Paid public cover (convenio especial)Article 2 of 5 · 3 min read
Two different things called convenio especial: which one do you need?
Spain has two different agreements both called convenio especial: one gives you access to public healthcare, the other protects your future pension. This page helps you tell them apart and see which office handles each, before you apply.
Terms used
- Convenio especial — The convenio especial is a voluntary agreement with a Spanish public body, either for healthcare access or for Social Security contributions.
- INSS — The INSS is the national social security institute, which handles the health convenio.
- INGESA — INGESA is the public health body that handles the health convenio in Ceuta and Melilla.
- Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (TGSS) — The Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (TGSS) is the office that manages Social Security contributions.
Key rules
- Health convenio: It gives healthcare access for a fixed monthly fee and does not protect your pension.
- Contributions convenio: It keeps your pension rights growing, and the fee depends on your contribution base.
- Offices: The INSS handles the health agreement; the TGSS handles the contributions agreement.
The short answer
The two agreements do different jobs and sit with different offices. Choose by what you need: healthcare now, or pension rights later.
The health convenio
The health convenio gives you the same public healthcare as people covered by the national health system. It is for people who live in Spain and have no other right to public healthcare, and who are not insured or a beneficiary of someone who is.
- You pay a fixed monthly fee.
- The INSS handles it. In Ceuta and Melilla, the office is INGESA.
- Your regional health service, where you live, gives you the care.
- You get the common range of services. Medicines still carry the usual pharmacy co-payments.
- It does nothing for your pension.
The Social Security contributions convenio
This one lets you keep paying into Social Security after you leave a job or lose your coverage. It protects your future pension: retirement, permanent disability, death and survivors' benefits. It is for people who have worked or paid in Spain.
- The Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (TGSS) handles it.
- Your fee depends on your contribution base, so it is not a fixed amount.
- It is about pension rights, not healthcare.
How to pick
If you need a doctor and have no other cover, you need the health convenio. If you want your pension record to keep building, you need the contributions convenio. If you need both, they are two separate applications to two separate offices.
A fixed monthly fee points to the health agreement. A fee linked to your contribution base points to the contributions agreement. Check this before you sign anything. Asking the wrong office wastes time.
The checklist and questions below go through the choice step by step.
Checklist
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Decide whether you need healthcare access or pension protection, because each has its own agreement.
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Choose the health convenio if you live in Spain with no other right to public healthcare.
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Choose the Social Security contributions convenio if you have worked in Spain and want to keep paying in to protect your pension.
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Go to the INSS (INGESA in Ceuta and Melilla) for the health agreement.
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Go to the Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (TGSS) for the contributions agreement.
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Check that the agreement you ask for matches your need, since a fixed monthly fee means health and a fee based on your contribution base means pensions.
Frequently asked questions
Does the health convenio protect my future pension?
No, the health convenio only gives you healthcare access and does not build pension rights. It covers the same care as the national health system, delivered by your regional health service. Pension protection comes from the other agreement, with the Social Security treasury.
Which office handles the Social Security contributions convenio?
The Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (TGSS) handles the contributions convenio, because it manages contributions.
Which office handles the health convenio?
The INSS handles the health convenio, or INGESA if you live in Ceuta or Melilla. Your regional health service then delivers the care. Pharmacy co-payments follow the general rules.
More in Paid public cover (convenio especial)
- No automatic public route? Paying into Spanish healthcare (convenio especial)
- Applying for the paid agreement (convenio especial) and its monthly cost
- Missed payments, ending or changing your convenio especial
- Convenio especial or another way to cover a gap in your healthcare?
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