Spain. It covers cover for retirees and older applicants, digital nomads and remote workers, students, and families. It does not cover the detail of visa conditions or long-term care insurance.

Start with "Insuring a family: one plan or a different choice per person?". Even if you are moving alone, it shows how to decide cover person by person. Then read the page that matches your situation:

• "Health insurance for retirees and non-lucrative visa holders"
• "Buying health insurance in Spain after 60"
• "Health insurance for digital nomads and remote workers"
• "Health insurance for international students in Spain"

Key rules

• Paying for visa proof: Paying the policy in full for the first year is the safest choice for visa proof, since some consulates do not accept monthly instalments.
• Visa policy features: A policy for a visa must come from an insurer authorised in Spain and give full cover with no copago and no waiting periods.
• Entry age: Many insurers stop accepting new individual policies at roughly 64 to 70, so check each insurer's limit first.
• Price: Premiums climb faster after 60, and a cheap first year may rise in year two.
• Seguridad Social: If you are registered in Spanish Seguridad Social, you do not need the private policy.
• Seguro escolar: The seguro escolar does not count as health insurance for your visa.

Cover for your situation: the whole process, step by step

• Choose the policy that fits your situation: retiree or visa holder, older applicant, remote worker, student or family: before you apply for a visa or buy a policy; read the article that matches you

• Check that a visa policy has no copago and no waiting periods, and pay the first year in full (see Health insurance for retirees and non-lucrative visa holders): before you submit the visa application

• Read the waiting-period table in the policy: emergencies and ordinary consultations usually have none, tests usually wait 3 to 6 months, hospitalisation and surgery usually wait 6 months: before you sign

• If you plan a pregnancy, start the policy early, because maternity cover usually waits 8 to 10 months: at least 8 to 10 months before the birth cover is needed

• Register your newborn with the insurer so the baby is covered from birth without waiting periods (see Insuring a family: one plan or a different choice per person?): often within 15 to 30 days after birth, and only if a parent has been insured for the minimum period, commonly 8 to 10 months

• Review public healthcare options once you are a legal resident, such as the convenio especial or Social Security through work: in general after at least a year of legal residence

Documents you may need

Payments and receipts

• Proof of payment of the seguro escolar fee — Health insurance for international students in Spain

Guarantees

• Proof of your private health insurance policy — Health insurance for digital nomads and remote workers, Health insurance for international students in Spain
• Evidence of insurance valid in Spain for your university or school — Health insurance for international students in Spain

Other documents

• Private health policy certificate from an insurer authorised in Spain — Health insurance for retirees and non-lucrative visa holders
• Proof that the first year is paid — Health insurance for retirees and non-lucrative visa holders
• Policy terms showing the range of cover matches the public system — Health insurance for retirees and non-lucrative visa holders
• Proof of registration in Spanish social security — Health insurance for digital nomads and remote workers

Cover for your situation: questions that cross several articles

Can I get public healthcare instead of private insurance as a retiree?

Yes, a legal resident with no Social Security contributions and no other cover can join the public system through the convenio especial, usually after at least a year of registered residence. The monthly fee is lower under 65 and higher from 65. Non-lucrative visa holders usually keep private insurance, so read Health insurance for retirees and non-lucrative visa holders.

Does a remote worker need private insurance?

Yes, a remote worker for a foreign company who is not in Spanish Social Security normally needs private insurance, and the digital nomad visa asks for a full policy with no copago and no waiting periods. Employees and autónomos registered in Spanish Social Security get public healthcare instead.

Is there a maximum age to take out a new policy?

Yes, many insurers limit new individual policies to people up to roughly 64 to 70 years old, and each insurer sets its own limit. Ask several insurers before you plan around one.

Will my baby be covered from birth under my policy?

Often yes, many insurers cover a newborn with no waiting periods or health questionnaire, if a parent has been insured for the minimum period, commonly 8 to 10 months. See Insuring a family: one plan or a different choice per person?.