Last Updated on April 21, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi
Question
“Do we need a full year health insurance policy to renew the Spain non lucrative visa year 2/3?
Asssa tell us we only need a policy in place and as this is our second year with them the current premium only takes us to end December before we have to take out a full year again with them.
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Start the Moving to Spain Hub →Our lawyer says we need the full year to June 26 as our renewal is in July 25. If we do this with Asssa we have to pay for 18 months to end December 26. There is conflicting advice on this everywhere so just wondered if anyone has just had a policy in place or a full year.
It sort of makes sense that you don’t need a year as I’m pretty sure you don’t need a policy to take to end of year 3 in place so why would you to end year 2? Thank you!”
Answers
“We renewed year 2/3 last autumn with 4 months left on our ASSSA policy. I submitted my certificate and receipts. The certificate says it’s on automatic renewal anyway. They didn’t query it and the instructions just said proof of health cover. This was Alicante though.”
“Exactly the same with us, with ASSSA and it will be 16 months we pay for! No budging. I think it is time to look elsewhere, in our case we will still need health insurance in 2027, but the dates are just never going to align!”
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“It’s very annoying as we were not informed when we took it out that this would be the case the second year, we would have chosen a different company at the outset!”
“We are also with ASSSA and with similar timings. You need a full year. Insurance with them is a calendar year, so they should give you a policy that’s split in two if that makes sense, but you still need to show the full year certificate.”
“We have tried to get the policy split in two but have been told we have to pay now to end December and then a full year. We don’t want to do this as we may pay into the Spanish system instead after the next year 🙄”
“Asssa are very naughty in this regard. We had the same so I cancelled and went with someone else. Remember to give Asssa over 1 month notice in writing. I think we are with Sanitas now. Not needed it, but it’s there if we do. Oh and they were more competitive on cost xxx”
“Yes I will remember that now, thank you, will definitely be choosing another company for renewal x”
“We needed a full year when we renewed yrs 2/3 😞”
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The Spainguru community has experienced mixed outcomes regarding the health insurance requirement for renewing the Spain non lucrative visa.
While some members successfully renewed with only a partial remaining policy period and automatic renewal clauses (notably in Alicante), others—particularly with ASSSA—were required to show proof of a full 12-month policy.
ASSSA’s rigid annual policy structure often leads to users paying for up to 18 months of coverage to align with visa timelines. Several members voiced frustration over the lack of transparency at the outset and suggested switching providers for more flexible terms.
The consensus leans toward erring on the side of caution by maintaining a full-year policy to meet renewal requirements, especially in regions where immigration offices strictly enforce the rule.
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