What the visa medical certificate must say

Key rules

• Required statement: The certificate must say you do not suffer from any disease that could have serious public health repercussions under the International Health Regulations (2005).
• Which routes: Every long-stay route needs it except digital nomad visas; student stays of 6 months or less need none.
• Consulate template: If your consulate has its own template, use it.

Which visas need a medical certificate

• Needed: non-lucrative, employed work (including highly qualified professional), entrepreneur and self-employed, working holiday, youth mobility, language assistant, family reunification, and student stays of more than 6 months (180 days).
• Not needed: digital nomad visas, short-term visas, and student stays of 6 months or less.
• EU citizens, and UK citizens with Withdrawal Agreement rights: not needed; they follow their own residence process.

What the certificate must say

A certificate that leaves out the required sentence or rewords it is a common reason for rejection, so show the doctor the sentence and check it on the certificate before you leave the clinic. A certificate in Spanish or English is accepted; a certificate in any other language needs a sworn translation into Spanish.

Who signs it and how it looks

In short, the certificate needs:

• the doctor's or clinic's letterhead
• your full name exactly as in your passport, with your passport number or date of birth
• the date of issue
• the doctor's name, licence number and signature, plus the clinic's stamp

Who may sign is covered in Who can sign your visa medical certificate and where.

Apostille and legalisation

The country that issued the medical certificate decides. From another EU country it needs no apostille. From a non-EU country that is a Hague Convention member it needs an apostille. From a non-Hague country it needs full legalisation through that country's foreign ministry and the Spanish consulate. Add a sworn translation into Spanish unless the certificate is in Spanish or English.

Timing

The certificate must be issued within the 3 months before the day you file. An older certificate is rejected, so book the doctor close to your filing date.

Health insurance is separate

Health insurance does not replace the certificate. Where a visa asks for both, you provide the certificate and a private health insurance policy valid in Spain, with no co-payments or waiting periods, unless you are covered by public social security.

Children and family members

A child brings a medical certificate too: there is no age exemption.

Every family member who applies, whatever the relationship, brings their own certificate. How each relationship is proved is in What family reunification actually requires.

If the consulate rejects the certificate

Get a corrected certificate and file again, or appeal the refusal: Consular visa refusal versus residence refusal sets out your options.