Early retirement and healthcare in Spain

Hello,

I am after a bit of advice concerning healthcare. Its actually for my parents in law. They both took early retirement from their jobs in the UK about 3 years ago and came out to Spain however never registered for state healthcare here. They did have private cover and also joined up to helicopteros. They are not yet in receipt of UK state pension and will not be for about another 3/4 years. However they have found that the cost of the private cover has gone up quite alot and they can no longer justify paying it. What we would like to know is are they entitled to register with the local doctors here and if so do they need to contribute towards it? And how do they go about it as they no longer have a property in the UK and rent here.

Many thanks

Hello Lasiesta,

It depends on where they are in Spain.

Have a good look around on this subject, I'm sure the answer is here some where!

Regards, Febe

Hi lasiesta,

If they are not of retirement age yet they will need to contribute to the social security system in Spain to be entitled to the healthcare. When they left the UK they could have got form E106 which they can present to the local social security offices to register - this form entitles them to non contributory national health cover for 2 years in Spain, based on their UK contributions. Once registered at Social Security they can then register at a doctors and they will also receive a health card.   If they contact the department for social security in UK they should be able to request this form.  Likewise when they are at retirement age they will need another form, E121.

Hope that helps,

This is the link for the E106 form

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/forms/ca8454.pdf

I think you'll find the E106 won't cover them as they retired to Spain over 3 years ago.  As far as I know, the E106 will cover you for up to two years depending on your NI contributions in UK in the two years leading up to retirement.  So if you have paid the last 2 years NI, you will get 2 years free in another EU country.  However, you say they are under retirement age.  How much under exactly?  If the wife is 60 she can go on to the Spanish system and her husband can go on it as a dependant until aged 65 when he will get it in his own right.  You will need a form E121 for this

You don't say in what area.  Valencia province has just introduced a pay into the system scheme for those under retirement age.  It is quite expensive and I have heard that private insurance may be cheaper. 

Hi Bob

I heard the quarterly charge was around 220€ for each person needing cover for the healthcare in the Valencia province but I also heard that it DID cover pre-existing conditions unlike a private insurance might so that may be what those with pre-existing conditions need to consider.

Details about E121 HERE  from www.dwp.gov.uk.

Interesting read from Puma22  >> Accessing Healthcare in Valencia: Making the system work for us

hi

Thanks for all your replies. They are in Mijas Costa, He is 59 years old and she is 57. I heard that you can contribute monthly but the cost is around 250 per person which seems very high, their previous private cover worked out cheaper. I will have a read of the sites provided to see if I can understand it any more. It does seem a little complicated. As far as Im aware I dont think the E106 is any good as they have been out of the UK for 3 years now . Does anyone know how they go about contributing and is it really as high as 250 a month in that area??

lasiesta,

Apologies, I was not sure if they were eligible based on previous contributions, but as others have answered it seems this is not possible.  Your parents in law can (if this is the route they choose) get very good private health cover for 58 euros each, monthly. 

Hi Guys

both my wife and I are under state retirement age and have just been informed/read that if you are resident in Spain before April 2012, earn less than 100,000 euro's per year and have a written declaration from the UK that you are not in receipt of any health care support from the UK then you can get free health care in Spain.  We do not believe this is regional and we are just about to look into this fully in the next week or two.  had We are both 56 years of age and had private medical insurance but found this to be too expensive given that the majority if not all private health insurance out here do not cover for pre-exisiting injuries.  Brief information can be read on the  British Em bassy website so has come from an official source.

regards Paul

Yes, that is correct. You require a  " Letter ofLegislation" from the Overseas Healthcare team in Newcastle. They ask the country required for & send it in the required langauge.

Overseas Healthcare Team (Newcastle)
Room TC001
Tyneview Park
Whitley Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE98 1BA

Phone 0191 218 1999 (Monday to Friday 8am-5pm).

The letter states that you have no entitlement to healtcare in the UK, receive no benefits & are not in receipt of a state pension.

take that alongwith your resident certificate, passport to the INSS office . You have to fill in a form " Solicitud de Reconocimiento del Derecho a la Asistencia Sanitaria de la Seguridad Social."  Adding wife/husband , as beneficiary. You will need your marriage certificate , original, for that . Here there is no requirement to have it translated fromEnglish.

An appointment will be made foryou to hand over all documents & then you will receive a paper called " Documento Acreditativo del Derecho A La Asistencia Sanitaria " which you take to local health centre along with resident registration certificate where they will sign you on immediately.

 Hi again and urgently trying to pick anyones brains to see if we can get hold of the Spanish policy quote (decree number??) which states that early retirees are entitled to free health care in Spain.  Wife currently in Social office Cartagena and they are asking for this to put on the formal paperwork!! Seems strange that they do not know themselves/or can find out on their computer but any help would bemost appreciated.

Paul

 Hi Skippy

I can only find these websites for you.

http://spain.othercountries.com/pages/articles/index.asp?page=health

http://costadelsol.angloinfo.com/information/healthcare/

Good Luck

Regards

 Hi

Thanks for replies, no luck this morning, but now with details of Royal decree will go back and see what they say

Cheers

Paul and Chris

 as a couple moving to spain next year, and before retirement age I have found the following information out

S1 covers first 2 years

after that private health insurance until in receipy of state pension

My understanding was that you could apply for residency and cards for healthcare but had to do so by june 2012 after that if you have not paid into the system you do not get any health cover which is why under the new registering as resident rules you have to prove income and healthcare

 Hi

We have had residency since Nov 2010, have got our legislative letter from DWP so we do qualify for free health care, but because we were self employed and already have our cards we have to go down a different route to get registered, will let you know how it goes.

Chris and Paul

I have not started a new thread, after a search, this old one is applicable to my plan for early retirement to Spain, except for the new S1 regulations that came in 2 months before my retirement date, July 2014, which stopped early retiring persons getting health care access, so I am now having to only spend a max of 6 months in Spain and rely on my health e111 card, or whatever the name is for it.

the DWP have already taken my mobility allowance off me as I spend to much time out side of the UK, and my wife's care allowence is now under review, as I had to inform them the time I spend in Spain, the class me as a resident!

so I need to know how I can get health care till my pension date, I'm 59 my wife is 56 and we both are not on pension till we are 67.

i can not afford the Valencien 60e each per month, as I have only a small work pension and some money after selling my house and paying everything off, I'm registered as living at my sons house in the UK, when I go back.

can some one advise me what the best way forward is, or I may have to sell up and go back rent and live on disability!

This is something that is still not clear to me and many others

For example

1. How long do you need to reside permanently in Spain to qualify for health care without paying into the system?

2. What happens to a Spanish citizen who has never worked or contributed (for whatever reason, disability, lack of work, laziness, no family, worked on black market etc) - do they get health care (or any other state benefits) and if they do then one could assume that all non Spanish EU citizens who legally reside permanently in Spain should be entiltled to the same care (and benefits) that the unemployed none contributing Spanish citizen gets

1. How long do you need to reside permanently in Spain to qualify for health care without paying into the system?

You can't qualify for free health care unless you are paying into the system however long you have lived in Spain. Exceptions are pensioners and dependents of people paying in (husband/wife/children) 

2. What happens to a Spanish citizen who has never worked or contributed (for whatever reason, disability, lack of work, laziness, no family, worked on black market etc) - do they get health care (or any other state benefits) and if they do then one could assume that all non Spanish EU citizens who legally reside permanently in Spain should be entiltled to the same care (and benefits) that the unemployed none contributing Spanish citizen gets

Spanish citizen gets no benifits either unless they pay in, even if they have worked and lost their job they will only get unemployment benefit and health care for the first 6 months, except as dependents of someone who pays in.

So, the EU citizen gets exactly the same as the Spanish citizen - Nada

Edited to say.

EU residents of Spain that were registered before 24th April 2012 and have a income below a certain level are still entitled to free healthcare but I've heard you have to jump through hoops to get it

There is no entitlement to free health care in Spain. If you cannot qualify for a form S1 or afford to pay into the Spanish system you have two choices. Live in Spain and risk not being treated or return to UK. The EHIC card issued by the DHS entitles you to emergency cover only. The costs of any such emergency treatment being paid by the DHS in UK.

If you try using the EHIC for more than emergency treatment you are likely to be refused care or even be faced with a large bill.