Once you moved to Spain we recommend you get a health care insurance card. There are basically two options to consider talking about Catalonia, it’s either public or private insurance, let’s see which one suits you better:
1. Public health care
In order to get a public health insurance card (tarjeta sanitaria)you would need to present your job contract in a Spanish company or proof of being self-employed in Spain, as well as a Social Security number, empadronamiento (proves you live in a particular place in Spain). Then check which hospital is assigned to your area and present your documents there. Usually, after handing over the papers you would be able to use public health services, keep in mind that it might take some days to receive the physical card to your home address.
List of documents for a CatSalut card (Catalonia):
- Passport
- NIE Card
- Empadronamiento
- Social security number
- Work contract
2. Private health care
Compared to public health insurance there are plenty of offers in the public insurance market starting from cheap ones to exclusive options.
When choosing a public health insurance make sure to read the contract and check their policies, there are several things you need to be aware of:
1. Co-payment insurances (con copago) – usually the cheapest options, though every time you go to a doctor you might be required to pay an extra amount of money for the visit which was not included in your policy. Another important thing to consider is that this type of insurance is not valid for obtaining a residency in Spain.
2. Insurance with NIE – usually affordable options though most of the local companies will require you to have a NIE number or even ask you to send them a copy of your residency card. Our recommended insurance company is Catalana Occidente one of the oldest companies in the Catalan market with attractive offers and competitive prices. Contact us to get a discount with Catalan Occidente.
3. Upfront one year or half a year payment – can be asked by insurance companies in case you don’t have your NIE yet.
3. Form S1
An alternative way to access the public health care is to apply with the S1 form, it basically certifies that you work in another country living in Spain so you are eligible to have access to public health insurance in both countries (only applied to EU countries). The S1 form is issued by the social security authority in the country where you work, in order to get it you would need to prove your Spanish address which you can do by simply presenting your empadronamiento. As soon as S1 is obtained bring it to the Instituto nacional de la seguridad social (INSS) in Barcelona, they will issue a document proving your the right to access the public health care in Catalonia. You can then take this document to your nearest hospital (CAP) together with the list of documents mentioned in the beginning of this article and get your CatSalut card.
Still having questions about the procedure? Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need any help!