Spain's long-term care system (Dependencia)

It is for people thinking about, planning or carrying out a move to Spain, whether the care is for you or for a relative.

Start with "How Spain's long-term care system (Dependencia) works". It explains who runs the system and what it can offer, and it puts the other pages in context. When you are ready to act, "Where to start: your local social services office (servicios sociales)" tells you where to go first and what to bring.

Key rules

• Decision time: The legal maximum to resolve an application is six months from the date you apply, though real waits are often much longer.
• Residence needed: You need five years of legal residence in Spain, and two of those years must come immediately before you apply.
• Appeal deadlines: An administrative appeal is made within one month of the decision, and a court appeal within two months, or six months if there was no reply.
• Carer contributions: Since April 2019 the State pays the Social Security contributions for non-professional carers named in the care plan, so the carer does not pay.
• First stop: Go to the servicios sociales centre of the town where you are registered on the padrón.
• Who decides: The regional social services department decides on the application, not the local office.

Spain's long-term care system (Dependencia): the whole process, step by step

From first visit to appeal

• Visit your town's social services centre and check you meet the residence rule (read: Where to start; Can foreign residents claim): before you apply. You need five years of legal residence in Spain, and two of those years must come immediately before you apply

• File the application on your region's form and take part in the assessment (read: The three dependency grades and how the assessment works): on the day you apply; the date you apply starts the clock

• Wait for the decision and arrange interim care (read: The long wait for long-term care support): the legal maximum is six months from the date you apply, though real waits are often much longer

• If there is no reply, send a free complaint to the ombudsman while you keep your appeal rights (read: The long wait): after the six months have passed; the complaint does not pause appeal deadlines

• Receive the grade and care plan, then work out what you pay (read: What the system can assign; How much you pay towards state-arranged care): after the decision is issued

• Challenge a refusal, a low grade or silence with an administrative appeal (read: Appealing a refused or too-low care grade): within one month of the decision

• Take the case to court if the administrative appeal fails: within two months of the decision, or six months if there was no reply

• Ask for a new assessment if the condition gets worse: at any time, with an updated medical report; normally no fixed waiting period

• Tell both regions if you move, so the file is transferred (read: Moving to another region): when you move; the new region has about three months to transfer the file and issue the care plan, and the old region keeps paying until then

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Your DNI or NIE — Where to start: your local social services office (servicios sociales)
• A certificate of registration on the padrón — Where to start: your local social services office (servicios sociales)
• Proof of legal residence if you are a foreigner — Where to start: your local social services office (servicios sociales)
• Historical padrón certificate — Can foreign residents claim long-term care support (Dependencia)?
• Proof of legal residence if you are a non-EU national — Can foreign residents claim long-term care support (Dependencia)?
• Proof of registered residence if you are an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen — Can foreign residents claim long-term care support (Dependencia)?
• Earlier padrón certificates from other towns — Where to start: your local social services office (servicios sociales), Can foreign residents claim long-term care support (Dependencia)?

Income and work

• Income information for the copago — Where to start: your local social services office (servicios sociales)

Translations and legal papers

• A translation for any document not in Spanish or a co-official language — Where to start: your local social services office (servicios sociales)

Other documents

• The application form from your region — Where to start: your local social services office (servicios sociales)
• A medical report on your health conditions from the public health system — Where to start: your local social services office (servicios sociales)
• A signed authorisation or proof of representation — Where to start: your local social services office (servicios sociales)

Each article lists the other documents it asks for, where you need them.

Spain's long-term care system (Dependencia): questions that cross several articles

Where do I file a Dependencia application, and how do I book the first appointment?

You file the application on your region's form, but the first stop is usually your town's social services centre, which you book by phone or through the town hall's website. The form can then go in at the regional registry, the town hall registry or online with a digital certificate or Cl@ve. Read Where to start: your local social services office, then The three dependency grades and how the assessment works.

Can I get money instead of services?

Yes, there are three cash benefits, but in law services come first. Money to buy a private service applies when no public place is available. Money for a family carer is exceptional and needs the care plan to recognise it. Read What the system can assign and Turning family care into a formal, paid arrangement.

Can I claim back money for the time I waited?

Yes, cash benefits can be paid back to the day after the six-month limit ended, and heirs can claim if the person died while waiting. Services are not paid back. Read The long wait for long-term care support, then Appealing a refused or too-low care grade if there was no reply.

What if the person's condition gets worse after the grade is set?

You can ask for the grade to be reviewed, with an updated medical report, through the same channels as the first application. A new decision can be appealed. Read The three dependency grades and how the assessment works and Appealing a refused or too-low care grade.

Do I lose my grade if I move to another region?

No, a move does not cancel the recognised grade, but you must live in the new region and it has to transfer the file and issue a new care plan. Delays are common. Read Moving to another region after a care grade is recognised and Can foreign residents claim long-term care support.