Private Health Insurance in Spain, With or Without a Visa
Moving on a visa, already living here, registering as an EU citizen or retiring — we arrange Sanitas private health insurance for every situation. You don’t need a visa — or our visa service — to buy health insurance through us.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026 by the My Spanish Visa team
Choose Your Situation
Every button below goes straight to the quote form — there’s no extra step.
Moving to Spain on a visa
The Non-Lucrative, Digital Nomad and Student visas need comprehensive cover with no co-payments and no waiting periods.
Already living in Spain
Private cover on its own or alongside the public system, with English-speaking support. If your residence comes from a visa, keep your policy running for every renewal.
EU citizen registering residency
If you live in Spain without working here, your registration needs comprehensive health cover — public or private.
Families and couples
A partner and children can usually be covered together. Each person is assessed individually and named on the policy.
Retirees
Options at 60, 65 and beyond, and how private cover fits alongside an S1 or the convenio especial.
Students
Sanitas International Students for ages 14 to 35, with dates matched to your course.
Quotes come from Spanish Health Insurance, an exclusive Sanitas insurance agent. Your policy is a separate contract with Sanitas, and acceptance depends on the health questionnaire.
How Private Health Insurance Works in Spain
Public and private cover
Spain’s public health system (Sistema Nacional de Salud) covers people who are entitled to it — mainly through work and social security, a pension form such as the S1, or the convenio especial. Private health insurance gives you access to a private network of doctors, specialists and hospitals, usually with shorter waits and English-speaking support. Some residents hold both; others rely on private cover because they have no public entitlement.
What a comprehensive policy includes
GP and specialist visits, diagnostic tests, hospital stays, surgery and emergencies within the insurer’s network, under the policy terms. Dental cover is usually a separate product.
Co-payments and waiting periods
Some plans charge a small co-payment each time you use a service; others charge none. Residence visas need a plan without co-payments or waiting periods, and for EU residence registration Spanish Health Insurance quotes no-copay plans. If you don’t need cover for a visa or a registration, a plan with co-payments can cost less — ask us to quote both.
What Affects the Price
Premiums depend mainly on each person’s age, where in Spain you live, your medical history, the plan and its co-payment level, and how many people are covered. Prices change and every quote is personalised, so we don’t publish premiums here.
Pre-existing conditions
Before cover starts, each person completes a health questionnaire. A condition may be accepted, excluded or priced in, and acceptance is never guaranteed. Policies used for a visa can’t have waiting periods, so ask how any exclusion would appear before you buy. Our guide to health insurance with pre-existing conditions explains the outcomes.
Buying Your Policy
What happens between asking for a quote and receiving your documents:
Moving From the US, the UK, Ireland or Elsewhere
Insurance questions that are specific to where you are moving from:
United States
Three kinds of US cover come up. US domestic cover — Medicare, employer and Marketplace plans — is designed for care in the US, and Medicare doesn’t cover treatment in Spain, so it doesn’t give you the Spanish cover a residence visa asks for. Travel insurance covers short trips and isn’t accepted for a residence visa. International health policies can qualify if the insurer is authorised to operate in Spain and the policy gives comprehensive cover in Spain with no co-payments or waiting periods — check the certificate before relying on one. Country guides: Non-Lucrative Visa from the USA · Digital Nomad Visa from the USA · Student Visa from the USA · retiring from the USA.
United Kingdom
Since Brexit, UK nationals moving to Spain apply for a visa or residence permit rather than registering as EU citizens. A GHIC covers medically necessary treatment on temporary stays, not residence. UK state pensioners may be entitled to an S1, which gives public cover. See health insurance for retirees and the Non-Lucrative Visa for UK nationals.
Ireland and other EU countries
Irish and other EU citizens don’t need a visa. If you register as a resident without working in Spain, see health insurance for EU citizens.
Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
Provincial plans, Medicare Australia and other home-country public cover don’t apply once you live in Spain. Country guides: Canada · Australia · New Zealand · South Africa.
Renewing or Switching Insurer
If your residence depends on health insurance, keep the policy running without a break: renewals check it again. If you switch insurer, start the new policy the day after the old one ends, and remember that a new insurer assesses your health again. See health insurance at NLV renewal.
Visa Help Is Optional
Buying insurance never requires our visa service. You can arrange your health insurance through us even if you apply for your visa yourself or use another provider. If you would also like help with a visa, our fees for one adult, paid in stages, are: Non-Lucrative Visa €1,499 · Digital Nomad Visa €1,899 · Student Visa €799.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a visa to buy health insurance through you?
You don’t need a visa — or our visa service — to buy health insurance through us. We arrange cover for residents, EU citizens, families and retirees as well as visa applicants.
Is private health insurance the same as Spain’s public health system?
No. The public system (Sistema Nacional de Salud) covers people who are entitled to it — mainly through work and social security, a pension form such as the S1, or the convenio especial. Private health insurance gives you a separate network of private doctors, specialists and hospitals under your policy terms.
Can I buy a policy before I move to Spain?
Yes. You choose the date your cover begins, so you can arrange it before you travel or before a visa appointment.
Do I need an NIE to buy a policy?
Not usually to start a policy. If anything else is needed for your situation, your quote will say so.
Who arranges the policy?
Quotes come from Spanish Health Insurance, an exclusive Sanitas insurance agent. Your policy is a separate contract with Sanitas, and acceptance depends on the health questionnaire.
Can I get a quote if I live in Navarra or Cantabria?
Unfortunately, we cannot currently arrange Sanitas health-insurance policies for residents of Navarra or Cantabria.