# Problems/advice for registering at health centre / seguridad social



## gcumming (Apr 19, 2012)

We moved to Spain a few weeks ago and thuoght we had reached the end of the paperwork, except the health centre. Well, my wife has now been 5 times (min 30 mins queue each time) with the two small kids and we are still stuck. I have a Seguridad Social number that my employer arranged, and the health centre told my wife that she and the kids needed one too. So she went, and they issued numbers to my wife (who is not employed) and two kids (2 /12 and 10 months), all independently.
The health centre say that they must all share my Seguridad Social number, but if so then why does the Seguridad Social issue numbers to us all, even the baby? Has anyone else found something similar? Is it perhaps that the SS office find it difficult to deal with foreigners who do not have a Libro de Familia? It is not as if we are out in the sticks - we´re in Aldcobendas, on the edge of Madrid, where there are plenty of foreigners from EU and further.
A further problem is that we moved here at short notice, so have only just started Spanish lessons......thanks in advance for any help!


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## leedsutdgem (Jun 3, 2010)

As you are the person who is employed then your wife and kids are your dependants. You are the one who needs to go to the health centre. Your wife and kids will be then sent in the post their cards.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

gcumming said:


> We moved to Spain a few weeks ago and thuoght we had reached the end of the paperwork, except the health centre. Well, my wife has now been 5 times (min 30 mins queue each time) with the two small kids and we are still stuck. I have a Seguridad Social number that my employer arranged, and the health centre told my wife that she and the kids needed one too. So she went, and they issued numbers to my wife (who is not employed) and two kids (2 /12 and 10 months), all independently.
> The health centre say that they must all share my Seguridad Social number, but if so then why does the Seguridad Social issue numbers to us all, even the baby? Has anyone else found something similar? Is it perhaps that the SS office find it difficult to deal with foreigners who do not have a Libro de Familia? It is not as if we are out in the sticks - we´re in Aldcobendas, on the edge of Madrid, where there are plenty of foreigners from EU and further.
> A further problem is that we moved here at short notice, so have only just started Spanish lessons......thanks in advance for any help!



Don't worry about this - it happens to us all the time. We simply state that they don't exist in UK and we then flash our "red books" (health reports for children) and this seems to work.

We even have the doctor update these so that we have a consistent set of records in one place.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

gcumming said:


> We moved to Spain a few weeks ago and thuoght we had reached the end of the paperwork, except the health centre. Well, my wife has now been 5 times (min 30 mins queue each time) with the two small kids and we are still stuck. I have a Seguridad Social number that my employer arranged, and the health centre told my wife that she and the kids needed one too. So she went, and they issued numbers to my wife (who is not employed) and two kids (2 /12 and 10 months), all independently.
> The health centre say that they must all share my Seguridad Social number, but if so then why does the Seguridad Social issue numbers to us all, even the baby? Has anyone else found something similar? Is it perhaps that the SS office find it difficult to deal with foreigners who do not have a Libro de Familia? It is not as if we are out in the sticks - we´re in Aldcobendas, on the edge of Madrid, where there are plenty of foreigners from EU and further.
> A further problem is that we moved here at short notice, so have only just started Spanish lessons......thanks in advance for any help!


But what do they tell your wife when she goes? What do they say to her?
She may have to go to a seguridad social office, or more likely as some one else said, *you *have to go to get them registered on your card. 
Is there no one who speaks English who can help you? I live near Madrid where there are quite few immigrants and Ive never seen a translator in a hospital or health centre (unlike some places in the south) so I wouldn't expect much help there


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## gcumming (Apr 19, 2012)

Pesky Wesky said:


> But what do they tell your wife when she goes? What do they say to her?
> She may have to go to a seguridad social office, or more likely as some one else said, *you *have to go to get them registered on your card.
> Is there no one who speaks English who can help you? I live near Madrid where there are quite few immigrants and Ive never seen a translator in a hospital or health centre (unlike some places in the south) so I wouldn't expect much help there



You are right - the ayuntamiento has some pretty good English speakers, but the health centre seems to have no-one. In the Seguridad Social, the desk staff don´t seem to have English, but there is a young security guard who does - perhaps he is in the wrong job!
For the moment there is an additional problem that the health centre is new (opened only two weeks ago) and the staff don´t seem to have a clue, so each day the answers are different.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

gcumming said:


> You are right - the ayuntamiento has some pretty good English speakers, but the health centre seems to have no-one. In the Seguridad Social, the desk staff don´t seem to have English, but there is a young security guard who does - perhaps he is in the wrong job!
> For the moment there is an additional problem that the health centre is new (opened only two weeks ago) and the staff don´t seem to have a clue, so each day the answers are different.


although this is something that you should be able to sort out yourself in all honesty - it might be easier to get a gestor to do all the running around between offices to get the relevant papers together - that's what I did, only because our neares INEM office is in a different town - language isn't an issue for me

for your wife with kids in tow it must be a nightmare


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## gcumming (Apr 19, 2012)

xabiachica said:


> although this is something that you should be able to sort out yourself in all honesty - it might be easier to get a gestor to do all the running around between offices to get the relevant papers together - that's what I did, only because our neares INEM office is in a different town - language isn't an issue for me
> 
> for your wife with kids in tow it must be a nightmare



Hmm - I suspect that English-speaking gestors in my area are purely the preserve of the richer residents of La Moraleja, the very leafy and expensive suburb nearby. And this is the last item on the main to-do list (NIE, padrone, schools, all done) so I think we will stick it out to the bitter end.....


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

A social security number is assigned individually to adults. You can't share one.
Here you need an individual soc. sec. number for each adult regardless of working or non-working. You also require one copy of the pardon for each person being registered & copies of each residencia certificate or passport.

If you moved here at short notice, employment I assume, then might it not be an idea to ask them to sort out the problem ?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Look what I found!
Info about the Seg soc in English. It may tell you what you've got to do here. I haven't looked in detail...
Seguridad Social:Workers


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## gcumming (Apr 19, 2012)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Look what I found!
> Info about the Seg soc in English. It may tell you what you've got to do here. I haven't looked in detail...
> quote]
> 
> Thanks - useful info on this site, ideal for a low-level Spanish ´speaker´as I am! If only there were a database somewhere of comprehensible sites....!


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## gcumming (Apr 19, 2012)

gus-lopez said:


> A social security number is assigned individually to adults. You can't share one.
> Here you need an individual soc. sec. number for each adult regardless of working or non-working. You also require one copy of the pardon for each person being registered & copies of each residencia certificate or passport.
> 
> If you moved here at short notice, employment I assume, then might it not be an idea to ask them to sort out the problem ?


So you mean that all adults have their own soc. sec. number, but that for the purposes of health benefits my dependents and non-working spouse are registered under my number?


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## gcumming (Apr 19, 2012)

Hmm - further to my last reply to gus_lopez, the Seg. Soc. website seems to clearly state that soc. sec. numbers are to be issued only to workers, either employed or self-employed. There is no mention made of non-working adults.

Seguridad Social:Useful Information


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## gcumming (Apr 19, 2012)

Update - a colleague cam with me to the local Seg. Soc. office, and it seems that it is standard practice to give a soc sec number to all EU nationals, regardless or age (even babies) or employment. No idea why! But non-working spouse and kids must be also registered on my number for health benefits. Ufortunately that is a different office, some distance away....!

Thanks for all your comments, I will post the outcome for reference for any other idiots like me in future.....


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## TeacherMum (Jul 23, 2013)

*Madrid healthcare*

I realise your post was some time ago - did you manage to sort out all the issues re healthcare for your family? I am interested to know what to do/avoid, as I already had a lot of difficulty initially finding out what the state healthcare for my children in Madrid would include? Did your experience include anything of dentists?

I am also moving to Alcobendas, so anything you discovered would be very relevant! (I have posted some a question about Alcobendas too, if you have any comments!)

Warm regards.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

TeacherMum said:


> I realise your post was some time ago - did you manage to sort out all the issues re healthcare for your family? I am interested to know what to do/avoid, as I already had a lot of difficulty initially finding out what the state healthcare for my children in Madrid would include? Did your experience include anything of dentists?
> 
> I am also moving to Alcobendas, so anything you discovered would be very relevant! (I have posted some a question about Alcobendas too, if you have any comments!)
> 
> Warm regards.



More than 'some time ago' - 14 months to be precise. An awful lot has changed since then and there are many more up-to-date threads on this topic.

If you have state healthcare, then pretty much EVERYTHING is covered as it would be back in UK.

However, dentistry is NOT covered at all.


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## gcumming (Apr 19, 2012)

TeacherMum said:


> I realise your post was some time ago - did you manage to sort out all the issues re healthcare for your family? I am interested to know what to do/avoid, as I already had a lot of difficulty initially finding out what the state healthcare for my children in Madrid would include? Did your experience include anything of dentists?
> 
> I am also moving to Alcobendas, so anything you discovered would be very relevant! (I have posted some a question about Alcobendas too, if you have any comments!)
> 
> Warm regards.


If you need any help in settling in, or advice on areas, etc, let me know; we´ve been here a year now and live in a "normal" Spanish urbanisation rather than in expat/diplomat-land. /SNIP/

Graham


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