Spain

Introduction

After the 2018 reform, Spanish healthcare system is a universal one and is now tied to residence in the country.

In general, this means that any person living in Spain (under certain conditions, even people who are not authorized or registered as legally resident) can get access to the Spanish National Healthcare System. 

Categories of people having access to Spanish healthcare

Note that some conditions can apply and some requirements must be met in certain cases. Below, you can find the categories of people that have access to healthcare in Spain:

1. • Spanish nationals habitually living in Spain;

1. • People whose right to healthcare is recognized by any other legal means, even if the person does not habitually live in Spain, provided that there is no third party obliged to pay for their medical care;

1. • Foreigners who are living in Spain legally and habitually and who are not obliged to prove their health coverage by any other means;

1. • Foreigners not registered or authorized as residents in Spain, when they meet following conditions:
     • • They are not required to prove health coverage by any other means;
     • • They cannot export the right to health coverage from their country of origin;
     • • There is no third party obliged to pay;
     • • They have lived in Spain for at least 3 months.

What if I don’t fall under any category listed above?

If you don’t fall under any category described above, you can get access to Spanish healthcare via special agreement (convenio especial). In order to get access to it, you need to compy with the following requirements:

1. • having lived in Spain for 1 year, 

1. • being registered with your local Town Hall (the procedure is called “empadronamiento” in Spanish), and

1. • not being able to access Spanish public healthcare by any other means (e.g. by Spanish national laws, EU regulations, or bilateral treaties with other countries). 

In order to have access to Spanish healthcare through convenio especial, you will have to make monthly payments to your Autonomous Community:

• • you will pay 60 euros monthly if you are under the age of 65;

• • you will pay 157 euros if you are older than 65.

Check the websites of the administrations of the Autonomous Community where you are currently living in order to see the specific procedures followed and documents required in order to sign convenio especial. Here are some popular ones: Madrid; Valencia; Barcelona; Canary Islands; Balearic Islands.

Last updated on 31 January 2025.