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HEALTH

Will Britons resident in Spain still get healthcare after Brexit?

This is one of the questions that is most concerning to Brits living in Spain, especially the huge number of residents who have retired here and are relying on free access to Spain’s health service.

Published: 28 February 2019 09:05 CET
Will Britons resident in Spain still get healthcare after Brexit?
Photo: everythingposs/Depositphotos

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, reciprocal healthcare arrangements will not automatically survive.

“We are in a situation now where many of our fellow-citizens living in Spain or France do not know in just over 40 days time whether they will have any health cover,” Sarah Wollaston, the Conservative chair of the House of Commons health select committee told the BBC earlier in February.

But the good news is that the UK has been exploring options with different member states, including Spain, to ensure UK nationals living in the EU can continue to access healthcare, even in a no deal scenario. 

The Spanish are also preparing measures on healthcare to be included in their Real Decreto – a new that will be passed in the coming days that contains contingency plans in the case of a no-deal Brexit.

The expectation is that their proposal will reciprocate the offer already made to EU nationals living in the UK, which is that they can continue receiving their healthcare as now.

READ ALSO:  Spain to pass new law to protect rights of Britons in case of no-deal Brexit

Spain to pass new law to protect rights of Britons in case of no-deal Brexit

EHIC card

The important thing to remember is that UK nationals who rely on their EHIC card if they fall ill will NOT be covered in case of a no-deal Brexit.

While that isn’t a worry for those who live in Spain and have a Spanish health card, it is something to warn visitors and relatives who might be coming to stay for any period of time.

The UK government have therefore advised that UK residents travelling to Spain after March 29th ensure they have comprehensive travel insurance to cover any medical treatment they might need whilst on holiday

Those who are living in Spain and are entitled to one can apply for a Spanish EHIC card that will mean they can access necessary healthcare in other EU countries, useful if you plan to pop over for a holiday in Italy or France.

An orderly Brexit

If the UK leaves the EU with Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement, then after March 29th 2019 UK nationals in EU countries would continue to receive state healthcare on the same terms as they are currently entitled.

So those pensioners who have cover under the S1 scheme and those will be eligible for one when they retire, will continue to have their healthcare funded by the UK. For British workers in Spain who pay into the national health scheme then, the rules will remain as they are now. 

A transition period until December 2020 means Britons who move to Spain before that date will also be covered.

What the scenario will be for Brits who arrive in Spain after 2020 depends on future negotiations between the EU and the UK.

In the event of a No-Deal will the S1 for pensioners still be valid?

If you are working in Spain and paying social security contributions to Spain, you would still be able to access state-funded healthcare. And Brexit, deal or No-Deal, won’t change that.

But one of the biggest concerns is what will happen to UK pensioners living elsewhere in the EU who currently benefit from the S1 certificate, which means they are entitled to the same healthcare as nationals of the countries in which they live.

But it's not just for pensioners but also some others with exportable benefits, frontier workers and posted workers for an initial period.

In the event of a No-Deal Brexit then theoretically the S1 arrangement would automatically cease to apply but in Spain’s new Brexit contingency plan law – which is due to be signed on Friday March 1st – the Spanish government guarantees that the same conditions will be applied until December 2020.

Basically, if you were entitled to access Spanish healthcare based on an S1 certificate before March 29th 2019, then you can legitimately continue for another 21 months.

However, this has to be reciprocated by the British authorities towards Spanish citizens in UK or the measure will be suspended within two months.

More information: 

Check in regularly to the FCO website Living in Spain HERE and their Facebook page HERE

For more about healthcare in Spain check out the FCO guidance page HERE  and the NHS guidelines for travelling abroad HERE.

Visit the Spanish government dedicated Brexit information page HERE

READ MORE: This is what the Spanish are promising Brits if there is a no-deal Brexit

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For members

HEALTH

How to add a beneficiary to your social security and healthcare in Spain

If you pay into the social security system in Spain, which you will do automatically if you work or are self-employed, then you have the right to access several benefits and so do some of your family members.

Published: 26 June 2024 11:56 CEST
How to add a beneficiary to your social security and healthcare in Spain

Did you know that you can add beneficiaries to your social security benefits, even if they don’t work, meaning they can access healthcare too? This includes anyone who is dependent on you such as a husband, wife or your children.

Here are all the people you can legally add to your social security:

  • Your legal spouse
  • Your civil union partner (pareja de hecho)
  • Your ex-spouse or judicially separated in cases in which there is the right to receive a compensatory pension from the insured partner
  • Your children or children of a legal partner under 26 years old
  • Children older than 26 if they have a disability of over 65 percent
  • Your grandchildren under 26 years old, if they are not beneficiaries of their parents
  • Your siblings if they are under 26 years old, dependent on you and are not already beneficiaries of someone else
  • Your foster child under 18 years old

READ ALSO – GUIDE: How to register with Spain’s social security system

How do I add a beneficiary?

You can add someone to your social security with or without a digital certificate or in person, depending on what is easier for you. If you have one, it will be easier to use that and identify yourself online.

With a digital certificate or similar

The first step is to access the social security platform on the Social Security website, then log-in to your Social Security (TUSS) portal. You can identify yourself using the digital certificate, Cl@ve PIN, via a text message or a Spanish DNI number.

You need to digitally identify yourself on the Social Security website. Source: Seguridad Social

Navigate to the health care section – Asistencia Sanitaria and click on ‘Añadir un nuevo beneficiario’ or ‘Add new beneficiary’ and fill in the corresponding boxes with their information such as name, date of birth, NIE/DNI number, your relationship to them, and country of birth. Then click on ‘Continuar‘ (Continue) at the bottom of the screen and simply submit your application. 

Fill out the necessary details of the beneficiary. Source: Seguridad Social
 

Online without a digital certificate or similar

Firstly you’ll need to go to the following social security website. All you will need is to have access to an e-mail address and to be able to take a digital photo of yourself holding your ID card, this should be your TIE card if you’re from a non-EU country or your green card and passport if you’re from an EU country.

Firstly, you will need to click ‘solicante‘ if you are filling it out yourself. Next, complete your details such as name, type of document and date of birth. You will also need your support number.

Fill out your details so you can be identified without your digital certificate. Source: Seguridad Social

You will then need to upload the photo of you holding your ID, plus images of your ID card, front and back.

On the next page, you will be asked to fill out more personal information, as well as all the information of the beneficiary you want to add.

Finally, you will need to add supporting documentation such as your marriage certificate, birth certificate of your child etc, whatever officially proves your relationship with them. For children under three months old, this documentation is not necessary, since the Civil Registry automatically sends this data to social security.

Finally, click the button to give your consent. ‘Doy mi Consentimiento’ and then review all the details before submitting your application. You will then receive a code via e-mail, which you must introduce, along with your digital signature, to finalise the process.

In-person

You can also apply in person at a Social Security Assistance and Information Centre (CAISS), by appointment, or by ordinary mail to the Provincial Directorate of the INSS. You will need all the same documentation as above.

It’s a good idea to make digital photocopies of these documents, as well as bring the originals.

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