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European Health Insurance Card in Spain: COMPLETE GUIDE

27 June, 2020/0 Comments/in Insurance for expats in Spain /by Bmibrokeradmin

One of the most important things to carry about visiting or moving for a short time to another country is to know what healthcare you are going to receive in case you need it.

If you are visiting Spain, you should know that its health system is classified as one of the best in the world and that through the European Health Insurance Card you too can have access to its services.

Continue reading this post for a complete guide of the European Health Insurance Card in Spain.

What is the European Health Insurance Card?

The European Health Insurance Card in Spain or in any one of the 28 European Union member states, plus Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein, is a free card that allows you to access public health services during a temporary stay in any of the countries mentioned.

The services provided will be under the same conditions and at the same cost as for persons insured in that country.

The cards are issued by the social security offices in your country.

What should you consider about the European Health Insurance Card in Spain?

The European Health Insurance Card does not cover private assistance such as the cost of returning flights to your home country or the loss or theft of personal items, and it does not cover private care if you are travelling for the purposes of receiving medical care.

The European Health Insurance Card does not guarantee free services because the public health system in each country is different. Services that are free in one country may not be free in another country. In Spain, public health care is free.

Who can benefit from the European Health Insurance Card in Spain?

If you are insured or covered by one of the public social security systems of some of the Member States of the European Union, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein, you may be entitled to this card.

Until when the European Health Insurance Card in Spain is valid?

European Health Insurance Card in Spain will be valid as long as you are not resident here or in the country where you are going to use it.

If you are on holidays, studying or working temporarily you will be able to use the European Health Insurance Card in Spain while you are not registered as a resident.

However, if you are registered as a resistant in Spain, the card will lose its value and will have to comply with the rules of the Spanish health system. On the other hand, you will have the same protection and conditions as other residents in Spain.

On the other hand, if you spend more than three months in one of the countries of the European Union, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein it will be considered that you have to be registered as a resident in that country and the card will lose its validity, even if it does not expire.

If you are going to be working or studying for more than three months in any other country, you will have to communicate this when you apply for the card.

How to apply for European Health Insurance Card in Spain?

In Spain, if you are applying for the European Health Insurance Card for the first time or are receiving any social security service, you will have to go in person to the Social Security Office. In this case you will be able to stop or export them.

If this is not your case, you can apply for the European Health Insurance Card in Spain online. Once you have applied for the card, you will receive it within a period of no later than ten days.

If you cannot wait more than ten days, you can request a Provisional Replacement Certificate, which is the same as the European Health Insurance Card and is valid for 30 days. You can apply for this certificate at the Social Security Office or on the internet, but you must justify the emergency.

What does the European Health Insurance Card cover in Spain?

In Spain, public health care is free, so when you go to certain hospitals you will be offered two types of care: public and private.

You should inform them about the type of assistance you would like to receive. If you want to receive private medical assistance, remember that the European Health Insurance Card in Spain will not cover these costs.

If it is necessary to go to the health centre or hospital, check if they belong to the public health system and accept the European Health Insurance Card. You can consult at the Ministry of Health website which health centres or hospitals accept the card.

Hospitals must show the European Health Insurance Card on admission so that they do not charge as if they were private care and, except in emergencies cases, you need a medical authorization to receive hospital treatment.

What about dentist primary assistance? In Spain, except for some cases, dental treatment is not normally covered by the public health system, only in cases of prevention and specific assistance for minors.

What if I forget the European Health Insurance Card in Spain?

In Spain doctors cannot, as part of their professional ethics, deny health care to anyone who needs it immediately.

However, the medical centre or hospital may request you to pay the bill, complete or part of it, if you do not present the European Health Insurance Card, but you can later request a refund of the invoice, although there is no guarantee that you will be able to recover the full amount.

For an emergency, your local health authority could help you with a provisional Replacement Card Certificate by fax or email.

Spain has many Insurance companies that offer the best health insurance for you. Remember that in BMI Spain we can help you to find the appropriate Insurance company that will help you to cover all your needs.

Do not hesitate in contact with us if you have any doubts about healthcare in Spain, our BMI Spain team will be pleasant to help you.

Six reasons to take your insurance though an independent

1 January, 2020/in Insurance for expats in Spain /by Silvia

What makes mediators so special?

A personalized service. As an independent broker we are not tied to any one particular insurance company. That enables us to find the most appropriate product for you.

After sale care. We don´t just help you find the right policy, we are there with you throughout the life of the insurance contract.
Claims support. We will help you represent your claim in front of the insurance companies.
The human touch. In a word which with each passing day is becoming more automated you have the benefit of talking a real person.
Fee free service. As an independent broker receives payment from the insurance company, where the policy is taken, there are no fees to pay us for finding you the product.
Breadth of offers. Working with a wide range of insurance providers and having a large client base enables us to negotiate competitive premiums and special discounts, which you can benefit from.

In BMI we give our personal attention to those who are looking for expat insurance in Spain. These are some of the insurance you will with us:

We offer service:

On-line.
Face to face.
Telephone.

Get Insurance In Your Language.

BMI INSURANCE BROKERS has two offices; our main office located in Fuengirola – Mijas and a sales office in Nueva Andalucía – Marbella. Both offices are attended by friendly and bilingual English / Spanish speaking personnel.

Are you self employed and think private medical insurance in Spain is too expensive?

8 May, 2019/in Insurance for expats in Spain /by Silvia

Well, you might be pleasantly surprised!

One of our insurance partners, who specialise in providing private medical cover, is offering the self-employed and their immediate family a very competitive product.

Not only are the premiums very attractive but you may be entitled to off-set up to 500 euros of annual premium against your tax liabilities, making the product even more affordable

This is full private medical insurance. No co-payments when you visit the doctor or have a diagnostic test. You pay the monthly premium and that is it.

It also includes 20.000€ of emergency worldwide cover and no grace periods except in the case of pregnancy.

The normal underwriting conditions apply and there must be a minimum of three members in the scheme to qualify for this product.

Remember, with the possibility that up to 500 € of premiums can be used in your tax calculations the actual cost could be even less.

Below is a table to help you calculate the cost

Age	Monthly Premium per person
0 to 19 years	39.01 euros
20 to 49 years	47.73 euros
50 to 54 years	56.91 euros
55 to 59 years	68.39 euros
Older than 59 years	108.33 euros

This offer is only available until the 31st July and if you are interested in knowing more about this offer or would like to take out a policy don,t hesitate to contact me

Kind regards

How many days are you covered for hospitalization in your private health insurance?

26 March, 2019/in Insurance for expats in Spain /by Silvia

Prolonged hospitalization constitutes a grave concern worldwide because it generates negative effects on the health system such as, for example: increase in costs, deficient accessibility to hospitalization services, overload of emergency services, and the risk of adverse effects

The causal agents of extended hospitalizations found with higher frequency are: delay in the performance of surgical and diagnostic procedures; need for attention in another complexity level; social-family situation, and the age of the patient.

When you take a private health insurance don’t look just the price. Although all the insurance companies could be the same, the covers are very different between them like the days of hospitalization which is one of the most important covers. Sometimes a patient has paid the hospital room having covered the contracted days in his insurance policy.

Spanish residency and Brexit

9 March, 2019/in Brexit news Spain /by Silvia

Should I organise my Spanish residency before the 29 march 2019?

The 29th March 2019 is fast approaching and yet things are still not clear regarding Brexit and the status of UK residents in Spain. The UK Government and the EU have a draft deal in place called the Withdrawal Agreement. If the UK leaves the EU with an agreed deal then this agreement will come into effect. Should the UK leave the EU without an agreement then the Withdrawal agreement is null and void.

What is the Withdrawal Agreement?

The Withdrawal Agreement is designed to protect the rights of UK nationals living in Europe and those rights of EU nationals living in the UK after the UK leaves the EU. An implementation phase would run from the 29 March 2019 until 31 December 2020. During that period free movement of people and goods would continue.

UK nationals would continue to enjoy broadly the same access to healthcare, pensions and other benefits as they do now.

What if the UK and the EU cannot agree?

In the case where the UK leaves the EU without an agreement then of course the withdrawal agreement does not come into affect. What happens to UK nationals in the EU and Spain in particular in our case? The short answer is no one really knows. One hopes that despite the usual rhetoric and posturing to a certain type of voter by national governments,

common sense will prevail. However, no one can say exactly how this will pan out.

Should I organise my Spanish residency now?

If you have lived in Spain for more than three months then you should already have applied for residency in Spain. If not now might be a good time to do it, if your intention is to stay.

Should the withdrawal agreement not come into affect then the 29 March 2019 may become a significant date. This is speculation but if you have your house in order prior to the UK leaving is it not reasonable to assume that you might be in a stronger position to stay in Spain than if you haven’t?

If you would like to discuss Spanish Residency and the health insurance that could be obligatory as part of the application then please get in touch.

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