Health insurance for a Spanish visa: what counts

The rule

For a long-stay visa, or a residence authorisation, Spanish law asks the applicant to meet a list of general requirements. One of them is to hold public health insurance or private health insurance arranged with an insurer authorised to operate in Spain. The same list asks for enough money for you and your family, and for the fee of the procedure (Law 14/2013, article 62).

The wording is specific: an insurer authorised to operate in Spain, not just any insurer. A policy bought for a holiday is a different product from one that meets the visa test.

What one consulate asks for the non-lucrative visa

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes the visa requirements on the consulate pages. For the non-lucrative residence visa, the page of the Houston consulate says (Ministry of Foreign Affairs):

• the original and one copy of a certificate of public or private health insurance with a company authorised to operate in Spain;
• the policy cannot have waiting periods, exclusions, copayments or coverage limits, so it must cover 100% of medical expenses;
• travel insurance is not acceptable;
• an insurance card alone does not count as proof.

The same page asks for funds equal to 400% of the IPREM benchmark, plus 100% for each dependant, and says the visa is valid for 365 days. Another consulate may word the list differently, so read the page for the consulate that will receive your application. The US dollar amounts on this page are specific to that consulate, so we do not repeat them.

Remote work

The international remote-work route is regulated in the same law. A third-country national may stay in Spain to work remotely for companies outside Spain. A professional may also work for a Spanish company, as long as that is no more than 20% of the total professional activity (articles 74 bis to 74 quinquies).

The requirements, in short:

1. You are a graduate or postgraduate of a recognised university, vocational school or business school, or you have at least three years of professional experience.
2. The company, or group, has had real and continuous activity for at least one year.
3. You can show that the work can be done remotely.
4. Employees show a relationship with the non-Spanish company for at least the last three months before the application, and professionals show a commercial relationship for the same period.

On top of those, article 74 ter says the general requirements of article 62 apply, which brings back the health insurance. The visa lasts up to one year. In the last 60 days before it ends you can apply for a residence authorisation of up to three years, with renewals in two-year periods while the conditions hold.

One secondary source reports 27,875 remote-work visas issued up to the end of 2024, including 13,620 family members (The Local Spain, citing the Immigration Observatory). We did not verify the figure at the primary source.

A checklist before you buy the policy

1. Ask the insurer to confirm in writing that it is authorised to operate in Spain.
2. Ask whether the policy has waiting periods, exclusions, copayments or limits. If the answer is yes to any, check whether your consulate accepts that.
3. Ask for a certificate, not just a card.
4. Ask for the period of cover to match the visa you apply for.
5. Check the consulate page again on the week you apply: lists change.

After a year: the special agreement

The Ministry of Health offers an agreement for foreigners who are economically inactive, need health coverage to reside legally, and have no access to public cover by other means. You need a continuous minimum period of one year of residence immediately before the application, and your town-hall registration (Ministry of Health).

It costs EUR 60 a month under age 65 and EUR 157 a month from 65. It gives access to the basic services of the national health system, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, and urgent medical transport. Prescription medicines and orthopaedic devices must be paid in full by the patient.

That is why the first year of residence runs on the private policy you needed for the visa.

What we could not source

We did not find an official statement on which private insurers meet the visa wording, and we do not name any. We also did not research the cost of private cover or the rules on insurance advice in Spain. ReloFinder gives no insurance advice. Ask your consulate, and a Spanish lawyer or an adviser authorised in Spain.