# Moving to Spain and staying with the NHS in the UK



## Toz23 (Feb 9, 2016)

OK , so after 2 years of toing and froing from the UK to Europe, I have plumped for Spain and the much better quality of life here. I've still been paying tax in the UK , despite not really having been there, but am about to make the commitment and declare myself a non uk resident. One thing I am not sure about is my eligibilty for NHS treatment after this - if I still pay my stamp am I good?? if not what are my alternatives??


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Toz23 said:


> OK , so after 2 years of toing and froing from the UK to Europe, I have plumped for Spain and the much better quality of life here. I've still been paying tax in the UK , despite not really having been there, but am about to make the commitment and declare myself a non uk resident. One thing I am not sure about is my eligibilty for NHS treatment after this - if I still pay my stamp am I good?? if not what are my alternatives??


Access to the NHS in the UK is residence based, so if you're not living there then no, legally you wouldn't be eligible for treatment there (the exception being UK pensioners who are registered as residents in Spain and who have S1 forms from the DWP meaning they are registered for state healthcare in Spain - they are, since last year, now able to access NHS treatment in the UK as well). However, you have to think of how practical it would be for you to rely on being able to return to the UK for treatment if you are living in Spain, anyway. What if you were in an accident or taken ill suddenly? If you needed a lengthy course of treatment would have somewhere to live there to enable you to attend a whole series of appointments, tests, etc?

If you are below UK state pension age and move to Spain, then initially at least you would need private health insurance to enable you to register as a resident (and to give you health cover, of course). That can be a problem if you have pre-existing conditions as it either makes the premiums more expensive or those conditions are excluded from cover. Health insurance can be surprisingly cheap in Spain, though - when we took ours out 7 years ago it cost €40 each per month, we are now paying €60 per month each although my husband is now 66. After you have been registered as a Spanish resident for at least one year, in most areas of Spain you can now opt to pay into the Convenio Especial which gives you access to Spanish state healthcare (and it does cover any and all pre-existing conditions - but not the cost of prescriptions, nor does private health insurance). The Convenio Especial currently costs €60 per person per month for those aged under 65 and €157 per person per month for those aged 65 or over.


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