Visa and university approved cover for international and EU students arriving in Spain, ready before you travel
For a Spanish student visa you need private health insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain that covers your whole stay, with no co-payments, no waiting periods and repatriation in case of death. Sanitas International Students meets those rules for students aged 14 to 35, with cover from day one and a minimum stay of three months.
Spanish universities and language schools also routinely ask EU students for proof of private cover on courses longer than three months. We issue the certificate of cover in Spanish for your consulate or university.
If you are heading to Spain to study, your university and the Spanish authorities will require you to hold private health insurance for the whole length of your stay, and you will normally need that policy in place before you travel. Non-EU students applying for a student visa need it to satisfy the consulate. EU students do not need a visa, but Spanish universities and language schools routinely require proof of cover from day one of any course longer than three months.
We are an authorised Sanitas mediator working with international students every day, and we set the policy up before you arrive so you can submit it with your visa file or your university enrolment. We offer two Sanitas plans for the student audience. Sanitas International Students is the dedicated student policy, designed around the visa rules, no co-payments, no waiting periods, available from age 14 to 35. If you fall outside that age band, or want cover that continues after your course ends, we recommend Sanitas Mas Salud, our most comprehensive no co-payment plan, available from age 0 to 75 with no maximum age to remain insured.
Two ways to cover your studies abroad. Pick the dedicated student policy if you are aged 14 to 35, or the comprehensive Sanitas Mas Salud plan if you are 36+ years of age.
From 42,65 € / month
The dedicated student policy – visa ready, no waiting periods
From 61,40 € / month
Comprehensive cover – no age cap to remain insured
Whether you are travelling from outside the EU on a student visa, or from inside the EU on a school or university enrolment, Spain expects you to have private health insurance arranged for the entire length of your stay. Sanitas International Students is built specifically to satisfy those rules.
*The information on visa and university requirements is general guidance based on the rules in force at the time of writing. Specific consulate or university requirements may vary – we are happy to confirm what your particular consulate or institution accepts before you take out the policy.
| Feature | Sanitas International Students | Sanitas Mas Salud | Public healthcare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who can take it | Students aged 14 to 35 at the time of contracting | New members up to age 75; no maximum age to remain insured | Only with social security, an S1 form or, after a year of registered residence, the Convenio Especial |
| Price a month for one student | From 42,65 € (ages 14 to 15); 48,25 € at 16 to 19, 54,35 € at 20 to 30, 61,15 € at 31 to 35. Final pricing depends on age and postcode | From 61,40 € | By working and paying into social security, or for a monthly fee under the Convenio Especial |
| Co-payments | None | None | Nothing to pay at the consultation |
| Waiting periods | None: every covered service is available from day one | Standard Sanitas waiting periods on non-emergency services (3, 6, 8 and 10 months); GPs, specialists and routine care from day one | Your GP refers you and you wait your turn |
| Consulate certificate | Yes: a Spanish certificate of cover in the format consulates expect | Accepted for a Spanish student visa; add repatriation cover when the policy starts | No: the consulate expects private health insurance from an insurer authorised to operate in Spain |
| Repatriation | Included | Add-on, which can only be added when the policy starts or at renewal | No: state healthcare only, no repatriation |
| Stays valid after the course | No: the policy ends automatically at the end of your studies | Yes: no maximum age to remain insured, so you can keep the same policy for life | Only while you keep your entitlement, for example by working and paying into social security |
Yes. Sanitas designed International Students specifically to adapt to the visa and residency requirements set by Spanish consulates. The policy has zero co-payments, zero waiting periods and full cover from day one, which is exactly what consulates and Spanish universities ask for. We provide a Spanish certificate of cover that you can submit with your visa or N.I.E. application.
Most Spanish universities and language schools require all enrolled students to hold a private health insurance policy if their stay is longer than 3 months, regardless of nationality. The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) covers necessary state healthcare only - no private care and no repatriation - and some universities and language schools ask for a private policy as proof of cover instead. Sanitas International Students fits the same requirement with zero co-payments and full English-language support.
You can take out International Students between the ages of 14 and 35. Age 35 is also the maximum insurability age, so the policy cannot be renewed past that point. If you are 36 or older, or if you turn 36 during your studies, the right product is Sanitas Mas Salud, which has no maximum insurability age and the same zero co-payment structure.
Cover ends at the renewal following your 36th birthday. We help you switch to Sanitas Mas Salud or another suitable plan before that date so there is no gap in cover. Contact us a few months before renewal and we will arrange the change.
No. Sanitas International Students excludes pregnancy, delivery and newborn care. If pregnancy cover is important to you, the right plan is Sanitas Mas Salud, which includes pregnancy. Childbirth is covered after the standard 8-month waiting period.
Yes. International Students includes Sanitas Dental 21, with more than 40 dental services included and 21% off all other treatments across the Sanitas dental network. The Sanitas Mas Salud plan includes the same dental package. Both plans give access to free check-ups, cleanings and discounted treatments at network dental clinics.
For International Students you will need a valid passport or national ID card (not a driving license), your Spanish address (or the school's address if you have not yet arrived) and a study certificate or letter of acceptance from a Spanish university, language school or accredited education centre. The minimum stay covered by the policy is 3 months. We help you put together the application in English and walk you through the medical underwriting questions.
Sanitas International Students has zero waiting periods, so every covered service is available from day one. Sanitas Mas Salud applies the standard Sanitas waiting periods on non-emergency services only: 3 months for Group 0 to II surgery, 6 months for complex diagnostics and psychology, 8 months for childbirth or caesarean, and 10 months for hospitalisation, Group III to VIII surgery and complex therapeutics. General practitioners (GPs), specialists and routine care start from day one on both plans.
Indicative monthly premiums per insured in most provinces are €42.65 for ages 14 to 15 and €48.25 for ages 16 to 19. Ages 20 to 30 pay €54.35 and ages 31 to 35 pay €61.15. Final pricing depends on age and postcode. Sanitas applies a 4% annual discount. Get an instant quote and we will confirm the exact figure.
Your policy will end automatically at the end of your studies. If you are staying on, for example switching to a work visa, post-graduate studies or general residency, we can move you to Sanitas Mas Salud or another plan that fits your new status. Contact us a few weeks before your policy ends so we can arrange the transition or continuation without a gap in cover.
Yes. Once the policy is active, emergency medical cover abroad is included on Sanitas International Students and Sanitas Mas Salud for trips of up to 90 days. That is useful for holidays, weekend trips or going home between semesters. Cover inside Spain uses the Sanitas network of more than 58,000 medical professionals and 4,500 centres.
Sanitas International Students covers a minimum stay of three months. The premium is paid for the duration of the course up to a maximum of 14 months. The policy is renewable while the student remains enrolled and within the 14 to 35 age band. The policy ends automatically at the end of the studies.
For students aged 14 to 35 who are in Spain for their studies, we recommend the Sanitas International Students program. It has no co-payments, no waiting periods, includes repatriation and is the cheaper of the two plans. If you are 36 or older, or plan to stay in Spain after your course, we recommend Sanitas Mas Salud, which has no maximum age to remain insured.
Yes, you can apply. Sanitas International Students uses standard Sanitas medical underwriting, so you answer five health questions on the application. Sanitas then accepts the condition, excludes it permanently, covers it with a higher premium (rare) or declines the application. We walk you through the questionnaire in English. Read our guide to private health insurance in Spain with pre-existing conditions.
Yes. You can get a quote and apply online in seconds from anywhere in the world, and the policy is issued in your name before you travel. We then provide a Spanish certificate of cover in the format consulates expect, for you to submit with your visa application.
Yes. Sanitas International Students includes psychology with a maximum of 15 sessions per year, and psychology has no waiting period. The plan also includes Sanitas Blua digital health, which gives a 24-hour emergency video general practitioner (GP) and video consultations with specialists by appointment through the app.
Travel insurance and home-country policies are usually not enough for a Spanish student visa. The consulate expects private health insurance from an insurer authorised to operate in Spain, with no co-payments, no waiting periods and repatriation in case of death. Travel insurance is built for short trips, emergencies and cancellations, not for living and studying in Spain.
If your student visa is refused before your Sanitas International Students policy has started, you can cancel the policy and ask for a full refund. You need official proof of the refusal, such as a letter from the consulate. Send it to us and we process the cancellation.
Apply for Sanitas International Students at least two days before you need your insurance certificate. In many cases the policy documents are issued within a few hours of your payment being confirmed. Payments are processed Monday to Friday during business hours, so a payment made at the weekend is processed the next working day.
No. You show your card at Sanitas network centres, with nothing to pay at reception. You pay the provider directly and then claim back the eligible percentage only on the reimbursement route, where a plan has it: Sanitas Mas 90 pays 70% of eligible costs at providers outside the network, and Sanitas Premium 500 reimburses 90%.
Get a personalised quote in seconds from anywhere in the world, or talk to one of our bilingual student specialists in English or Spanish before you travel.
HealthPlan Spain is an authorised Sanitas agency, agent code 22395, regulated by the Direccion General de Seguros y Fondos de Pensiones (DGSFP), registration C0320X5769518Z. English-speaking office at Calle Valentuñana 2, 29601 Marbella. Open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, and Saturday, 9am to 2pm, by phone or email.
*Sanitas International Students has zero waiting periods. Sanitas Mas Salud applies standard waiting periods of 3 to 10 months on certain non-emergency services. Pregnancy and childbirth are excluded from the International Students plan. Premiums shown are indicative and depend on age / province.
The best health insurance for an international student in Spain is a policy both your consulate and your university will accept. That means full cover in Spain for the whole course, no co-payments, no waiting periods and repatriation, from an insurer authorised in Spain. Sanitas International Students was designed by Sanitas around those rules for ages 14 to 35, with Sanitas Dental 21 and emergency cover abroad included.
Sanitas is one of Spain's leading private medical insurers, backed by Bupa and trusted by over 3 million members. The International Students plan is built around what incoming students actually need before they travel: zero co-payments, zero waiting periods, a Spanish language certificate that meets visa and university requirements, and access to a network of more than 58,000 healthcare professionals and 4,500 medical centres for when you land.
Compare plans, get your quote and apply online in seconds from anywhere in the world, or speak to a specialist who will walk you through which plan fits your age, course length and visa situation.