Question
After being a tax resident in Spain for 1 year and renewing the Spain Non Lucrative Visa do you still need private health insurance or can you pay into the Spanish health care?
Answers
These are the answers of Spainguru’s Spanish Non Lucrative Visa group members:
“My understanding is that if you are under state pension age you can join the Spanish healthcare system by paying into a Convenio Especial, but only after year 1.”
“You CAN join the Convenio after a year subject to the issues mentioned here. And you can also use the S1 if you can get one.”
“Convenio Especial meets the requirements for the Spain Non Lucrative Visa.”
“You can buy into the Spanish health care system, Convenio Especial, and it is qualifying healthcare, but there’s a catch. Insurance policies are written for one year.
You need to be here for a full year before you can apply for Convenio Especial. Depending on where you live, it can take up to several months to get signed up for the public system.”
“If it is available in your area, you can convert to public health, but in reality, you’ll need private for year two for the renewal. Practically speaking, after you’ve been a resident for 12 months, you’ll need the renewed TIE (taking 3-4 months for renewal where I am), plus it may take a couple of months to process you into the public health.”
Conclusion
When renewing a Spain Non Lucrative Visa after one year, it is possible to join the Spanish public healthcare system by paying into the Convenio Especial, assuming you meet certain conditions and are under the state pension age.
However, due to the requirement for continuous health coverage and administrative processing times, many opt to maintain private health insurance to ensure there are no gaps in coverage.
The transition from private to public health care depends heavily on individual circumstances and the ability to align health coverage with visa renewal requirements.
Join our community!
Make sure to join our dedicated Spanish Non Lucrative Visa group here!
