# Sip card stopped.



## Eddie1875 (May 29, 2013)

My partner who is 59 has paid into the system from 1999 until she sold her shop in 2011....we moved house recently and when she tried to register with a doctor today she was told that her sip card had been stopped.We went to the Social security office in Denia and they said because she hadn't been working since 2011 her sip card was no longer valid and she would need a certificate from England to say that she was entitled to healthcare in Spain....she hasn't lived in the uk for 21 years.....is there any options to get her sip card valid again? Thanks.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Eddie1875 said:


> My partner who is 59 has paid into the system from 1999 until she sold her shop in 2011....we moved house recently and when she tried to register with a doctor today she was told that her sip card had been stopped.We went to the Social security office in Denia and they said because she hadn't been working since 2011 her sip card was no longer valid and she would need a certificate from England to say that she was entitled to healthcare in Spain....she hasn't lived in the uk for 21 years.....is there any options to get her sip card valid again? Thanks.


You're exceptionally lucky to have 'got away with it' for so long. Unless you are paying into the system, you can't get a health card.

What she has to do is to go to INSS with proof that she was resident here before April 2012 and apply for a new SIP card. She will need the letter from UK (as stated) which states that she isn't entitled to health care in UK (not that she IS entitled to care in SPAIN).

This is a very simple process and is well documented on the gov.uk site as well as on this forum.


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## Eddie1875 (May 29, 2013)

Thank you for your reply snikpoh....she doesn't know her N.I. number so Newcastle can't help.....she has phoned them and also been on there website....she hasn't lived in the UK for 20 years...she can't remember her last two addresses or post codes.....when she called them they couldn't find her on the system. I think I am looking at private medical cover.


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## Eddie1875 (May 29, 2013)

I belive there is something where she pays €60 euros per month and then she is entitled.....can anyone confirm?


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

Eddie1875 said:


> My partner who is 59 has paid into the system from 1999 until she sold her shop in 2011....we moved house recently and when she tried to register with a doctor today she was told that her sip card had been stopped.We went to the Social security office in Denia and they said because she hadn't been working since 2011 her sip card was no longer valid and she would need a certificate from England to say that she was entitled to healthcare in Spain....she hasn't lived in the uk for 21 years.....is there any options to get her sip card valid again? Thanks.


As far as I know if you have worked and paid into the SS in Valencia region you will then have a SIP for life, this happened in my case.


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## Eddie1875 (May 29, 2013)

This is what we thought VFR...but,according to Jennifer Cunningham Insurance the government are apparently stopping sip cards for those who don't pay into the system and are under pension age.


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

Eddie1875 said:


> This is what we thought VFR...but,according to Jennifer Cunningham Insurance the government are apparently stopping sip cards for those who don't pay into the system and are under pension age.


Try this number 900 662 000 
I have not called them for a few years so do not know if its still running but this was the number for Health Care Helpline Valencia.
As far as I remember it was the Social Offices & had people to speak in English as well.


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## Guest (Feb 10, 2016)

Eddie1875 said:


> Thank you for your reply snikpoh....she doesn't know her N.I. number so Newcastle can't help.....she has phoned them and also been on there website....she hasn't lived in the UK for 20 years...she can't remember her last two addresses or post codes.....when she called them they couldn't find her on the system. I think I am looking at private medical cover.


Does not know her own national insurance number? You will need to call up the national insurance allocations team in UK - they will be able to find the number using date of birth and name, surname on the system.

Alternatively you can use this form:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...r-national-insurance-number-in-writing-ca5403

I find it very hard to believe that she cannot remember where she lived before. Use Google maps to locate the address and get the postcode?


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## Guest (Feb 10, 2016)

Eddie1875 said:


> I belive there is something where she pays €60 euros per month and then she is entitled.....can anyone confirm?


Yes.

Convenio Especial para la Prestación de Asistencia Sanitaria -

Good luck!


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

VFR said:


> As far as I know if you have worked and paid into the SS in Valencia region you will then have a SIP for life, this happened in my case.


I don't think this is correct.

As soon as you stop work, you need to find some other way to get health care - it's happened to many people I know in this area.


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## anles (Feb 11, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> I don't think this is correct.
> 
> As soon as you stop work, you need to find some other way to get health care - it's happened to many people I know in this area.


This changed in 2012, which is why legal residents who are not entitled to health cover from there own country have free healthcare here. You did use to lose your healthcare 90 days after your contract ended or your "paro" finished but this is no longer the case.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

anles said:


> This changed in 2012, which is why legal residents who are not entitled to health cover from there own country have free healthcare here. You did use to lose your healthcare 90 days after your contract ended or your "paro" finished but this is no longer the case.


Can you give me a link to this law please as people I know have lost their health care since then. Thanks.


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> I don't think this is correct.
> 
> As soon as you stop work, you need to find some other way to get health care - it's happened to many people I know in this area.


That may be but what I said was what "happened to me" and was told at the time, I also know someone else who worked for a very short time and of course made a few payments into the system but still continued o have a SIP.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

VFR said:


> That may be but what I said was what "happened to me" and was told at the time, I also know someone else who worked for a very short time and of course made a few payments into the system but still continued o have a SIP.


But that could simply be because they didn't need to seek medical advice or they simply 'haven't caught up with them yet'.


We need to be careful and differentiate between actual changes in the law and "what happened to me or someone I know".

You could well be correct, I'd just like to read the law for myself (nutjob that I am )


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> I don't think this is correct.
> 
> As soon as you stop work, you need to find some other way to get health care - it's happened to many people I know in this area.


In that case the same logic applies to your post does it not.
Show me the law that says my take on my experience is not correct.


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

I don't think that's what Snikpoh is saying

Your experience is not the law, For example, We could not buy a car without residency, technically this is not correct as I was told on here. However, my experience was that I could not do it. If that makes sense


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## Guest (Feb 10, 2016)

cambio said:


> I don't think that's what Snikpoh is saying
> 
> Your experience is not the law, For example, We could not buy a car without residency, technically this is not correct as I was told on here. However, my experience was that I could not do it. If that makes sense


You can buy a car in Spain even if your non-resident! Some dealers/sellers are absolutely clueless when it comes to the laws.


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## anles (Feb 11, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> Can you give me a link to this law please as people I know have lost their health care since then. Thanks.


Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad - Gabinete de prensa - La Reforma de la Sanidad - Las claves de la Reforma Sanitaria
http://www.msssi.gob.es/gabinetePrensa/reformaSanidad/docs/cuadripticoReformaSanitaria.pdf


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