Which health insurance company is the best in Spain?

For an English speaker moving to Spain, Sanitas. It has the largest medical network of the four big insurers and the only English-language app that finds you a doctor in your language. Its plans are accepted for every visa and residency application, it takes new members up to 75, and Sanitas Unico has no upper age limit. The other three big insurers are Adeslas, Asisa and DKV.

How much does private health insurance cost in Spain?

On the 2026 Sanitas tariff, a healthy adult aged 30 to 39 living in mainland Spain pays between €29.00 and €116.82 a month for private health insurance. The lower figure is Sanitas Accede, an outpatient plan with copayments, and the higher is full cover without copayments; every price depends on your age and your province. Our calculator gives the exact figure for your household.

Is Sanitas a good health insurance in Spain?

Yes for most people moving to Spain: the largest medical network, its own hospitals, plans accepted for every visa and residency application, and no waiting lists. It is not the cheapest of the four, and conditions you already have are usually excluded.

What health insurance do I need for a non-lucrative visa in Spain?

A Spanish policy with no copayments, no waiting periods and full hospital cover, from an insurer authorised in Spain, with a certificate for the consulate. Sanitas Residents Visa is built for it, and Sanitas issues the consulate certificate when the policy activates.

Can foreigners get health insurance in Spain?

Yes. Sanitas insures people who are still abroad and applying for a visa or residency, and you do not need a NIE to start. The main plans take new members up to 75, and Sanitas Unico has no upper age limit.

Which health insurer in Spain has the biggest medical network?

Sanitas, with more than 58,000 doctors and specialists and 4,500 centres. Adeslas, Asisa and DKV each publish a network of between 50,000 and 52,000 professionals. Whether a hospital is owned by the insurer or contracted makes no difference to you: what matters is that the doctor and the hospital you want are in the network.

Health Insurance Explained

Best health insurance in Spain in 2026: why we chose Sanitas

Written by Sean Guy, authorised Sanitas agent (agent code 22395) and DGSFP-registered insurance mediator (C0320X5769518Z), Marbella · Reviewed 7 September 2026

A paper cut-out family protected by four hands on a blue background

Which health insurance is best in Spain for an English speaker?

Four insurers cover most private patients in Spain: Adeslas, Sanitas, Asisa and DKV. For an English speaker moving to Spain, Sanitas is the best of them, and it is the only insurer we sell. Its plans are accepted for every visa and residency application.

Who arranges it: HealthPlan Spain is an authorised Sanitas agent (agent code 22395) in Marbella that arranges Sanitas policies in English, at the same price as buying direct from Sanitas.

We are a Sanitas agency in Marbella, and we say so up front. This page explains why, what the cheaper prices you will see elsewhere actually buy, and which Sanitas plan fits your situation. The figures below come from the insurers' own websites and policy conditions, and the sources are listed at the foot of the page.

The four insurers

Sanitas has been part of Bupa, the British health group, since 1989. Adeslas belongs to Mutua Madrilena and CaixaBank. Asisa is owned by a cooperative of doctors. DKV is part of the German group ERGO and takes the ERGO name from 2027. All four sell a plan built for the Spanish visa and residency rules, and all four normally exclude a condition you already have. The differences that matter to an English speaker start after you arrive. That is when you need a doctor you can talk to, an app you can read, and a policy that still takes you on at 75.

Why Sanitas is the best choice for an English speaker

The largest medical network in Spain. More than 58,000 doctors and specialists and 4,500 centres. The other three big insurers each publish between 50,000 and 52,000. Sanitas also runs its own hospitals in Madrid and Barcelona, 31 medical centres and more than 200 dental clinics.
The only English-language app that finds you a doctor in your language. The Sanitas app is in English and filters the directory by the language the doctor speaks. Adeslas and Asisa publish their apps in Spanish only. our medical directory lists the Sanitas doctors by town so you can check your area before you buy.
A 24-hour video GP in English, included. Blua, the Sanitas digital health service, comes with every plan: a 24-hour video GP, video consultations in every specialty, digital physio and health programmes.
Accepted for every visa, from abroad, without a NIE. Sanitas Residents Visa has no waiting periods, and Sanitas issues the consulate certificate when the policy activates. Some insurers will not sell their visa plan until you already hold a NIE. Sanitas insures you before you leave home. See health insurance for a Spanish visa.
It takes you at an age others do not. Sanitas Mas Salud and Residents Visa accept new members up to 75, where Adeslas and Asisa stop at 70 on their full-cover plans, and Sanitas Unico has no upper age limit at all.
No waiting lists, and you choose the specialist. GP and specialist consultations, everyday tests and emergencies are covered from the day the policy starts, and you book the specialist yourself, without a referral.
Switching is simple, and Bupa members switch on the same terms. After a year insured with another Spanish insurer, or with Bupa anywhere in the world, Sanitas waives the waiting periods, except for childbirth. See switching to Sanitas.
Psychology, cancer care and dental are included on the main plans, not sold as extras.
Trusted by Real Madrid, Amazon and the banks. Sanitas is the official medical provider to Real Madrid, the Spanish national football team and Spain's Olympic and Paralympic teams. Amazon gives every employee in Spain a Sanitas policy from their first day, Apple's Spanish store staff hold one, and IE University insures its students with it. BBVA, Banco Sabadell, Generali and Santalucia chose Sanitas to underwrite the health insurance they sell.
Bought through the number one English-speaking Sanitas agency since 2011. We got there on knowledge of the product, not by trading under the insurer's name. What that means for you is set out below.

Why buy Sanitas through us

We are appointed and paid by Sanitas, exactly as a branded office is. You pay the same premium whichever door you walk through. What differs is everything else.

People, not a shopfront. The same English-speaking team handles your application, your consulate documents, your renewal and every claim or authorisation question, by phone and email, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm and Saturdays from 9am to 2pm. That is a ten-hour day and a six-day week, not a branded office that shuts at 3pm. You are not passed to a switchboard, and you are not sold whatever is on the poster that month.
Knowledge of the product, not a logo over the door. Fifteen years of selling one insurer means we know every plan's conditions, every waiting period and every copayment, and where each one bites. That is what separates advice from a brand name.
Know before you buy. Our quote calculator gives the exact Sanitas price for your age and province before you speak to anyone. Every plan's conditions are here to download, and more than sixty plain-English guides explain how the cover works. No other agent or branded office gives you all three before you pick up the phone.
Registered in our own name. We are insurance mediators registered with the Spanish regulator under our own name, code C0320X5769518Z, with an office in Marbella you can walk into.

The best Sanitas plan for each situation

The right plan depends on why you are buying. Each situation below names the plan we would price first and the one fact that decides it.

Best for a non-lucrative or digital nomad visa: Residents Visa

Sanitas Residents Visa passes the consulate's test, has no waiting periods, and Sanitas issues the consulate certificate when the policy activates. The plan you buy for the visa is the plan you live with afterwards, so the English app matters from month one. See health insurance for a Spanish visa.

Best for a student visa: Sanitas International Students

Sanitas International Students meets the student visa rules, with dental and repatriation included.

Best for an EU citizen registering as resident: Mas Salud

Sanitas Mas Salud gives full cover in Spain with no copayments from the day it starts. See health insurance for residency.

Best for a family: Mas Salud Family

Mas Salud Family adds family discounts, extra paediatric and speech therapy cover, and no waiting period for psychology.

Best for the self-employed: Sanitas Professional

Sanitas Professional is priced for the autonomo and includes accidental death funeral cover up to €5,250.

Best over 60, or if you have been turned away elsewhere: Unico

Mas Salud takes new members up to 75, and Sanitas Unico has no upper age limit.

Best if you live outside Spain for part of the year: Premium 500 or Top Quantum

Premium 500 and Top Quantum add worldwide reimbursement on top of the Spanish network.

Best on a budget: Accede or Avanza

Sanitas Accede and Sanitas Avanza keep the premium low by charging a copayment per visit, but they are not accepted for a visa. Read how copayments work.

If you have a condition already

Every insurer asks the same questionnaire and normally excludes the condition. Read how pre-existing conditions are handled before you apply anywhere.

Why the cheaper prices you will see are not cheaper

Every insurer advertises a low monthly price. Read what it buys. The cheap plan is usually outpatient only, with no hospital cover, and every visit then carries a copayment. Choose the tier you are shopping in, then pick up to three plans to set side by side. Each header shows who the advertised price is actually for, and each row shows what you pay at the door. Figures are from each insurer's own 2026 tariff and copayment schedule, checked in September 2026.

Compare plans for

Choose plans to compare (up to 3)

What you get	Asisa YaFrom €14.40 per month, age 5 to 24, Madrid, before taxNot for visa / residency	DKV Integral CompletFrom €17 per month, first-year offer for a nine-year-old, then €26Not for visa / residency	Adeslas GOFrom €21 per month, age 0 to 54Not for visa / residency	Sanitas AccedeFrom €22.10 per month, age 3 to 15; €29 at 20 to 39Not for visa / residencyPolicy details	Asisa Completa+From €31.55 per month, a ten-year-old in Madrid, before taxNot for visa / residency	Sanitas AvanzaFrom €33.60 per month, age 3 to 15; €38.20 at 20 to 39Not for visa / residencyPolicy details	Sanitas Mas Salud OptimaFrom €36.00 per month, age 3 to 15, cheapest provincesNot for visa / residencyPolicy details	Adeslas Plena VitalFrom €38 per month, age 0 to 24Not for visa / residency	Sanitas Mas Salud PlusFrom €46.30 per month, age 3 to 15, cheapest provincesNot for visa / residencyPolicy details	DKV Integral ClassicFrom €51 per month, a nine-year-old; €33 first-year offerNot for visa / residency
Hospital cover	Not covered	Covered, €29 a day	Not covered. No hospital stay, no surgery	Not covered	Covered, €6 per admission	No hospital stay; 400 outpatient operations covered	Covered	Covered, no copayment in hospital	Covered	Covered, no copayment per day
GP visit	€7	€13.50	€9	€5	€2.50	First six services free, then €5	€4 to €15, rising with use	€7	First six services free, then €4 to €10	€2.30
Specialist visit	€10	€23	€16	€5	€3	First six services free, then €5	€4 to €15, rising with use	€14.50	First six services free, then €4 to €10	€3.50
Tests	€14 if authorised	€13.50 blood test; €110 CT	€16; €70 for a scan	€12	€6 if authorised	€12	€12 for complex tests	€11.50; €45 for a scan	Counts as one service on the scale (first six free, then €4 to €10)	€2.95
MRI	€40	€185	€120	Not covered	€10	€12	€12	€45	Counts as one service on the scale (first six free, then €4 to €10)	€2.95
Hospital emergency	€14, not covered if admitted	€67	Not covered if admitted	€8	€6	€8	€8	€14.50	Counts as one service on the scale (first six free, then €4 to €10)	€3.50
Yearly cap on copayments	€250	€600	€260 under 55; none from 55	€290	None published	€350	None	€300	€360	€600
Maximum age to join	85	75	70	59	70	59	75	70	75	75
Dental included	Not published	50 treatments	No	Basic dental, €3 per visit day	Basic dental	Basic dental	More than 40 treatments, Dental 21	No; €17.85 a month extra	More than 40 treatments, Dental 21	50 treatments
Waiting period for a scan	6 months	6 months	3 months	No waiting periods	6 months	6 months	6 months	3 months	6 months	6 months

Choose plans to compare (up to 3)

What you get	Asisa CompletaFrom €54.75 per month, a ten-year-old in Madrid, before taxVisa via a separate plan	DKV Integral EliteFrom €56 per month, a nine-year-old; €39 first-year offerVisa via a separate plan	Sanitas Mas SaludFrom €61.40 per month, age 3 to 15, cheapest provincesVisa / residency readyPolicy details	Adeslas Plena PlusFrom €62 per month, age 0 to 24Visa via a separate plan	Sanitas Residents VisaFrom €76.89 per month, youngest band, per person on a two-person policyVisa / residency readyPolicy details
Hospital cover	Covered in full	Covered in full	Covered in full	Covered in full	Covered in full
Copayments	None	None	No copayment	None	No copayment
Price at 30, one adult, on the insurer's tariff	€66.55	Not published	€89.53 to €116.82	€72 to €79	Use our calculator
Price at 70, one adult	Closed at 70; €194.40 at 65	Not published	€219.02 to €293.79	€255 to €297, the last year they take you	Use our calculator
Maximum age to join	70	75	75	70	75
Dental included	Basic dental	50 treatments	More than 40 treatments, Dental 21	No; €17.85 a month extra	45 treatments
App in English	No, Spanish only	Yes	Yes, with the doctor-language filter	No, Spanish only	Yes, with the doctor-language filter
Accepted for a visa	No. Asisa sells a separate plan, with Spanish-only service	No. DKV sells a separate plan	Yes	No. Adeslas sells a separate plan, and asks for a NIE first	Yes, with no waiting periods for non-EU applicants
Waiting periods waived when you switch	Yes, after a year insured elsewhere	Not stated	Yes, after a year elsewhere, except childbirth	Not stated	Yes, and none at all for non-EU applicants

What you get	Sanitas Top QuantumFrom €64.40 per month, age 3 to 15, cheapest provincesVisa / residency readyPolicy details	Asisa Reembolso 240,000From €82.95 per month, a ten-year-old in Madrid, before taxResidents of Spain only	Sanitas Premium 500From €94.00 per month, age 3, cheapest provincesVisa / residency readyPolicy details	DKV Mundisalud EliteFrom €135 per month, a nine-year-old; €88 first-year offerVisa / residency ready
Yearly reimbursement limit	€10,000 included; optional worldwide cover up to €300,000	€240,000	€500,000 per person	€310,000
Reimbursed outside the network	80% on the optional worldwide cover	90% in Spain, 80% to 90% abroad	90%, in Spain or abroad	90%
Copayments	No copayment	None	No copayment	None
Cover in the USA	On the optional worldwide cover	Not stated	Yes, with access to a USA network	Not stated
Maximum age to join	75	70	64	75
Dental included	Included	Basic dental	65 treatments	50 treatments
Hospital cover in Spain	Covered in full	Covered in full	Covered in full	Covered in full

Put a normal year through those tables: ten specialist visits and one MRI. On Sanitas Avanza that costs €32. On Asisa Ya it costs €140, on Adeslas GO €232, and on DKV Integral Complet €415. Sanitas Accede has no waiting periods at all; the other three entry plans make you wait three to six months for a scan.

Now compare like with like: full cover with no copayments. Adeslas Plena Plus starts at €62 for the under-25s and closes to new members at 70. A 30-year-old pays about €72 to €79, a 60-year-old €175 to €207, a 70-year-old €255 to €297, and dental is €17.85 a month on top. Sanitas Mas Salud costs €89.53 at 30 to 39 in the cheapest provinces, with dental included. It is level with Adeslas at 60, costs no more than Adeslas at 70, and still takes new members until 75. Asisa's no-copayment plan also closes at 70. DKV publishes only a first-year offer price for a nine-year-old. Sanitas does not price itself above the others for nothing: the difference buys the network, the English service, dental inside the premium and a policy you can still take out after 70.

What it costs

Sanitas prices depend on your age, your province and the plan. On the 2026 Sanitas tariff, a healthy adult aged 30 to 39 living in mainland Spain pays between €29.00 and €116.82 a month for private health insurance. The lower figure is Sanitas Accede, which has copayments, and the higher is full cover without copayments. Use our calculator for the exact figure for your household, or read what health insurance costs in Spain.

Our view

For an English speaker moving to Spain, Sanitas is the insurer we would choose, and it is the one we sell. Anyone can sell you the brand. Knowing which plan, which waiting period and which copayment fits your life is what we have done since 2011. Read our full Sanitas review for the full picture, and ask us if your case does not fit the list above.

Official sources

The facts on this page can be checked against these documents and official pages.

Frequently asked questions

Which health insurance company is the best in Spain?: For an English speaker moving to Spain, Sanitas. It has the largest medical network of the four big insurers and the only English-language app that finds you a doctor in your language. Its plans are accepted for every visa and residency application, it takes new members up to 75, and Sanitas Unico has no upper age limit. The other three big insurers are Adeslas, Asisa and DKV.
How much does private health insurance cost in Spain?: On the 2026 Sanitas tariff, a healthy adult aged 30 to 39 living in mainland Spain pays between €29.00 and €116.82 a month for private health insurance. The lower figure is Sanitas Accede, an outpatient plan with copayments, and the higher is full cover without copayments; every price depends on your age and your province. Our calculator gives the exact figure for your household.
Is Sanitas a good health insurance in Spain?: Yes for most people moving to Spain: the largest medical network, its own hospitals, plans accepted for every visa and residency application, and no waiting lists. It is not the cheapest of the four, and conditions you already have are usually excluded.
What health insurance do I need for a non-lucrative visa in Spain?: A Spanish policy with no copayments, no waiting periods and full hospital cover, from an insurer authorised in Spain, with a certificate for the consulate. Sanitas Residents Visa is built for it, and Sanitas issues the consulate certificate when the policy activates.
Can foreigners get health insurance in Spain?: Yes. Sanitas insures people who are still abroad and applying for a visa or residency, and you do not need a NIE to start. The main plans take new members up to 75, and Sanitas Unico has no upper age limit.
Which health insurer in Spain has the biggest medical network?: Sanitas, with more than 58,000 doctors and specialists and 4,500 centres. Adeslas, Asisa and DKV each publish a network of between 50,000 and 52,000 professionals. Whether a hospital is owned by the insurer or contracted makes no difference to you: what matters is that the doctor and the hospital you want are in the network.

Sources

Figures checked in September 2026 against the insurers' own websites and policy conditions.

Sanitas network: our medical directory and our hospital network page. Sanitas plan facts: the general conditions of each plan, listed under Official sources above, and the plan pages on this site, starting with the Sanitas health insurance plans.
Adeslas: the general conditions and 2026 tariffs of Adeslas GO, Plena Vital and Plena Plus. Asisa: the general conditions and 2026 tariffs of Asisa Ya, Completa+, Completa and Reembolso 240,000. DKV: the general conditions and 2026 tariffs of DKV Integral Complet, Classic and Elite and of DKV Mundisalud Elite. Network sizes, age limits, app languages and copayments as published by each insurer, checked September 2026.

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