Yorick

I'm going for Residencia in August and puzzled about healthcare.

To get residencia I apparently need to show some private health cover. That is OK. But what then happens to my EHIC card ?

Can I still get healthcare in the UK?


Are then any good healthcare insurance providers?


TIA

mikelincs

Once resident then the UK issued EHIC card is no longer legal, assuming you are not retired. If you are not retired you will need to get an EHIC card issued in Spain to cover you in the UK, however if you are retired then your EHIC card must be obtained from the UK, so your current one will suffice. HOWEVER you can't use an EHIC card to get cover in Spain when you are resident, you will either need to be in the Spanish system or have private cover, again if you are retired you will need form S1 from the DWP in Newcastle, one advantage of this is that as long as one of you qualifies for the S1, then you tell Newcastle about your husband/wife and they will be covered even if they are not of retirement age.
again, if you are NOT retired then you can't use the NHS for treatment.

Please note that things might change as a result of Brexit.

Yorick

Thanks for that

I am retired, but nowhere near the retirement age. Does that make a difference ?

jogger

Yes unfortunately for those of us that are retired early and below the oap age it is a double whammy. You not only have to pay for private healthcare here but you are also not entitled to what you paid for when working all those years in the UK. If you are lucky enough to be married to someone of oap age then you get full entitlement. Go figure that one for fairness.

Yorick

Bugger


But life here in paradise makes up for a bit of inconvenience

spainrico

Suggest OP reads here

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/healthcare-in-spain

DublintoIbiza

Is private healthcare expensive compared to what it would be in the UK.

KieronF

Difficult to answer. as always, the cost of cover depends on may factors - age etc - and do not forget that pre-existing conditions are not covered. Sanitas are one of the bigger companies who provide an online quotation but it will be very general. Make sure that whatever policy you take out is deemed suitable for residencia - it varies from region to region.

bobd22

My understanding is if you are retired but under UK state pension age and become Spanish resident full time then you will not get an ehic from UK or Spain. Untill you reach state retirement and then as on S1 you will get an ehic issued by the UK. I believe Spain will only provide ehic to those resident working and paying into their system? As has been said this may well change?
Of course you could be resident in Spain in order to comply with the 90 day rule but remain UK resident if not over 183 days in Spain so not fiscal Spanish resident. Thereby you would still be entitled to UK health care in UK and ehic from uk as fiscal resident in UK so dual rsident? This is something I have considered to at least show residency and hopefully but not a certainty to possibly get an S1 at state retirement age.

bobd22

I thought most Spanish private health plans had cover included when visiting other European countries. So in reality would that not replace the ehic for treatment when visiting back in UK?

Fred James

Correct, my Spanish insurance covers me anywhere in the UK and all other EU countries and that means I don't have to submit myself to the NHS and can use private clinics.

lurchio

Agreed,Fred. But as an ex Sanitas Insurance client (now on Convenio especial) that cover was an extra on the Policy, with a cost, for us. We had Spanish cover only, which is their usual. 58 and 57 year olds, 190 euros a month with 20 euro co payments per use. Don't think co payments are now acceptable for 'residency'. Things change all the time, but the S1 after 65 is still in!

mikelincs

If resident in Spain, then you CAN get an EHIC card from Spain which covers you for the rest of Europe, we got one before the rules were changed for pensioners to get theirs from the UK,

bobd22

When you got it were you using an S1?

mikelincs

Yes we were but this was in 2004