snikpoh

It's colloquially known as the "Newcastle Letter"

el barto

I can't imagine the spanish public would be happy at non EU foreigners being granted free healthcare that haven't paid into the system just because theyve been in country over 5 yrs. Especially when there is the options of private and convenio (and S1 depending on age) available.

agree_to_disagree

You might find that it is not about what the Spanish public like or dislike, but more about the bilateral agreements it puts in place with foreign governments.

Lynn R

As I referred to in my earlier post, it is called the "legislation letter" and yes, the DWP (Overseas Health Department) are familiar with it.

DLC

This may not still be the case, as multilanguage standard forms for BMD certificates were stopped at the end of the transition period.

jogger

Why not? They do in the UK and Portugal being residency based, plenty of spanish get it in the UK which is right and all.

spainrico

If you are not working and not entitled to an S1 form

If you’ve been a resident in Spain for 5 years or more, you can apply for permanent residency. This will give you access to state healthcare on the same basis as a Spanish citizen.

Once you’re a permanent resident, you need to register for healthcare at your local INSS office.

You’ll need to show a ‘legislation letter’ (‘documento de no exportación’ in Spanish) stating that you are not covered by the UK for healthcare. You can request this by calling NHS Overseas Healthcare Services.

NHS Overseas Healthcare Services
Telephone: +44 (0)191 218 1999
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Saturday, 9am to 3pm

The INSS will give you a document which you need to take to your local health centre.

If the UK pays for your healthcare, for example through an S1 form, you cannot register for healthcare as a permanent resident.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/healthca...canary-islands

Notdunroamin

That may be the advice from the UK government but they do not control what actually happens in Spain, or anywhere else!
It also (as usual) totally disregards differences between the autonomous regions.

Spainrico's experiences refer to pre 2012 and the Valencia region but things have changed since then and nothing at all to do with Brexit.

Parallels between UK and other countries are pointless as entitlement to NHS care is dependent entirely on legal residency or right to remain.

Reciprocal agreements entitle immigrants to the same rights as those enjoyed by nationals of the host country, no more no less, to grant voluntary Brit immigrants greater rights to healthcare than Spanish nationals would be an obscenity.

A further example of the principal of reciprocity would be France where French citizens legally resident in UK are automatically entitled to the same care as any other British citizen while Brits in France are entitled to have 70% of their care costs covered by the state with the remaining 30% paid either out of their own pockets, or more commonly covered by an insurance policy termed a .Mutuelle' , identical to what French citizens are entitled to. There are exceptions, certain chronic ailments may be covered 100% for instance, but in principal the 70/30 split is the rule.

France does accept the 'Newcastle Letter' by means of which Brits not entitled to an S1 can join a scheme called PUMA.

In short 'reciprocal' is not synonymous with 'equivalent'!

Chipmonk

A very good point. I have tried to find out about this route as last year I was unemployed . INSS told me , we spoke Spanish, so no misinterpretation , that after 3 months I no longer was covered by state healthcare despite my contributions. Meanwhile lots of people quoting UK government site but unfortunately the Spanish one focuses on the need to show you have no access to funds for healthcare before they will grant it. They appear to make a difference between people who have been paying convenios and those who have no history of funded healthcare.

DLC

You might find this interesting...

El derecho a asistencia sanitaria en situación de desempleo

When a resident in Spain (including a Spanish citizen) runs out of options they have 90 days more of health coverage then that's it, although they should be able to go to urgencias afterwards.

Littleweed60

Eligibility for free health care for permanents residents may have been a consequence of the introduction of the "Real Decreto-ley 7/2018 Acceso Universal al Sistema Nacional de Salud (SNS)". This law guarantees universal health care for both Spanish and foreign residents, however with the latter there is a proviso as follows in Article 3.1 c);

"Ser persona extranjera y con residencia legal y habitual en el territorio español y no tener la obligación de acreditar la cobertura obligatoria de la prestación sanitaria por otra vía."

The key phrase is the "no tener la obligación de acreditar la cobertura obligatoria" which covers the obligation of, for example, Non Lucrative Visa holders to have comprehensive health insurance. However after 5 years on the NLV you can apply for Permanent Residency where there is no such obligation. Or at least that's how I make sense of the statement on the British Embassy web site.