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Date Published: 09/11/2021

Healthcare in Spain for expat residents: how to apply for state health coverage

Expats with residency who don’t work or claim a Spanish pension can still access public hospitals via the Convenio Especial

Foreigners who have been resident in Spain for at least the last 12 months can access state healthcare via the ‘Convenio Especial de Prestación de Asistencia Sanitaria’ scheme. Those who don’t have an automatic right to state healthcare via their status as a worker or pensioner registered with the Spanish Social Security (‘Seguridad Social’) can use this option instead to have the healthcare in Spain covered.

The scheme has a monthly fee and gives access to state healthcare in Spain for those who have been empadronado for at least the last 12 consecutive months. It is not available for those who are eligible to receive healthcare through other means, such as via the S1 scheme from another EU country.

This so-called ‘Special Agreement’ costs 60 euros per month for under 65s and 157 euros per month for those aged 65 or over. This means that in some cases it may actually be more expensive than private health insurance, but it should be noted that prior medical history does not affect the eligibility for the scheme, nor the monthly price.

Information on how to apply for the Convenio Especial is available from your nearest health centre (‘centro de salud’), or online. Each autonomous community in Spain operates this healthcare scheme at a regional level, so you will have to find the information on the appropriate regional website, some of which may only be available in Spanish or regional dialects:

It’s also possible to get private health insurance and access to doctors and hospital care in Spain, which may be a cheaper and more reliable solution for some foreign residents.

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