Free healthcare

To qualify for free health cover in Spain as a UK citizen means you must become a legal, tax resident here.

If receiving a state pension from the UK and have a S1 form you can apply for residencia, then with that in place apply for healthcare.

My understanding as well is that once you reach 5 years here and can show 5 uninterrupted years of residency, you apply to become “permanente” and are then entitled to be on State Health Care system 

Is that free though? I know that after one year of living here with residency and paying into a private health insurance scheme you can join the state Convenio Especial and pay a lower rate. But is it free for foreign nationals after 5 years? Whilst Spanish workers have to pay?

Chris 

I’m really not certain - I’ll have to check.  That was the information I was given, but I’ll have to follow up.  With any luck, perhaps one of the long-timers here could weigh in? I haven’t seen Dr Bob on for a while ....

I’m on Spanish State health now - but I pay Autónomo.  I would have thought state health is available to ALL Spaniards, irrespective of whether they pay in.  Autónomo is effectively your pension here - for Spanish National I don’t know if it’s linked to State healthcare

Hi, I posted a lengthy message some time ago regarding healthcare. I’ll give a short version now, but you need to know the system. We are under retirement age, not working, became resident in April 2019, had private medical insurance to get residency.

After one year, requested the “legislation letter “ from the Uk, which confirmed we are not covered by the Uk health system. We are in now the Spanish health system and it’s free. This is not Convenio especial.

Hope this helps

That is extremely interesting! There will be many that would find it useful to know that you can be under UK pension age yet get free cover in the Spanish health system.

Chris