Which international health insurance do I need with a Spanish visa application?

In January 2022, the Spanish National Statistics Institute reported that there were over 5.4 million foreign nationals living in Spain. Of which the largest number of immigrants originate from non-EU countries, with Morocco (59,181) and Columbia (39,880) at the top of the list (Statistica.com). One of the many requirements for non-EU citizens who wish apply for a visa is to have proof that a fully comprehensive expatriate healthcare insurance policy is in place for the duration of their stay in Spain.
This means, whether you are applying for Student Visa, Golden Visa, Non-lucrative visa or any other kind of visa (excluding the recently introduced Digital Nomad Visa), it is essential for applicants to prove that they will not be a financial burden on the state healthcare system should they fall ill or have an accident.

In simple terms, the only people who intend to stay in Spain long term (over 90 days) who don’t need to take out private health insurance are those paying into the Spanish social security system, either working as employee, self-employed or a freelancer. This means for students, when you apply for your visa, you need to have already sourced best medical insurance for students and for everyone else the right expat health cover.

Student medical plans

In general, if you are student coming to Spain for a short course lasting fewer than 90 days, you don’t need to apply for a student visa or take out private health insurance. Yet you do still need to have adequate healthcare provision under your travel insurance policy in case of accident, emergency or illness whilst in Spain. This should include hospitalization and repatriation should the worst happen. Find all the details about our student medical plans here.

Staying in Spain more than 90 days

If you intend to study in Spain for over 90 days, then a student visa will be required and as part of the approval process. Travel insurance will not be adequate, you will need to show that you have the correct private health insurance policy (again this must include repatriation to your country of origin) to cover the duration of your stay and submit the necessary paperwork with your application.

Residency visa compatible plans

The majority of these types of policies usually operate in ‘network’ or ‘network plus reimbursement’. This means that you will receive treatment in the clinics and hospitals within the insurers associated network, in Spain and worldwide. The reimbursement system requires you to pay the medical bill upfront and submit an invoice for the reimbursement. Payments are taken directly from your bank account, when receiving treatment, you don’t need to pay the medical facility, simply present your insurance card. Read more about the plans here.

Quick set up / easy cancellation

It only takes between one to three working days before you will receive your contract, from the moment you fill in the application form, we will process it and send you the certificate. If for some reason your visa or residency is denied, we can cancel the policy and reimburse your premium.

Expert insurance advice

Ideally, you should speak to an insurance advisor, such as Platinum Healthcare to make sure you get the correct policy. Here are the requirements that you will need to take into consideration when contracting visa compatible plans.

• Approved insurance supplier
The policy must be issued by an insurance provider authorized to operate and regulated in Spain, such as Sanitas which has been providing Spanish visa approved health insurance cover for over a decade.

• Comprehensive cover
As you will not have access to the Spanish state health service, you must ensure your policy gives you equally broad coverage. There must also be no cost limits that will prohibit your access medical assistance, from checkups to emergency treatment.

• 12 months of cover
As a requirement in Spain, you must provide a certificate issued by the insurance provider confirming the policy will cover you for 12 months private medical insurance from the day you arrive in Spain with a minimum of 30.000€ of coverage.

• No copayments
Some types of insurance plans allow policyholders to pay a reduced premium (monthly or annually) and contribute towards treatment and visits to the doctor (copayments). In the case of student visa compatible insurance, no copayment policies will be accepted, as mentioned in the previous point full payment is required in advance.

Digital Nomad Visas (DNV)

As briefly mentioned above, recipients of the Digital Nomad Visa (launched January 2023) are not required to provide proof of expat health cover. You will have access to the Spanish healthcare system, which is deemed to be the eighth best in the world (scoring 90 out of 100), however it is advisable that you take out private health insurance whilst working and living abroad.

As with every public health service, resources are stretched and waiting times mean delays. With private health insurance, you can be treated quickly and efficiently. Just as important you will have the peace of mind of dealing with medical staff who speak your language, removing any doubts and worries that you may occur due to the language barrier.

If you would like to find out more about Platinum Healthcare’s residency visa and international student medical plans visit our website https://platinumhealthcover.com/ or contact us at info@platinumhealthcover.com or call 951 273 444 for no-obligation chat.

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