There are options available to you if you and your family have recently moved to Spain or are preparing to do so. The Spanish Health Service has a reciprocal agreement with the UK, but you cannot simply arrive without the required health cards in place and expect to receive treatment as you potentially could in the UK with the NHS.

The cards are as follows:

EHIC

The better-known E111 health card has been replaced by the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card). The card allows you to receive emergency treatment when visiting other European countries and as such can be used temporarily in Spain, however it cannot be used to provide continuing treatment or if you are resident in Spain.

Application forms are available from the DWP (Department of Work & Pensions) more information here: http://www.dwp.gov.uk – You can apply for a EHIC card at a Post Office branch: http://www.postoffice.co.uk .

E106 form

Should you be relocating from the UK to Spain and you have not yet reached the official retirement age at the time, one option is to apply for an E106 form. Upon receipt of this form, you will be entitled to a maximum of 2 years of treatment on a reciprocal arrangement, dependant on your UK contribution history. However, it is not unusual for Expats to experience some delays in receiving these forms and for this reason many decide that it is simply easier to take out private health insurance. There is also a further consideration to take into account, which is that once you have moved from the UK for a period of 3 months, then if you have also been issued an E106 form, you are not entitled to use the NHS free of charge unless you can prove that you are returning permanently to the UK. At the same time, once the period of entitlement in Spain expires, you will not then receive free medical treatment in Spain either.

Application forms are available from the DWP (Department of Work & Pensions) more information here: http://www.dwp.gov.uk – You can apply for a EHIC card at a Post Office branch: http://www.postoffice.co.uk .

E121 form

For those moving to Spain as pensioners, the state option is the E121, which entitles you to treatment through the Spanish system.

Application forms are available from the DWP (Department of Work & Pensions) more information here: http://www.dwp.gov.uk – You can apply for a EHIC card at a Post Office branch: http://www.postoffice.co.uk .

Registering for healthcare in Spain?

Although it is possible to register yourself in the Spanish Health Service, there are a number of steps required, not least of which are the requirements to be resident and also to be making social security contributions as a result of undertaking paid employment in Spain. As a result, it is very common for Expats to take out private medical insurance, not just for medical care itself, but also for ambulance and dental services as well. If you think that you may fall into this category, it would be wise to take insurance sooner rather than later, so that you do not risk being uninsurable for medical problems which arise over the course of time.