With the EHIC you are covered with for emergency medical care, but it does not cover private and non-urgent medical care, dentist and free care also do not apply if the treatment is the only reason for your trip. Keep in mind that some treatments that are free in your country, may not be free in Spain. In this case, the EHIC does not cover the costs.
If you have an emergency, you can call the number 112 or 061.
Spain has two different healthcare providers. The Spanish public health sector also known as Seguridad Social and a large range of private insurers. The Spanish Seguridad Social is the social care system of Spain. This concerns not only healthcare, but also the elderly care, unemployment, and poverty. Below you can see who and how you qualify for the Seguridad Social.
- If you are an employee in Spain, then your employer will pay a contribution to the Seguridad Social for you.
- If you are an employer, then you must take care of your payment by yourself.
- If you have a pension, then you pay the premium via the healthcare insurance contribution to the Health Insurance Board.
After you successfully register with the Seguridad Social, you will receive a paper to register with the local Centro de Salud. Here you have to register and you can choose a doctor. When registering, you are often given the choice of which doctor you want to choose. Tip: Ask which doctor speaks English or another language that you know.
In Spain there are many private insurers to choose from. Important to know is that existing complaints are almost always excluded from insurance and that not everyone is admitted. For admission to private insurance, you must always complete a questionnaire with your medical history. After this an evaluation will be made whether you can be admitted or not. The advantage of private insurance is that you can almost always go to an English-speaking doctor. Depending on your insurer you may or may not have a free choice where to receive treatment.