r/GoingToSpain • u/Independent_Gas_6213 • Dec 23 '23
Is healthcare free for permanent residents of spain? Visas / Migration
Like the title says.
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u/Megustalafruta Dec 23 '23
Healthcare here isn’t free. It’s paid for every workers month a month,discounted from their salary. So you if you are not working and don’t get the national health card better get a private health insurance.In a public hospital or sanitary center you may be attended but at the end you have to pay all the expenses. Hope it helps to your question.
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u/the_vikm Dec 23 '23
There are certain things that are free for everyone. Care for pregnant women is one. vaccines another, but it depends the autonomous community
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u/victorsaurus Dec 23 '23
???? What are you talking about. Healthcare is not paid by your salary taxes or anything like that. It doesnt come from there. Also you don't have to pay all your expenses or anything. You can have a 1millon euro surgery and you dont pay for it.
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u/Megustalafruta Dec 24 '23
Ya se que se financia a través ves de impuestos como hidrocarburos etc y q son las CCAA las que lo gestionan. Es una manera de explicar de dónde sale el dinero para su financiación, pues en EEUU se pagan hasta las tiritas. Trabajo en sanidad y se cobra a un extranjero sin derecho a sanidad los costes, a quien se le cobra? Depende de sus seguros y su país de procedencia. Solo trato de explicarle como funciona a grandes rasgos la sanidad pública aquí de la que ellos carecen, no he venido a dar una clase de financiación ni soy el más indicado btw. Que mania de convertir cualquier cosa en un debate. Mentes más abiertas hacen falta.Canceladores hay de sobra desgraciadamente
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u/whataterriblefailure Dec 26 '23
He is talking about the tax system, which is equivalent to a nation-wide insurance. Not about each individual paying his own.
Tbh, he was quite clear.
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u/victorsaurus Dec 26 '23
"you have to pay all the expenses" is very much false and misleading. You don't. I mean, these are important distinctions.
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u/whataterriblefailure Dec 26 '23
you have to pay all the expenses
Ok. I see what you mean.
People with no right to Seguridad Social (tourists, for example) get basic/emergency treatments. If it can wait, they gotta do it in their country. What can't wait... afaik their country must pay if there's an agreement (like in EU); but afaik the individual never gets a bill.
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u/Independent_Gas_6213 Dec 23 '23
What about people who go retire in spain?
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u/bootherizer5942 Dec 23 '23
Caveat: private health care only costs like 50€ a month
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u/Z0mbiN3 Dec 23 '23
It is usually fairly more expensive for older people. Still not as expensive as the US and the likes.
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u/bootherizer5942 Dec 24 '23
Yeah the US it's more like 300 a month and you still have to pay when you go
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u/AdSuccessful2506 Dec 25 '23
Definitely not for older people and a private health of just 50€ per month covers almost nothing.
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u/bootherizer5942 Dec 25 '23
I have one for that price that has covered appointments about once a month, specialists, and a minor surgery.
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u/AdSuccessful2506 Dec 25 '23
Perfect if you’re healthy.
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u/bootherizer5942 Dec 25 '23
I mean yeah but I wasn't aware there were things it doesn't cover, they don't offer different levels as far as I know
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Dec 23 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Independent_Gas_6213 Dec 23 '23
My guy. Spain will tax my retirement income which is fine. I wont be takimg away any jobs. I will also be contributing money to the economy by spending my money over there. Also, im fluent in spanish. You need to relax and enjoy life.
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u/manuki501 Dec 23 '23
Como hablas español fluido te hablo en español. Gastarte dinero no cubre los gastos que vas a generan para nuestro sistema público. Si al menos trabajaras pagarías impuestos.
Has estado toda tu vida viviendo en Inglaterra o donde sea, ¿porque no sigues quedándote allí?
O mejor aún, porque no te vas a dar por culo a los portugueses? Tienes las mismas playas por menos dinero.
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u/Dirty_Harryson Dec 23 '23
If it wasn't for this influx of guirris (wealthy retired north europeans), the south of Spain would still be one of the poorest region in Europe. You are delusional.
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u/manuki501 Dec 23 '23
Tourism is the worst economic activity that exists for multiple reasons. It creates poorly paid, seasonal and often undeclared employment.
It is also a volatile economic sector that disappears as soon as there is an economic crisis or problems such as COVID 19.
I am Andalusian and I wish the guiris would stop coming so that we could start rebuilding the primary and secondary sectors that were totally destroyed by tourism.
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u/Dirty_Harryson Dec 23 '23
Instead of whining on the internet, find a way to sell something to the guirris.
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u/manuki501 Dec 23 '23
When it is explained to you why tourism is bad, suddenly you have no more arguments, just a funny comment.
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u/Independent_Gas_6213 Dec 23 '23
Voy a pagar impuestos de mi cuenta de retiro amigo. No le tengo que dar explicacion a nadie porque quiero ir a retirarme a españa. Relajate amigo. A mi no me importa si otra gente llega a mi pais a retirarse. No se porque te molesta tanto.
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u/arnaldootegi Dec 23 '23
Su reacción es exagerada pero completamente entendible, porque estamos hartos de que vengan guiris y literalmente se construyan sus guetos, que hay barrios de Málaga donde todo está en inglés. No hay problema con que venga gente de fuera, pero no de esta forma, porque nos perjudica más de lo que nos aporta. Tu igual no eres así, pero la gran mayoría de guiris lo son, y por eso la gente está tan a la defensiva
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u/Axelmanrus Dec 23 '23
Esta persona da pena con las estupideces que dice. No le prestes atención. Es pura envidia de un ignorante, nada más.
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u/Dirty_Harryson Dec 23 '23
Also, most of them keep an access to healthcare in their home countries and in case of serious problem, they go back for treatment. So actually they don't cost much to the spanish healthcare system. You sound like a little frustrated low life. Go enjoy your sun, the reason people come in the first place here, not your legendary welcoming spirit
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u/arnaldootegi Dec 23 '23
Well if you like spain but not spanish people, go elsewhere, there are more sunny places :)
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u/Dirty_Harryson Dec 23 '23
High level conversation here. You guys sound like little victims and your oppressors are... old retired people. It's sad that you can't recognize an opportunity but that's the victim mentality, you need to find a reason why your life sucks.
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u/arnaldootegi Dec 23 '23
What opportunity? The opportunity to see our rents go to the moon bc of tourism and speculation? The opportunity to only be able to only work as a waiter ane having to go somewhere else if you have studies? The opportunity of having such a fragile economy that any matter can blow it up like covid? Yeah no thanks, some opportunities deserve to be passed on
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u/Dirty_Harryson Dec 23 '23
So your plan is to stop tourism altogether, great, that would destroy 11% of the economy of Andalucia.
No one forces you to be a waiter, try to be more clever than this, you are putting mental barriers around you.
The sector stopped during covid like many others but it's going strong again so it's actually pretty resilient actually.
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u/arnaldootegi Dec 23 '23
You dont even know the situation yet you talk like you know more, i think you have a bad case of superiority complex, one of the reasons we are tired of guiris
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u/manuki501 Dec 23 '23
You have the same sun in Portugal, go there to retire when you get bored of Belgium.
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u/karaluuebru Dec 23 '23
That's not entirely accurate - there are a fairly large number of retirees who use long term services, including dementia medicines, even dialysis etc. they also don't go back to thwir country immediately after sufferong a heart attack or stroke...
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u/karaluuebru Dec 23 '23
That's not entirely accurate - there are a fairly large number of retirees who use long term services, including dementia medicines, even dialysis etc. they also don't go back to thwir country immediately after sufferong a heart attack or stroke...
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u/Flint0 Dec 23 '23
Que no, que se venga a España que aquí vivimos de lujo los británicos, y anda habla Inglés que esta es una red social inglesa palurdo. These fuckin’ Spaniards think they own the place lol
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Dec 23 '23
Gastarte dinero no cubre los gastos que vas a generan para nuestro sistema público. Si al menos trabajaras pagarías impuestos.
No sabes lo que es el IVA? Si compra ya paga impuestos, aparte de que genera nuevos puestos de trabajo al aumentar la demanda de bienes y servicios, los cuales también pagan impuestos. Que venga gente a consumir es algo bueno para nosotros, no malo, cateto.
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u/GoingToSpain-ModTeam Dec 23 '23
Aggression and hostility are not welcomed. Insults and other types of harassment towards other users may result in a ban.
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Dec 23 '23
Yes, it's free at point of service, but only if you are a permanent resident with a TIE/DNI, or if you are an EU citizen. Some visas require private insurance, though.
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u/nonula Dec 23 '23
Permanent residency isn’t required. After one year of legal residency with private insurance, non-permanent residents can pay to participate in the public health system (convenio especial).
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u/nonula Dec 23 '23
It is free at point if service though! You only need to pay a monthly fee to participate, as if you were paying an insurance premium.
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u/Brent_L Dec 23 '23
Private health insurance here in Spain is very good and relatively affordable. For visas, you need a €0 copay insurance policy.
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Dec 23 '23
Some of these answers are not completely accurate. Here is the social security website answering this exact question.
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Dec 23 '23
You are unlikely to get a visa to come retire from the U.K. Maybe when Brexit is overturned.
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u/Independent_Gas_6213 Dec 23 '23
Im not from the UK, Im from USA.
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u/Lososenko Dec 23 '23
So why you dont want to go to some Latin America places?
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u/Independent_Gas_6213 Dec 23 '23
Spain looks dope. Better safety and weather from what i have read.
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u/Lososenko Dec 23 '23
Regarding Safety - make sense(except Barcelona and south)
Regarding weather - is the same weather as in any country on same meridian
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u/Independent_Gas_6213 Dec 23 '23
The southern part of spain is not as safe as the north?
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u/Marfernandezgz Dec 23 '23
Yes, it is. It's something you will heard a lot but it's not true. The real differences are betwen coast and interior part, and mostly because tourism. You can see a map here. https://www.eldebate.com/espana/20211208/asi-mapa-crimen-baleares-lidera-delitos-cataluna-violaciones.html Moreover even worst places in Spain are really safe. It's one of the world safest place to live. And the crimes are mostly non violent. https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anexo:Pa%C3%ADses_por_tasa_de_homicidio_intencional
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u/Megustalafruta Dec 24 '23
Spain is a very safe country. Modern and friendly people. Weapons are forbidden except for hounting. So there’s no difference between south and north.Just the weather 🤗
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u/Lososenko Dec 23 '23
Exactly. Unfortunately, I can't tell why without being banned
There is a lot of drug and illegal people traffiking because there almost no industry, development and work
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u/Marfernandezgz Dec 23 '23
This is not true. The differences are coast / interior. https://www.eldebate.com/espana/20211208/asi-mapa-crimen-baleares-lidera-delitos-cataluna-violaciones.html Jaén is a really safe place. Madrid or Baleares are worst. I think it's because tourism.
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u/Independent_Gas_6213 Dec 23 '23
What cities/town would you recommend for people who are trying to move to spain with a family?
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u/Marfernandezgz Dec 23 '23
Please check the information. Baleares is worst than "south" and Jaén and Córdoba are really safes
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u/DaftPlayBall Dec 23 '23
Don't trust this dude. Barcelona is indeed "insecure", but the south is not (maybe some neighborhoods are not as safe, but overall the south of Spain is as secure as the north and as secure as it gets anywhere in the world). As for the weather, Lolosenko is just plain wrong: Spain is in the same latitude as north USA-south Canada but is way warmer (this has to do with ocean currents and stuff). Also he has mistaken "meridian" for "pararell". Also, I despise you immigrants who think can came from some parking lot dystopia to our nice country to take things for free!! I'm joking of course, but I do believe It is not nice of you to come here from your high income country to retire, expecting to receive free healthcare or services while making everything from housing to bars more expensive for the locals who are expelled from our own towns and neighbourhoods precisely because of people like you. If you come here, at least have the decency of paying a private insurance. I'm not saying that is wrong that personally you come here, but at least you should be aware of what larger trends you are a part of, and how are they affecting the world around you.
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u/Visual_Traveler Dec 25 '23
Even if Barcelona has got out of hand in the last few years, it is still way safer than most (all?) of the equivalent cities in Central and South America.
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u/Working-Active Dec 23 '23 edited Dec 23 '23
As an American I moved to Barcelona in 2005 and getting the public health card was the easiest thing to do. I'm married to a Spaniard but when I received my health card they put me down as an immigrant since I wasn't working and I couldn't work because I hadn't received my tax number which took about 2 months. I have private health insurance with my work but most of the time I use public. The last time I visited my public doctor she was complaining about the socialist government giving everyone health insurance without any limitations. I'm not sure how true that is, but the public health seems a bit strained now
For Drivers license you are treated just like an 18 year old Spaniard and have to pay through a driving school to get your license driving test. The written part you can take in very badly translated English but driving part was in Spanish or Catalan only. International Drivers license is only good for 6 months.
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u/Independent_Gas_6213 Dec 23 '23
How is the public sentiment towards retirees/immigrants out there?
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u/Working-Active Dec 23 '23
I find that just about everyone is quite accepting and have no issues whatsoever. Everyone is more relaxed here.
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u/gorkatg Dec 24 '23
This is starting to change, let's be clear about this. It's becoming excessive and it is affecting prices of properties and rent due to the unplanned additional demand.
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u/Working-Active Dec 24 '23
The Spanish Immobiliares are responsible for the rent price increases. I know a few friends who were able to get good rent contacts by dealing with the landlords directly. I bought my flat and parking in 2005 when I first moved to Barcelona and it's paid off so not sure how expensive rent is. If you move to Spain and are self dependant financially, I really don't see any issues.
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u/gorkatg Dec 24 '23
And to whom do those companies sell with increased prices to?... You need demand so the higher prices keep going up.
Home building in cities was made and planned based on local demand, not the extreme foreign demand arriving now from higher incomes, which is effectively displacing families who work in the cities to live 50km away. Check the more extreme case for Málaga for instance, even worse than Barcelona.
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u/Working-Active Dec 24 '23 edited Dec 24 '23
Well it's true that you can't live on a typical Spanish salary as the jobs that I see pay on the Spanish Conveinu and nothing more. The Spanish Conveinu is like the minimum wage laws but are per sector and it's like living in poverty. I work for an international company that does not base the salary on the Conveinu. I agree it's a huge problem that probably won't get resolved and will only get worse.
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u/lukengazte Dec 23 '23
Yes, usually permanent residents get "free" healthcare paid by the taxpayers. You shouldn't have a problem to apply for Spanish National Insurance being a PR (you may apply in the Comunidad Autonoma that you're living in).
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u/MastodonDry1335 Dec 23 '23 edited Dec 23 '23
I don’t know what’s everyone about. If you have permanent residence plus empadronamiento you’re eligible for Sanitaria card, which is free healthcare.
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u/Goats_2022 Dec 23 '23
Hey the system does not work like that.
You need to contribute, that aside in some regions emergency treatment is done first and then a bill is sent to your address if you have no private or public health card.
Paying the bill is a different story
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u/Independent_Gas_6213 Dec 23 '23
Ive never heard of empadronamiento. Will definitely have to look that up. Is it easy for immigrants/retirees to get that?
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u/IamDLizardQueen Dec 23 '23
Empadronamiento is where you go to the town hall of your municipality and register your address with them. They can give you a certificate as proof, which lasts for 3 months and will be needed for certain things such as acquiring a TIE. It is easy for a foreigner to get, all you need is; proof of your address (renters contract, ownership documents or signed permission from the owner of the house), to fill in the required form (available on your town hall's website), proof of I.D. (passport) and to make an appointment via their website.
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u/mcEstebanRaven Dec 24 '23
I don't think coming to Spain to retire is a good plan. As an elderly, your health will be declining over time, and the waiting times are getting longer and longer (around 1-2 weeks for your general doctor, around 6-18 months to see an specialist).
Also, once in a while we hear in the news that somebody died while waiting at the Emergency Room or for the ambulance. Usually happens on high season and areas flooded with tourists, so good luck if you wanna move to the coast line!
Oh, and in case you are not willing to learn the language due to age, your UK peers that came to retire are learning the hard way that retiring in Spain in a bubble doesn't always turn well (https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/s/dzeCwhdl2n)
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u/Signal_Confusion_644 Dec 23 '23
Not free, you pay taxes, you get the service. Thats all.