Moving To Spain? Find Out About Spanish Healthcare

Find out about Spanish healthcare to help ensure your move to this beautiful country is as successful as possible.

Moving to Spain? Thousands of others just like you make the move overseas to gorgeous Spain every single year from the UK and all across the world. Spain has stunning beaches, stunning weather, a lovely culture and a gorgeously slow pace of life. However, if you’re thinking of moving to any new country it is so important to think about the practical aspects of your destination.

The healthcare of your chosen new home is central to your wellbeing, so it is important to understand how it works before you move. This is particularly true if you currently have an illness or condition that relies on medical support. It is also important if you are retiring in Spain because your medical needs are likely to change as you age. Understanding the healthcare system of Spain is an important part of your research and should be an important step towards your amazing relocation dream.   

Spain’s Healthcare System

Spain does have a National Health Service of its own offering healthcare that costs very little, or that in some instances is free. Anybody with an EU residency status is entitled to use the Spanish healthcare system. However, if you don’t speak fluent Spanish you should seriously consider the impact this might have on your care. If you will be living in a remote area where few people speak fluent English this could become a problem communicating with doctors for complex conditions. You may need to make use of a Spanish translator.

If you have a job in Spain and make contributions to their National Insurance system then you are able to use the healthcare system just like a person born in Spain is able to do, although you should check how long you need to have been paying contributions in order to benefit.

If you are not working in Spain then you need a European Health Insurance Card. You can get the card for free easily and can find out more about applying for the card on the NHS website. You can also find out more about how BREXIT affects the EHIC card on the NHS website.

Private Healthcare In Spain

If you want private healthcare in Spain you may not be covered by the health insurance acquired in the UK. It is likely you need to take out a new policy in Spain because any UK insurance is likely to provide protection on more of a short-term holiday-basis.

Retiring To Spain And How It Affects Your Healthcare

If you are retiring to Spain you are not eligible to have your healthcare costs paid for by the UK NHS as used to happen. Most expats take out some sort of private health insurance cover to help ensure they have private health care available if they need it.

Spanish Healthcare For Children

Children residing in Spain are entitled to lots of free healthcare. You can find out how much that free healthcare extends to here.

Researching your healthcare options in Spain before you move is so important to ensure you have access to the medical support that you need. If you can, setup a long holiday insurance cover for a research trip over there, the same trip you will use to look at areas to live in along with accommodation, supermarkets and essential aspects of living such as schools and banks. During your trip you can then checkout the medical facilities for the area you want to move to, ensuring you’re as prepared as possible for this life-changing move in regards to the important issue of healthcare.