New legislation brought into place by the new Conservative Spanish Government on 24th April 2012 means that having private medical health care is vital to become a resident in Spain.
Unfortunately, as with many things in Spain, there are already many conflicting stories being told on expat forums and it is very difficult to find out what the actual changes are. Even the British Embassy are unable to give concrete information on their website. There are many non-committed sentences used on the Healthcare Reforms page, like "you may be asked to show proof that you are covered for healthcare in Spain" and "you may be able to use your S1 form to meet this requirement", neither of which really help when you are actually in the process applying for residencia.
From what we can ascertain it appears that from the 24th April 2012, people applying for residencia will now have to prove that they have a monthly income of about‚ €435 with which to support themselves, and that they have sufficient healthcare cover, be it a private medical insurance plan or by providing an S1 form. We have heard recent reports of UK pensioners, when applying for residencia, having to prove that they are covered by private medical insurance.
Further information can be found on the UK in Spain website.
At Millie Munro Services we feel that it is now even more vital that you are properly covered when it comes to health, not only because of the natural need to plan for our futures, but because it now also makes becoming a resident in Spain much easier, if not essential. We offer a very comprehensive Private Health Insurance Plan that covers your every need. Read more on the Millie Munro Services website.
