If you need to obtain or renew your Residence Permit or Visa to come to Spain, you will require private health insurance. This insurance must meet specific requirements set by the Spanish government.

For your situation, Sanitas offers the best health insurance for Spanish Visas, the Sanitas Más Salud policy. You will need to choose the no co-payment option and add the repatriation addon to your policy (depending on your country of origin), to meet all the requirements and thus be able to obtain your visa or residence permit in Spain.

The Sanitas Más Salud product range includes Sanitas Más Salud Familias, an option that will be suitable if several family members are traveling to Spain. In addition to discounts for more than three insured individuals on the same policy, this family option already includes the family assistance addon, which is very useful for both children and grown-ups.

In this guide, we will explain in detail why Sanitas Más Salud is the perfect health insurance for Spanish Visas or Residence Permits, as well as the 3 steps to follow to purchase it easily and quickly.

1.- REQUIREMENTS for your Health Insurance for Expats in Spain

By choosing Sanitas Más Salud with no co-payments + Repatriation addon, you will be complying with all official requirements to obtain your visa or residence permit. These requirements are as follows:

• Comprehensive and Full Coverage:

The policy must cover general medical assistance, hospitalization, emergencies, and prescribed medications.

This includes consultations with medical specialists, diagnostic tests, and necessary treatments.

• Coverage Throughout Spain:

The insurance must be valid throughout the entire Spanish territory, providing medical assistance anywhere in the country.

• Recognized Insurance Company:

The insurance company must be recognized and authorized to operate in Spain.

Sanitas, one of the leading medical insurance companies in the country, certainly meets this requirement.

• No Co-payments or Deductibles:

This means you must not pay each time you use medical services.

The total cost must be included in the annual insurance premium.

• Policy Duration:

The policy must cover the entire period of your visa or residence permit.

All Sanitas health insurance policies will cover you for a minimum of 12 months.

• Repatriation Included:

The policy must cover the costs of repatriation in the unfortunate event of death.

These are the common requirements for obtaining any visa to come to Spain, whether it is a Digital Nomad Visa, a Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV), or other types of visas. Sanitas processes countless policies for expatriates annually, which is one of the reasons for its high reputation.

Nevertheless, please check with your embassy or consulate for the specific requirements applicable to your personal case to ensure you meet all of them. For example, you may not need the repatriation addon if your country of origin is part of the European Union.

2.- FEATURES of the Sanitas Más Salud Insurance

You can purchase your Sanitas Más Salud health insurance if your age does not exceed 75 years.

In addition to those necessary for obtaining the visa or residency, the additional coverages of Sanitas Más Salud with no co-payments are:

• Dental 21 addon Included:

You can enjoy more than 30 free services and access over 170 services with discounts of up to 21%.

• Travel Assistance addon Included:

Emergency assistance during trips abroad of up to €12,000 per insured person per year, in collaboration with Europ Assistance.

• Primary Medical Care and Emergencies:

General medicine, ambulance service, Sanitas 24h, special home care, pediatrics, nursing services, and emergency services, etc. You can also request a second medical opinion.

• Access to Doctors and Medical Specialties:

Dermatology, allergology, psychiatry, endocrinology, urology, cardiology, ophthalmology, gynecology, traumatology, oncology, dietetics and nutrition, etc. Includes a childbirth preparation program and a child health program.

• Preventive Medicine and Psychology Services:

Prevention of breast and cervical cancer, coronary risk prevention, and colorectal cancer prevention.

Treatment for issues such as depression, anorexia, insomnia, marital counseling, and stress.

• Therapeutic Methods and Diagnostic Tests:

Endoscopies, ultrasounds, X-rays, mammograms, pap smears, clinical analyses and tests (including prenatal), MRI/CAT scans, etc. Also includes cancer treatments, rehabilitation, speech therapy, radiotherapy, respiratory therapy, etc.

• MRI/CAT Scan Technology:

At Sanitas, we use the most advanced technology, providing precise diagnosis for the detection of tumours and other internal conditions.

• Hospitalization with a Private Room:

In-patient and out-patient surgery. The costs of the operating room and medication will be included, in a single room with a bed for a companion (except in cases of psychiatric hospitalization).

• COVID-19 Coverage:

The coronavirus will be fully covered by your policy.

• Video Consultation Service:

Our experts will help you design and implement fully digital and personalized health plans for the whole family.

Digital Programs: nutrition, personal trainer, pregnancy, child health, psychology, pelvic floor, smoking cessation, physiotherapy, etc.

You will also have access to the 24-hour Emergency service via video consultation, for both general and pediatric emergencies.

• Online Platform:

You will have your own online account within the Sanitas platform, from where you can search for the doctors you wish to visit.

• Multilingual Assistance:

You will have multilingual telephone and online assistance, and your policy documents will be available in both Spanish and English.

3.- PURCHASING your Health Insurance for Expatriates in Spain

Step 1: Request your personalized quote

The first thing you will need to do is request a quote from us, which we will calculate based on the age of the insured individuals, the city where you will reside in Spain, and the month your policy needs to start.

For us to send you this quote, you simply need to fill out this short form.

In it, you will need to select Sanitas Más Salud no co-payment + Repatriation supplement, and add your personal details.

We will send you your personalized quote, as well as detailed information about the policy’s features and coverage.

You will receive all information and documents in your preferred language, Spanish or English.

Please remember we can only provide quotes up to 3 months in advance (current month + the next 2 months).

If your trip to Spain is further away than that, we can send you an estimate, but you will have to wait until 3 months before your trip to obtain your final personalized quote.

Step 2: Formalize your policy and make the payment

If you agree with the quote you have received, we will require a photo of the passport or NIE of all individuals to be included in the policy. The documents must be valid, and the policyholder’s document must include a signature.

We will send you a link where you will need to fill out a more comprehensive online form. Once completed and validated, we will send you your insurance application to sign and return to us, or a link where you can sign digitally if you have a Spanish bank account.

We will also provide the necessary details for you to make the payment for your policy. You can pay via bank transfer, with your credit or debit card, or by monthly, quarterly, or semi-annual direct debit if you have a Spanish bank account.

If you do not have a Spanish bank account, payment must be made for the full year at the time of purchasing the policy.

In all cases, annual payments receive a 4% discount.

Step 3: Receive your official certificate

Finally, we will ask for proof of payment for your policy. Once verified, we will send you your official certificate to present when applying for or renewing your visa or residence permit. The entire purchase process can take 2 to 5 days, depending on how quickly you send us the documents and make the payment.

By purchasing your policy through Insurance Expat Spain, you can easily make any inquiries or requests related to your policy for its entire duration. You can contact us by email or WhatsApp, and we will assist you with whatever you may need.

The policy can only be cancelled in the event of a visa denial. Should this occur, you can request a refund of the policy amount by presenting the embassy’s documentation showing the visa denial. If the visa is denied before the policy begins, you will receive 100% of the policy cost. If the policy has already started, the corresponding portion will be refunded. The refund of the policy cost can take up to one month.

You may already know that Sanitas is the leader in private health insurance in Spain, so you will have made an excellent decision by purchasing your Health Insurance for Spanish Visas with us.

We hope you simply enjoy your stay in Spain.

But you can rest assured, knowing that you are more than covered should the need arise.