Healthcare in Spain: what international buyers should know before moving

Once the climate and the lifestyle have won you over, healthcare is often the big practical question before you decide to move. It is a natural concern, but Spain has a well-developed public health service, and for pensioners from the UK and the EU there is a scheme that makes the move easier than many expect. What applies to you depends on whether you are visiting, retired or moving before retirement.

Visiting your holiday home

As long as you are only staying for a while, a UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), or a UK EHIC that has not yet expired, gives you medically necessary state healthcare on the same basis as people living in Spain. The GHIC is free. Citizens of EU and EEA countries use the European Health Insurance Card from their own country in the same way. Neither card is a replacement for travel insurance, and neither covers private clinics.

Pensioners: the S1 form

If you receive a UK State Pension and move to Spain, you can apply for an S1 form from the NHS Business Services Authority up to 90 days before you move. You then register the S1 with the Spanish social security office (INSS) and get a medical card (tarjeta sanitaria) for the health centre where you live. With the S1 registered, you have access to Spanish public healthcare. Pensioners from EU and EEA countries can use the same scheme with an S1 from the country that pays their pension.

Moving before retirement

If you move before you draw a pension and do not work in Spain, the S1 does not apply. You need proof of healthcare cover to register as a resident, so most people start with private health insurance. British citizens applying for a non-lucrative residence visa must show insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain, with the same cover as the public system. After a year on the local register (padrón), you can join the public convenio especial, which gives access to public healthcare for a monthly fee set by law at 60 euros under 65 and 157 euros from 65.

Public and private together

In practice, many international residents on the Costa del Sol use a combination of public and private healthcare. Private health insurance is widespread and, in our experience, reasonably priced compared with many other countries. It usually means shorter waiting times and English-speaking staff at the larger private hospitals in the Marbella and Málaga area. Many choose private cover as a supplement even when they are entitled to public care.

A practical tip is to get registered early: sign up on the padrón in the municipality where your home is, apply for your S1 or arrange insurance at the same time as you get your NIE number and Spanish bank account, and register with the local health centre. With this in place early on, healthcare is rarely a worry after the first few months.

We often see the worry about healthcare disappear quickly once people have moved and seen how accessible the services are. Looking for a home close to the coast and a good hospital? Search our properties, or get in touch with us. We know what is worth sorting out before and after the move, and are happy to refer you to professionals who can advise on your situation.