Most long-stay visa and residence applications for Spain require health cover. The problem is usually not whether you have insurance but what kind: some policies common in Türkiye, and travel insurance in general, are not accepted for these applications. This article summarises the cover required for each visa type and what to check when choosing a policy.
Short-stay versus long-stay visas
For a Schengen short-stay visa (type C), travel medical insurance is enough. Under the EU Visa Code, it must provide at least €30,000 of cover and be valid throughout the Schengen area. The policy must cover the whole trip, including emergency treatment, hospital treatment and repatriation for medical reasons.
For long-stay visas and residence permits (type D), travel insurance is not accepted. The requirements published by the Consulate General in Istanbul for the digital nomad visa, for example, state expressly that travel insurance is not valid. These applications call for health insurance with cover comparable to the Spanish public health system. If you will apply for a residence permit while in Spain on a short-stay visa, your travel insurance is not enough either; you need a policy suitable for a long stay.
The core requirements for a policy
The new Regulation on Foreign Nationals (Real Decreto 1155/2024) defines the insurance needed for a student visa as follows: a policy with an insurer authorised to operate in Spain, providing benefits similar to the common basic services of the Spanish National Health System, and valid for the whole planned stay. A similar approach is taken for other visa types. In practice, the points checked are:
- Insurer: It must be authorised to operate in Spain. A policy from a company that operates only in Türkiye generally does not meet this requirement. You can check an insurer's status in the registers of Spain's Directorate-General for Insurance and Pension Funds (DGSFP).
- Cover: General practitioner, specialists, emergency care, hospital stays and surgery should all be covered.
- Duration: The policy must cover the entire period of the visa or permit. In practice, a policy of at least one year is often requested.
- Waiting periods and co-payments: Many consulates, particularly for the non-lucrative visa, require a policy without waiting periods (carencias) and without co-payments (copagos).
- Repatriation: Some consulates also require cover for repatriation in the event of death.
Each consulate publishes its own document list, and the details can differ. Reading the current list of the consulate you will apply to before buying a policy avoids the most common mistake. Tell the insurer the certificate is for a visa application; many insurers issue a standard letter for that purpose.
By visa type
- Non-lucrative visa: As you will not be working, you have no access to the public system and private health insurance is mandatory. The requirements are applied most strictly for this visa.
- Student visa: Private insurance is required. If the student later starts working and registers with social security, the regulation treats that registration as meeting the insurance requirement.
- Digital nomad visa: Public or private cover is accepted. If you will register with Spanish social security, you will be covered by the public health system. If an international social security agreement applies, a certificate of entitlement from the competent institution is submitted instead of insurance.
- Work permit: Once you start work and are registered with social security, you are covered by the public health system.
- Family reunification: The Regulation requires health insurance for the person in Spain and for the family members joining them.
When renewing a non-lucrative permit, you must show that your insurance was maintained without interruption during the previous permit and will continue for the renewal period. The policy should therefore be renewed without any gap.
Practical tips when choosing a policy
- Ask for the insurer's certificate in Spanish, stating the cover, the insured persons and the validity dates clearly.
- Check whether the certificate includes the wording "sin carencias" and "sin copagos".
- Make sure every family member is named on the policy. If each family member files a separate application, each file may need its own insurance certificate.
- Read whether pre-existing conditions are excluded; even if this does not affect the application, it can cause problems when you need treatment.
- Bear in mind that a new policy or proof of extension may be requested when you renew your permit.
- Keep the receipt or payment schedule for your premiums; some consulates ask for proof of payment as well as the policy.
People who have been registered in the padrón in Spain for at least one year can, under certain conditions, join the public health system by paying contributions under a special agreement (convenio especial). How this works varies between autonomous communities, and it cannot be used for a first visa application.
When advice is worth getting
If you have a chronic condition, are applying with family members, or are thinking of relying on your Turkish social security cover under an international agreement, it is worth reviewing the requirements against the consulate's list before buying a policy. The insurer issues the policy; whether it is sufficient is decided by the consulate or immigration office (oficina de extranjería) examining your application.
Member of the Istanbul Bar Association. Spain immigration consultant. Profile
This article is for general information and is not legal advice. Legislation and case law may have changed since it was written.