Am I Entitled To Free Medical Healthcare in Spain
If you are considering moving to Spain then you simply must know whether you are entitled to free medical and health care. Who knows what might happen to you or your family once you have moved to Spain?
There is nothing more important in life than your health and it is essential to know where your nearest doctors, dentists, hospitals and surgeries are in the area of Spain that you plan to move to.
Fortunately the Spanish national health service/system is well regarded by Western European standards – but are you entitled to use it free of charge or must you investigate taking out private medical health care?
If you are moving to Spain from the United Kingdom then you will have been making social security payments in the UK which go towards the national health system. Because the UK is part of the European Union you are therefore entitled to use the equivalent Spanish national health care system for a period of eighteen months.
What you need to do – Contact the non-residents office of social security in the UK and obtain the E-106 form. When you move to Spain take it to your nearest local health centre or social security office (seguridad social). They will then issue you with your health/medical cards.
Presuming your move to Spain is a success you will either get a job or employment in Spain or you will start your own business and become self-employed.
If you find work then your job will come with a contract which entitles you to free health and medical care. The problem that often happens in Spain is that your employer won’t give you an official contact because they have to then also contribute social security payments on your behalf. Many jobs are on the ‘black’ which means you are paid in cash (unofficially) and you have to sort your own health care out which means paying for private health care.
If you run your own business you are legally obliged to declare your business and earnings and pay tax and social security payments entitling you to medical and healthcare. For a man of age 43 a monthly social security payment of 245 Euros will cover him and his entire family as well as going towards building a small pension.
The problem here again is that many people don’t want to pay the social security payments which means that they are not insured medically under the Spanish system. So what happens if they get sick and need to visit a doctor or hospital? Well many people will pay for treatment when they need it going to a private clinic of which there are many in Spain. They hoping to ‘get away with it’ of course this may work but when you have a family to consider – as well as yourself – it is irresponsible.
Having medical and health care insurance can protect you against a major loss as you pay relatively small sums yet if you need costly and urgent treatment you are covered no matter what the situation and costs. So paying for private healthcare is a sensible option. Private heath care costs around 100 Euros a month for a family of four.
Related Pages: This article on your entitlement to free healthcare in Spain comes under the main section of health and medical insurance in Spain.