{"id":6444,"date":"2020-04-21T11:25:38","date_gmt":"2020-04-21T09:25:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.foyerglobalhealth.com\/?page_id=5305"},"modified":"2026-02-25T14:19:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T13:19:23","slug":"international-health-insurance-for-expats-in-spain","status":"publish","type":"destinationcpt","link":"https:\/\/globalhealth.insurance\/destination\/international-health-insurance-for-expats-in-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"International Health Insurance for Expatriates in Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Warm and sunny, Spain is a country that attracts foreigners from all over the world. Some of them do not even come back to their home country because of the good quality of life! It is indeed an ideal destination for either short stays or long term expatriation. When it comes to health, we&nbsp; give you some details about the health system in Spain so that you can live your stay as smoothly as possible!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Understanding the public health system in Spain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">The Spanish public health system, called <span style=\"color: #66cbb1;\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-obsidian-color\">Insalud<\/mark><\/span> (Instituto Nacional de Gestion Sanitaria) or SNS (Sistema nacional de salud), is <span style=\"color: #66cbb1;\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-obsidian-color\">universal and accessible to all<\/mark><\/span>. It is financed by taxes, every citizen contributes to have access to it with their family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Public health insurance is very popular in Spain, as it is one of the cheapest and most efficient in Europe. The network of hospitals and medical centers is well developed throughout the country. Please just note that the choice of doctor is imposed by the Centre de Salud (public health care center).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does Spanish public health insurance cover and who can be covered?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Like most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foyerglobalhealth.com\/destination\/european-health-insurance-for-expats-around-the-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">public health systems in Europe<\/a>, coverage mainly applies for consultations with public sector doctors, treatments in public hsopitals and outpatient medication. Dental and optical care are only marginally covered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><span style=\"color: #66cbb1;\"><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-obsidian-color\">If you work in Spain and are registered with the Spanish Social Security<\/mark><\/strong><\/span><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-obsidian-color\">,<\/mark> you entitled to public health insurance and the contribution is compulsory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">If you are not employed and do not contribute, there is a one-year waiting period before you can benefit from the public health insurance. In this case, it is recommended to be affiliated to a<mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-obsidian-color\"> <\/mark><span style=\"color: #66cbb1;\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-obsidian-color\">local or international private health insurance, or expat health insurance<\/mark><\/span><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-obsidian-color\">. <\/mark>An alternative exists for retirees (convenio especial).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What about private health insurance in Spain?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">In recent years, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foyerglobalhealth.com\/plans-services\/our-plans\/foyer-global-health-essential\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">private health insurance<\/a> in Spain has been gaining ground in Spain. It allows you to be reimbursed for consultations with doctors or specialists who do not work in the public sector. Taking out private health insurance mainly allows you to <span style=\"color: #66cbb1;\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-obsidian-color\">reduce the waiting time<\/mark><\/span> for a consultation and to be<mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-obsidian-color\"> <\/mark><span style=\"color: #66cbb1;\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-obsidian-color\">better reimbursed for dental and optical care<\/mark><\/span>. It can act as a complementary insurance in addition to social security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">If you are an expat, travel often to other countries and are looking for the security of a complete coverage, then expat healthcare in Spain is a solution to consider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Global Health covers your health in Spain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">If you are relocating to Spain, Global Health offers the perfect health insurance for your life plans. Our high-quality coverage covers you in Spain and around the world. <span style=\"color: #333333;\">It is effective from the first euro, and no complementary health insurance is necessary thanks to its wide scope of benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Our offer is based on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foyerglobalhealth.com\/plans-services\/our-plans\/international-health-insurance-comparison\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">three different levels of coverage<\/a>. To find out the cost of your insurance, <a href=\"https:\/\/application.foyerglobalhealth.com\/?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">get a free quote<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":6334,"template":"","class_list":["post-6444","destinationcpt","type-destinationcpt","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"post_subtitle":"","post_badge":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>International Health Insurance for Expats in Spain<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Global Health offers high quality expat health insurance in Spain. 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