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HEALTHCARE

Healthcare in Spain after Brexit: What you need to know

The latest UK government announcement about the provision of health care to British nationals living in the EU in the event of a No-deal Brexit sent shockwaves through the ‘expat’ community and was particularly alarming for those Brits in the EU who are pensioners or living with long term illnesses or disabilities.

Published: 26 September 2019 17:37 CEST
Healthcare in Spain after Brexit: What you need to know
Photo: Alexis84/Depositphotos

Britain's health secretary Matt Hancock announced on Monday that health costs for UK pensioners living in the EU and those with disabilities would be guaranteed for six months if Britain leaves the bloc on October 31st without a deal.

That could mean that if no withdrawal agreement in place Britons living in the European Union could find themselves unable to access local healthcare from May next year. 

Currently, pensioners can benefit from the “S1” reciprocal healthcare rules if they retire in the EU, EEA countries or Switzerland.

But if the situation changes it could lead to an increased burden on the NHS as British retirees decide it's better to return to the UK for treatment.

READ ALSO: 


Photo: AFP

This news that those who were surviving on S1 forms could have their healthcare withdrawn caused great anxiety and facebook groups for Brits in Europe were inundated with angry comments about the development.

“This is yet more smoke and mirrors from the UK government and another massive let-down for UK pensioners in the EU 27,” said Jeremy Morgan, the vice-chair of British in Europe.

Hancock’s statement brought confusion: Hadn’t Spain already agreed to honour British residents’ rights to health care under the Royal Decree contingency plans brought into law in March?

Was this statement a signal that there would be no sign of the reciprocity that the Spanish demand?

The Local sought clarification from the Department of Health and Social Care over the issue and we can confirm that the latest statement does not cancel out previous agreements.

“The UK and Spain have each taken steps to ensure that people living in each country can continue to access healthcare as they do now until at least 31 December 2020,” insists the DHSC in a statement sent to The Local Spain.

“This means that if you are currently living in Spain and the UK currently pays for your healthcare, for example you are an S1 form holder, your healthcare access will remain the same after  October 31st 2019.”

It also confirmed that even in the event of a No-Deal Brexit, UK-issued European Health Insurance Care (EHIC) holders in Spain, such as tourists, students and some workers, “will also be able to continue to access healthcare in the same way until at least December 31st  2020.”

And there’s some reassuring news for those with existing medical conditions: “Those who have planned treatment in Spain using an S2 form, will also be able to continue to access healthcare in the same way until at least 31 December 2020.”

Information on the Brexit section of the Spanish government website also states the same continued rights for British citizens resident in Spain but emphasises that only so long as “the competent British authorities grant reciprocal treatment to Spanish citizens”.

So, Britons in Spain can be sure of an extra seven months more than the guaranteed healthcare announced by Hancock – at least until the end of December 2020.

How to prepare for Brexit:

Make sure that you are registered with Spanish social security and that you have a valid health card.

Your rights may change if there is a no-deal Brexit and the Spanish and UK authorities and whatever agreement comes next it will be easier to prove that you were entitled to it if you are already in the system.

If you have health insurance, keep it updated and see if you can guarantee your current rate will be maintained for at least the next year. Premiums might well go up for Brits after Brexit.

If you're an S1 form holder, you are currently entitled to a UK-issued EHIC for use when you're travelling outside of Spain. This may not be accepted in all EU countries if there's a no-deal Brexit so make sure you have comprehensive travel insurance.

Spanish legislation guarantees the right to healthcare for all workers registered in the Spanish social security system, even if there's a no-deal Brexit.

If you're working in Spain, you may have a Spanish-issued EHIC. This will continue to be accepted in other EU countries and the UK.

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For members

RESIDENCY PERMITS

Why is it so hard to get an appointment at some of Spain’s foreigner offices?

One of the reasons Brits in Spain say they haven't got a TIE residency card yet is the apparent impossibility of getting an appointment at their local extranjería office or police station. So is there any truth to this?

Published: 17 May 2024 10:34 CEST
Why is it so hard to get an appointment at some of Spain's foreigner offices?

Anyone who has tried to do anything official in Spain will be well aware of the dreaded cita previa system, whereby they must first make an appointment.

For foreign residents, this is not a simple task. It’s not just a question of simply making an appointment as more often than not, there aren’t any available.

And it’s not like you can just log-on a day later and find more. Many people spend weeks or even months trying to make these appointments, so they can carry out mandatory bureaucratic procedures.

These appointments are needed for everything from applying for or renewing your TIE if you’re non-EU to getting your EU green residency card. They’re needed again when going in for fingerprinting or even just trying to pick up your card once it’s ready.

Earlier this week, the British Embassy in Madrid stressed that it’s “really important” that the 200,000+ UK nationals in Spain with a green residency certificate exchange it for a TIE card “as soon as possible” to avoid issues with the EU’s new Entry-Exit System. 

READ ALSO – ‘Get the TIE now’: Brits in Spain urged to exchange residency document

The problem is that the exchange has never been made compulsory, only strongly encouraged and around half of British residents in Spain still haven’t gotten their TIE after Brexit.

In reaction to the announcement by the British Embassy, numerous British residents in Spain commented how hard it is get an appointment at their local police station or extranjería (foreign affairs) office.

Could the difficulty in getting an appointment be one of the reasons to blame for this?

So why are these cita previas so coveted and why are they so difficult to get?

Unfortunately, it’s not just a question of simple Spanish bureaucracy. There’s something slightly more sinister going on here. The fact of the matter is that if you go to certain relocation companies, firms and agencies they can get you an appointment straightaway – if you pay for it.

A year ago in May 2023, Spain arrested 69 people for blocking appointments at immigration offices. They were accused of booking up all the available appointments via a computer bot to later sell to foreigners to make a profit, despite the fact that this process should be free.

Arrests were carried out in Madrid, Albacete, Alicante, Almería, Badajoz, Barcelona, ​​Vizcaya, Burgos, Cádiz, Córdoba, the Balearic Islands, Marbella, Murcia, Tarragona, Tenerife, Toledo and Valencia, which gives us an idea of how widespread the illegal practice is.

Although Spanish police managed to dismantle this particular ring of criminals, it did not solve the problem.

Just seven months later in December 2023, ONG Movimiento Por la Paz (MPDL) confirmed to Levante news in Valencia that the ministry’s network had been hacked for two years and that it was unfair to foreigners who were being discriminated against because of it. 

They also claimed that the police and foreign ministry knew about the problem and still let it happen. 

Vincente Marín, CEO and lawyer for Parainmigrantes website aimed at foreign residents and those wanting Spanish nationality, confirmed this in a video he posted on the site.

He explained that bots hack into the system and that whenever appointments become available, they can book them up in seconds and then sell them on the black market for between €100 and €200, admitting it was a big problem for his firm too.

The initial screen of the appointment page (cita previa) on Spain’s extranjería website, and where many foreigners find it impossible to book residency official processes.

Fast forward to February 2024 and a group of lawyers and gestores from Castellón and Valencia denounced the system, saying that it was “controlled by criminal mafias”. They also cited the problem of bots hacking the system and complained that some of their clients still hadn’t been able to get appointments in five or six months.

In May of this year, the issue is still ongoing. Balearic news site Ultima Hora reported several readers who had been trying to get appointments for months in Mallorca and had been unsuccessful.

One has to get an appointment before her residency card runs out in June and was even considering paying an agency who were asking for €200 to help her get one.

Wherever there’s a sizable population of foreigners, from Barcelona to Valencia, the extranjería website has generally been ‘hacked by bots’.

In order to improve the situation more national police have been called in to work at the Immigration Office in Orihuela (Alicante) because of the number of foreigners living in the area. The police there have confirmed that they have allocated more resources for the issuance of documents too, to try and speed up processes. 

If you’re trying for an appointment the best option is to aim to not pay for one if you can help it, as you’re only fuelling the problem.

Reputable law firms may still be able to help you get one by dedicating more resources to applying for them manually, but you shouldn’t have to pay over the odds for what should be a free service. 

Here are our tips on how to get a cita previa when it seems impossible. 

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