post brexit | BMI Brokers

One of the things to bear in mind when moving to Spanish territory is knowing what the requirements are for obtaining a residence permit, and one of the most essential is to have a health insurance for foreigners in Spain.

When applying for a residence permit, health insurance for foreigners in Spain is one of the essential requirements for your application to be accepted.

Continue reading this post to know the keys of the health insurance for foreigners in Spain.

Who should have a health insurance for expats in Spain?

Spanish regulations establish that when a foreigner decides to live in Spain for a period of time longer than 90 days, he/she must comply with a series of requirements in order to obtain residence, whether temporary or permanent.

So, we have two different cases:

On the one hand, for cases in which the foreigner is from a member country of the European Union, he or she must request a European Union Citizen Registration Certificate (NIE), which would not be necessary if it does not exceed 90 days, due to the free movement of persons in the Schengen area.
On the other hand, if you are a foreigner who is not from a member country of the European Union, you must apply for a Residence Permit (TIE).

In both cases, the applicant of the Spanish residence must have medical assistance, for this reason, the health insurance for foreigners in Spain is a requirement in the procedures of foreigner.

There are two ways to obtain health insurance, either by accessing social security or by contracting private health insurance.

If you cannot access public social security, then it would be valid to take out private insurance to obtain residency.

Private Health insurance, what is it?

Before we proceed to detail what requirements must be met by a health insurance for foreigners in Spain, in order to be valid at the time of processing the residence permit, we will explain private health insurance is.

A private health insurance is a contract between a person and an insurance company, by which the first (the insured) pays a fee (the insurance premium), in exchange for the second (the insurer), covering the medical acts included in the contracted policy.

The applicant of the Spanish residence must have a medical assistance, for this reason, the health insurance for foreigners in Spain is a requirement in the procedures of foreigners.

These medical insurances for foreigners in Spain must satisfy a series of requirements that we will now detail.

What are the requirements that must have a health insurance for expats in Spain?

Hiring any health insurance for foreigners in Spain would not be valid since it must meet a certain number of requirements if we want to obtain the residence permit.

Medical insurance for foreigners in Spain must have the same benefits as the National Health System: no co-payments, no shortages, full, with maximum coverage and repatriation and, also, valid for the entire stay of the foreigner in Spain.

Here are the requirements that the health insurance must meet:

No co-payments

Medical insurances without co-payments are those in which the insured person pays a single amount and, in exchange, can make use of all the medical services that he needs, they have no limitations. The cost is usually higher, but during the period of validity no further payment will have to be reimbursed.

No shortages

The waiting period is the time that passes since the policy comes in to force until its services can be used. These periods are calculated by months and can vary depending on the type of service and the product contracted. They are usually periods without hospital admissions, certain medical tests, surgeries, family planning and psychotherapies.

Complete

Complete health insurance for foreigners in Spain is that which provides comprehensive medical assistance. In other words, foreigners who decide to reside in Spain for a period of more than 90 days must contract a plan that covers everything, including hospitalisation or transfers.

Maximum coverage

In addition, medical insurance for foreigners in Spain must cover all types of illness or disease and also be valid throughout Spanish territory.

What does medical insurance for foreigners in Spain cover? General medicine, nursing, paediatrics, medical specialities, surgical operations, rehabilitation and physiotherapy sessions, among others.

Repatriation coverage

The repatriation coverage guarantees the transfer of the insured person’s remains to the place from which they originate, including the formalities, transfers from the nearest airport to the place of origin and transportation from the airport to the destination of incineration or burial.

Spain has a variety of companies offering health insurance for foreigners in Spain specifically, and at BMI Spain we can help you find the one that best suits your needs.

Validity during the whole stay in Spain

Health insurance for foreigners in Spain must be valid for the entire period of validity of the residence permit, and in the case of renewal, this must also be done with the insurance.

Advantages of Private Health Insurance

Due to the current global pandemic situation caused by the covid-19 virus and the saturation of social security, private health insurance became necessary at this time.

In addition, private health insurance offers certain advantages relative to the public health system, which both Spaniards and foreigners benefit from:

Faster medical attention
You can select the best medical specialists
Same damage coverage no matter the location
Private insurances have at their disposal several hospitals for you to choose from and the benefits that this implies private room, more attention…etc.
Possibility of obtaining a second medical opinion without cost
Many companies offer payment facilities

It is best to take out private medical insurance that covers all types of contingencies, from medical consultations to emergencies. Health insurance for foreigners offers great advantages in health care in Spain.

If you are planning to live temporarily or permanently in some corner of Spain and are looking for health insurance for foreigners in Spain, at BMI Spain we can help you find one that fits your requirements.

Do not hesitate in contact with us if you have any doubts about healthcare in Spain for foreigners, we will be pleasant to help you.

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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Health insurance for expats in Spain