# Health and the e card



## Lamplady (Dec 19, 2014)

Hello everyone, my partner and I are both retired and thinking of renting in Spain and keeping our footprint in the UK at the same time. We both have the European Health Card. How would that work if say one year we spent most of the year in Spain and needed to visit doc/hospital a few times, would we be able to use the European Health Card? I have looked into private medical cover and it seems to be in excess of €400 a month for us both, which we could not afford. Any suggestions would be most welcome. It may turn out we only spend 4 or 5 months in Spain, but I just would like to get an idea of how it all works without breaking any laws. Many thanks.


----------



## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Lamplady said:


> Hello everyone, my partner and I are both retired and thinking of renting in Spain and keeping our footprint in the UK at the same time. We both have the European Health Card. How would that work if say one year we spent most of the year in Spain and needed to visit doc/hospital a few times, would we be able to use the European Health Card? I have looked into private medical cover and it seems to be in excess of €400 a month for us both, which we could not afford. Any suggestions would be most welcome. It may turn out we only spend 4 or 5 months in Spain, but I just would like to get an idea of how it all works without breaking any laws. Many thanks.


The problem you will have is that after 90 days in Spain, you are considered resident and need to get your 'certificate of registration' (and all that this entails).

For that reason, your EHIC is only valid whilst on holiday (up to 90 days), after that, as a resident, you have to have (in your case) private health cover.

The price you quote seems high - is that price from Spanish insurance companies or British ones operating in Spain?


----------



## larryzx (Jul 2, 2014)

Lamplady said:


> Hello everyone, my partner and I are both retired and thinking of renting in Spain and keeping our footprint in the UK at the same time. We both have the European Health Card. How would that work if say one year we spent most of the year in Spain and needed to visit doc/hospital a few times, would we be able to use the European Health Card? I have looked into private medical cover and it seems to be in excess of €400 a month for us both, which we could not afford. Any suggestions would be most welcome. It may turn out we only spend 4 or 5 months in Spain, but I just would like to get an idea of how it all works without breaking any laws. Many thanks.


If you come to Spain intending to stay for more than 3 months permanently, or you stay 3 months, then you must register on the EU Citizens Register, as being resident in Spain. 

If you stay for more than 183 days in a year, you automatically become tax resident on your worldwide income.

The European Heath card is for visitors only, so if you do as you say, it will not cover you.

If you come and stay under 3 months, then return and stay for under 3 months, then you should be covered on your health card, for emergency attention, but not routine treatment, and will not be required to register.


----------



## Lamplady (Dec 19, 2014)

*Health and the ecard*



larryzx said:


> If you come to Spain intending to stay for more than 3 months permanently, or you stay 3 months, then you must register on the EU Citizens Register, as being resident in Spain.
> 
> If you stay for more than 183 days in a year, you automatically become tax resident on your worldwide income.
> 
> ...


OK thank you I understand. Do you or anyone know of a Spanish insurer I could approach for a lower quote than €400 a month by any chance? Any help would be very much appreciated.


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Lamplady said:


> OK thank you I understand. Do you or anyone know of a Spanish insurer I could approach for a lower quote than €400 a month by any chance? Any help would be very much appreciated.


I hope you don't consider this a rude question, but you mentioned that you are both retired. What are your ages? If one or more of you is 65 you are, unfortunately, likely to find it expensive to take out a new private health insurance policy.

We have been covered for the past 6 years by a Spanish company called Prevision Medica (but they only cover Malaga province and part of Cordoba province in Andalucia). My husband has recently turned 65 and from the beginning of January 2015 our monthly premiums for the two of us will be €115 per month (increased from €110 per month this year) as they don't increase the premiums other than the annual inflation increases for existing policyholders who turn 65. However, anyone over that age applying for cover for the first time would have to pay substantially more.

Of course, if you were to move to Spain full time you could obtain an S1 form and have your state healthcare in Spain paid for by the UK Government, and get an EHIC card to cover you for NHS treatment for visits to the UK, but I appreciate you might not want to do that.


----------



## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Lynn R said:


> Of course, if you were to move to Spain full time you could obtain an S1 form and have your state healthcare in Spain paid for by the UK Government, and get an EHIC card to cover you for NHS treatment for visits to the UK, but I appreciate you might not want to do that.


That is what I do, being over 65, however the EHIC card for pensioners, residing in Spain, is now issued in the U.K., which I am informed causes difficulties if one needs treatment in the U.K.


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Hepa said:


> That is what I do, being over 65, however the EHIC card for pensioners, residing in Spain, is now issued in the U.K., which I am informed causes difficulties if one needs treatment in the U.K.


I knew the EHIC cards for British pensioners residing in Spain are issued by the UK, but hadn't heard of this causiing difficulties if someone needed treatment in the UK. Can you tell us more? I thought the cards had a code to designate them as valid for use in any EU country (including the UK) apart from the one where the pensioner is resident.

We haven't received ours yet so haven't had reason to test out the system, and it will probably be quite some time before my OH does as he only goes back to the UK for weddings and funerals, and even that is under protest.


----------



## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Lynn R said:


> I knew the EHIC cards for British pensioners residing in Spain are issued by the UK, but hadn't heard of this causiing difficulties if someone needed treatment in the UK. Can you tell us more? I thought the cards had a code to designate them as valid for use in any EU country (including the UK) apart from the one where the pensioner is resident.
> 
> We haven't received ours yet so haven't had reason to test out the system, and it will probably be quite some time before my OH does as he only goes back to the UK for weddings and funerals, and even that is under protest.


Your OH does right! I am of the same mind, someone wrote on this forum of difficulties, I have no personal experience, I had problems whilst in the U.K. over a year ago, I paid for treatment to save the hassle. I think the main problem is that the staff in U.K. G.P. surgeries are unaware of our circumstances, but I am not sure.


----------



## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

Lynn R said:


> I knew the EHIC cards for British pensioners residing in Spain are issued by the UK, but hadn't heard of this causiing difficulties if someone needed treatment in the UK. Can you tell us more? I thought the cards had a code to designate them as valid for use in any EU country (including the UK) apart from the one where the pensioner is resident.
> 
> We haven't received ours yet so haven't had reason to test out the system, and it will probably be quite some time before my OH does as he only goes back to the UK for weddings and funerals, and even that is under protest
> 
> ...


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Hepa said:


> Your OH does right! I am of the same mind, someone wrote on this forum of difficulties, I have no personal experience, I had problems whilst in the U.K. over a year ago, I paid for treatment to save the hassle. I think the main problem is that the staff in U.K. G.P. surgeries are unaware of our circumstances, but I am not sure.


Obviously depends on the surgery & where you are in the UK.
When I was over in the summer & enquired what it would cost to see the GP ( as I hadn't bothered to take a spanish ehic with me ! lol) the receptionist said "here do you live ?"; Spain . "No problem,nothing required for anyone from a country with a reciprocal agreement /in EU" ?? Surprised me ! (would have been £25 if you had to pay which I didn't think was excessive atall)


----------



## Zelda247 (Jul 6, 2014)

if you are over 65 and you take your EU health card along to the local health centre they will give you a temporary health card for 6 months.


----------



## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Zelda247 said:


> if you are over 65 and you take your EU health card along to the local health centre they will give you a temporary health card for 6 months.


They shouldn't - and they certainly don't around here!


----------

