Question
I am trying to register for Spanish Healthcare seguridad social, based on my permanent residency, I do not want to go down the S1 route. I have my TIE, social security number and pardon, it seems I need a letter of legislation from NHS Overseas Healthcare, when I called them, they say they cannot give me this as I am eligible for an S1. Going round in circles, do I actually need a letter of legislation ?
Answers
These are the answers of some Facebook group members:
“You need to be “disowned” by the uk to get into the Spanish system and then the Spanish pay for you, the uk can’t disown you as you’re entitled to healthcare funded by the ukAlso the Spanish won’t want to pay for you if the uk will, and they will so it’s not going to work any other way”
“The legislation letter is for those who are not entitled to an S1….why on earth don’t you want to get health care you are entitled to via S1??”
“Why don’t you want to go down the S1 route? If you’re entitled to an S1, I don’t think you have any choice (other than private healthcare).”
“If your entitled to an S1, then you should have one – then the UK is paying for your healthcare in Spain,Your S1 then covers you in the UK too, and you get a Ehic also for healthcare in rest of Eu.”
“it is all about who funds your care. You seem to want Spain to pay, even though presumably the majority of your national insurance payments were made in the UK. If you had worked here in Spain (and paid contributions) then Spain would fund your health care. But the sensible system exists, that the UK (which received your contributions) pays Spain for your health cover. That’s how it works. But you don’t want the UK to fund your care?”
“If your employer or paying Autonomo you are eligible to state health care. Or You can pay to go on convienio especial, or you need S1 .At end of day Health care is not free, it needs to befunded from somewhere?”
“If you’re retired you need the S1 to get onto the Spainsh health system.”
“If you have the S1, you are still entitled to health care in the U.K. just take your S1 with you when you visit. Read about it on Gov.U.K.”
“Take the S1 and run with it. Why give yourself more bureaucracy?”
“I don’t understand why you don’t want to use the S1. Have you worked/paid social security in Spain? If not, why would you expect Spain to pay for your healthcare when your payments have been made in the UK.”
“Another cryptic request for information, firstly are you able to claim state pension from the UK, secondly once you completed a full year as resident in Spain if not pension age you can apply for public salud at a €60 per month, the only thing that you can not get is low price medication if prescribed, after your age of 65 the monthly charge near trebles, but you can get full on treatment especially if you have pre existing conditions, private won’t like most insurance based medical cover will look for away to not pay. If not pension age you should request a letter from the overseas health department to exempt you from the NHS as now living in Spain as resident. This is my personal experience of private health care and finding the Spanish public salud, I believe that this is a better service also in year’s upto your 65th birthday far cheaper than private as you are fully covered, private health as different levels of cover. Good luck”
“I have the opposite problem, applied for convienio especial but got rejected here due to a live ehic card.I have had to formally request confirmation of my exit from the uk health system.”
“Hi, I just did this a couple of days ago and the letter stating that I wasn’t entitled to health care in the UK was necessary. .. It took quite some wrangling with the official. You also need to prove your antiquity … luckily I still had an old residencia which I took with me. … plus the application form.”
“You really have no choice for state healthcareAs I said above the Spanish will only pay if the uk disown you which they can’t doIf you ring overseas healthcare they’ll post it to you within a month and you’re also entitled to care with it back in the uk”
“I don’t think you have a choice. If you are eligible for an s1, Spain will insist that you request one & register it. And the UK will not give you a “letter of no entitlement to UK state healthcare” because you are entitled to NHS funded care in Spain (via the s1). I think you may have to bite the bullet & go the s1 route – don’t forget that the s1 will also still entitle you for NHS care whenever you are in the UK, plus a EHIC to use in the rest of the EU, whereas you will lose that if you manage to get into the Spanish system based on your length of residency. I can’t understand why you wouldn’t want an s1?”
“https://www.gov.uk/guidance/healthcare-in-spain-including-the-balearic-and-canary-islands?“
“Just get your S1 ,not only for your health care out here in Spain, when or if you go back to the UK, you are eligible for UK NHS cover”
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