Are you applying for a residence visa to move to Spain? If you’re a non-EU or non-EEA national, you must provide proof of private Spanish health insurance on your visa application. This requirement includes Americans and other foreigners applying for the following visas:
- The Spanish Non Lucrative Visa
- Spain’s Study Visa, Researcher Visa, or Internship Visa
- The Spanish Golden Visa (also known as the Investor Visa)
- Entrepreneur Visa
- Long-Term Residence Recovery Visa
- The North American Language and Cultural Assistant Program (NALCAP)
It can be daunting to purchase health insurance in a foreign country, especially if you haven’t moved there yet. Family Move Abroad relocation assistance has helped hundreds of retirees, younger individuals and families with children move to Spain. This guide will teach you everything you need to know to buy the best private health insurance in Spain.
From getting quotes and choosing a policy to paying for it and presenting proof of coverage, these eight steps will get you the health insurance you need to apply for your Spanish residence visa in no time.
1. Find a Reputable English Speaking Spanish Health Insurance Agency
Family Move Abroad has partnered with Insbrok Gidea Insurance Brokerage in Spain because of the ease of their application process and history of working with English speaking immigrants to get the proper healthcare coverage. Insbrok has a wide range of products, competitive pricing, and quality service. Plus, they have a lot of experience working with expats. Their customer service agents all speak English and they will only offer you policies that comply with visa application requirements. For all these reasons, Insbrok Gidea is recommended as one of the best options for to buy for foreigners to buy health insurance in Spain.
2. Get a Free Health Insurance Quote
A free quote will give you an idea of the kind of coverage you can get and how much it will cost you. Insbrok Gidea is an insurance broker representing multiple Spanish health insurance companies, so one free quote from them will give you offers from at least two insurers. If you time it right, you may even get a greatly reduced rate through a company promotion.
Are you having trouble getting coverage? Sometimes, people request a free quote and either don’t like the options they’re given or, due to age, aren’t offered any coverage at all. Policies for older applicants (over 70) may require special handling. Contact Family Move Abroad for assistance, and we can put you in direct contact with an Insbrok agent. They’ll get more detailed information about your health status and get a quote for you.
3. Compare Policy Options
Since Insbrok is an authorized brokerage from many of Spain’s major health insurance providers, you’ll likely receive two or three offers for coverage with your quote. So, how do you choose between your options?
The first comparison you make should be the premium. Health insurance in Spain is way more affordable than American insurance, so be prepared for reverse sticker shock! What you pay for one to two months of insurance in the States will be about what a year’s worth of coverage costs in Spain. Plus, your Spanish insurance will cover everything from doctor visits to hospital stays. No deductible. No co-pays. No exclusions for pre-existing health conditions.
You should also compare network coverage between your options. If you want to go to a particular doctor or hospital, see which of your policy offers are in-network for the providers. Otherwise, see if one company seems to have a more extensive selection of in-network providers in the area of Spain you’re moving to. If you’re moving to Spain for a year or so and don’t need a specialist for an existing condition, don’t overthink your choice. If you’re healthy and (hopefully!) have no unexpected emergencies, you might not even use your policy after your visa application. In this scenario, think of your health insurance as a box you must check to get your visa, and move on.
4. Determine the Best Time to Fill Out the Spanish Health Insurance Company’s Medical Questionnaires
This step is incredibly important because it directly impacts when your coverage will go into effect. The initial quote you receive will be based on the assumption that you are generally healthy. A formal offer of coverage requires the insurance company’s underwriters to review your medical history.
Your policy must be purchased before your visa application because you must show proof of coverage in your application documents. However, it only needs to be in effect on or right before your arrival date in Spain. It doesn’t need to be in effect at the time of your visa application appointment.
Most insurance companies will issue a policy no more than 60 days out from when you submit your medical questionnaires. Also, policies typically start on the first day of the month. This means you want to submit your questionnaire as close to your visa application date as possible yet sufficiently in advance to ensure you get your certificate of coverage in time to apply.
You also don’t want to have your policy take effect too far in advance. Doing so would mean cause you to pay for excess months of insurance in a country you won’t be living in yet. Starting coverage too soon could also cause your policy to lapse before you move out of Spain. The best way to avoid this issue is to obtain your certificate of coverage and application appointment as close to your intended travel date as possible.
Filling Out Medical Forms and Policy Start Date – An example scenario:
A person is applying for a non-lucrative visa, and their consulate appointment is set for April 10, 2024. The stated arrival date on their national visa application is July 5, 2024. If they filled out their medical questionnaires in March, the latest effective date they can get is May 1, 2024, a full two months before their stated arrival. In addition to that ‘wasted’ coverage (because this person won’t be in Spain yet), the consulate might require them to buy additional months of coverage to comply with the expected duration of their Spanish residency.
However, if they wait to do their questionnaires on April 1, 2024, they can request an effective date of June 1, 2024. There will still be a month gap, but it’s tolerable given the reasonably priced premiums. Plus, the consulates likely won’t have an issue with a gap of just one month.
5. Fill Out the Forms (Truthfully!) and Email Them to the Agent
If you have any concerns about your health status, contact your Insbrok Gidea agent for personal assistance. It’s always better to do this than provide false information on your medical history forms. Different insurers have major differences in policies concerning age and health status.
Once your policy is approved by underwriting, the insurance company will be ready to bind the coverage. This process will take several business days, so plan accordingly when deciding when to begin the process. At this point, you’ll get the formal offer for coverage that binds your policy. If your medical forms indicated a health condition that impacted the initial quote you were offered, you’ll be given an adjusted price.
6. Pay for Your Policy
You will pay for a full year of insurance coverage upfront, which means you’ll pay for your coverage before you move to Spain. The easiest way to do this is to use Wise Online Money Transfers. Wise is easy to use, fast, fully transparent, and offers some of the best real-time exchange rates. Simply create a Wise account and link it to a funding source like your checking account or credit card.
When paying for your policy, you will specify the amount in euros you want to send to the company. Wise will convert that amount to U.S. dollars (or whatever currency you use), and you’ll pay the amount to make the transfer. One of the best things about using Wise for this process is that the money transfer is instant, so you can quickly get your declaration of coverage letter.
7. Wait for the Declaration of Coverage Letter
The declaration of coverage letter is the proof you need to bring with you for your visa application appointment. On average, it will take one to three business days for your insurance company to receive your policy payment and issue the letter. A declaration of coverage letter should meet the following requirements:
- A summary of the core benefits covered by the policy.
- A statement that there are no waiting periods for certain benefits, coverage for pre-existing conditions, and other key consular requirements.
- The letter should be written in Spanish.
When you work with Insbrok, they can request that you receive a copy of your benefits summary in English so you can easily understand what you’re purchasing. However, make sure that the declaration letter and benefits summary you use for the consulate are in Spanish.
8. Print Your Coverage of Declaration Letter
The good news is that you don’t have to ask your insurance company to mail a letter by snail mail. Instead, they will send it to you via email for you to print it out. Instructions for how to correctly print original application documents can be found in Family Move Abroad’s guide on How to Organize Your Visa Application Paperwork.
Are you applying for your visa with family members? If so, it’s important to note that some insurance companies will issue a single letter that names all the family members covered by the policy. Other companies will give individual letters that are specific to each family member. Both options are acceptable. If you have multiple declarations of coverage, make sure you file them with the correct family member’s paperwork to avoid confusion.
Now You Have Spanish Health Insurance!
Making a purchase for health insurance in Spain isn’t nearly as overwhelming as it sounds. The best way to have a smooth, straightforward experience when making this purchase is to work with Insbrok Insurance Brokerage. Not only will they offer you more than one policy quote, but they have extensive experience working with situations just like yours.
Preparing to move to a different country requires a lot of moving parts and planning ahead. Make getting your required insurance one of the most manageable parts of your to-do list when you follow these eight proven steps. You’ll have your visa in your hand in no time. Then, you’re off to Spain!