# Healthcare Advise



## Pebbles1 (Feb 12, 2013)

Hello, 

I am a little confused at what I should be doing/need to arrange for healthcare. I have seen a number of threads but feel they don't address my circumstances. 

I live in Spain (Manilva area) and work in Gibraltar. I believe that as I work in Gib I am entitled to free health care, which works great for me but not so good for the children as I don't want to have to bring them to Gibraltar each time I need to see a doctor. 

The question I have are : 

Am I entitled to free healthcare in Spain ( I am not yet a resident but I do have my NIE, the residentia form states I must have healthcare in place if so how do I do this ?) - we have only been here for a month. 

I have been looking at joining Helicopter sanitarios as healthcare but along side this do I need to take out insurance cover for incase I need any further treatment/hospital stay etc or is that covered within helicopter sanitarios (the details on the website are unclear) 

Apologies for these questions but very important I get this sorted as I would hate for my children to be ill and me not having put the right process in place. 

Thanks 
Nikki


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pebbles1 said:


> Hello,
> 
> I am a little confused at what I should be doing/need to arrange for healthcare. I have seen a number of threads but feel they don't address my circumstances.
> 
> ...



you can only access state healthcare in Spain if you are paying into the system in one way or another

I don't know if there is a reciprocal agreement between Gib & Spain as there is with the UK - maybe someone else here will

if not, I'm sure your employer will know - there are lots of people who work in Gib & live in Spain

either way - you need to get registered as resident - showing your salary paid into a Spanish bank account will cover the income side


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## Pebbles1 (Feb 12, 2013)

Thank you, Ilm finding it somewhat confusing as the residencia has changed I believe and you need to prove you have healthcare.. i think the private route is the only answer. 

Thanks for the info


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Pebbles1 said:


> Thank you, Ilm finding it somewhat confusing as the residencia has changed I believe and you need to prove you have healthcare.. i think the private route is the only answer.
> 
> Thanks for the info



I dont know about Gib, but certainly in Spain you need to obtain an S1 form from Newcastle and that would give you the reciprocal healthcare that you receive from the UK. It has a limited time, a year or so, but its enough to count as "proof". Once you start working and contributing, you will receive the national health care

Jo xxx


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

There are many hundreds of families in your position. Your employer would surely know.


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## el pescador (Mar 14, 2013)

jojo said:


> I dont know about Gib, but certainly in Spain you need to obtain an S1 form from Newcastle and that would give you the reciprocal healthcare that you receive from the UK. It has a limited time, a year or so, but its enough to count as "proof". Once you start working and contributing, you will receive the national health care
> 
> Jo xxx


might be a silly question but can you pay directly into the system rather than private or is that not an option?
i doubt i will be working so wont be paying in through wages.

I dont mind paying and dont mind if the spanish nhs is like ours.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

el pescador said:


> might be a silly question but can you pay directly into the system rather than private or is that not an option?
> i doubt i will be working so wont be paying in through wages.
> 
> I dont mind paying and dont mind if the spanish nhs is like ours.


 I dont know for sure, but I dont think so - unless you become autonomo/self employed.

Jo xxx


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## el pescador (Mar 14, 2013)

ok thanks


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## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

Hi, you can pay contributory payments into the Spanish system as an autonomous or if unemployed there are differents rates for different circumstances contact the INSS for more information


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

agua642 said:


> Hi, you can pay contributory payments into the Spanish system as an autonomous or if unemployed there are differents rates for different circumstances contact the INSS for more information


you can only pay in as autónomo if you have a legitimate business


there was an announcement last autumn that there were plans for non-working/early retired people to be able to 'buy in' to the state healthcare system, but afaik that hasn't happened yet

as far as unemployed people are concerned, that would only apply to long term residents, not new arrivals


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## cecilia (Mar 25, 2013)

if you are considering taking private insurance, I would think that taking just one insurance would be fine, helicopteros is mainly an ambulance services with gps, but you can take just one insurance (like sanitas, DKV, bupa), tha cove that and much more.

if you have children read carefully what's included and what's not, A friend of mine had to take her 4 y-o to a speech therapist, and DKV didn't cover it, while sanitas did.


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## Balneario (Jun 16, 2012)

Sorry to hijack this and hello everybody first post. We hope to move to Los Alcazares in the near future (one early retired, one state pensioner). We have pension income that should support a good lifestyle in Spain, and in terms of assets we have UK (that we have a tenant for) and Spanish properties and a decent lump in the bank. We intend to be fully compliant with all systems as not the types who could sleep soundly were that not the case. We'd like however to bring as little cash as possible into Spain at least in the short term, for fairly obvious reasons. So: When making the application for residencia, is it an absolute requirement that the evidence of income or capital resources shows money in Spanish accounts or will evidence of money/income in overseas ie UK accounts be acceptable. I would be grateful to hear from anyone who has a definite answer to this. I would stress that that this is not to do with not wanting to integrate fully into Spanish systems etc, but it just seems to be common sense to have as little asset exposure in Spain as possible at present.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Balneario said:


> Sorry to hijack this and hello everybody first post. We hope to move to Los Alcazares in the near future (one early retired, one state pensioner). We have pension income that should support a good lifestyle in Spain, and in terms of assets we have UK (that we have a tenant for) and Spanish properties and a decent lump in the bank. We intend to be fully compliant with all systems as not the types who could sleep soundly were that not the case. We'd like however to bring as little cash as possible into Spain at least in the short term, for fairly obvious reasons. So: When making the application for residencia, is it an absolute requirement that the evidence of income or capital resources shows money in Spanish accounts or will evidence of money/income in overseas ie UK accounts be acceptable. I would be grateful to hear from anyone who has a definite answer to this. I would stress that that this is not to do with not wanting to integrate fully into Spanish systems etc, but it just seems to be common sense to have as little asset exposure in Spain as possible at present.


:welcome:

the pension & a few thousand in a Spanish bank should be enough to satisfy for registering as resident - there isn't any specific info on this as different offices seem to have different requirements (welcome to Spain) - however the pension is accepted on its own but as only one of you receives a pension the other might be required to show funds - 5000€ generally seems to be enough

however - you do realise that it doesn't matter where you keep your assets, you would still have to declare them for tax purposes, as Spanish residents?


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## Balneario (Jun 16, 2012)

Thanks for your response. Point re "welcome to Spain" also well taken. We don't intend to hide anything from the Spanish authorities (or the UK ones for that matter given that we'll have an ongoing UK tax presence) per se it is just a question of gambling on where any "grab" or, more realistically, bank failure, is least likely to occur.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Balneario said:


> Thanks for your response. Point re "welcome to Spain" also well taken. We don't intend to hide anything from the Spanish authorities (or the UK ones for that matter given that we'll have an ongoing UK tax presence) per se it is just a question of gambling on where any "grab" or, more realistically, bank failure, is least likely to occur.


there are those who are worried that should there ever be a 'grab', Spain would grab whatever you had anywhere in the world & who are taking steps to become non-resident for tax purposes by staying out of the country for enough days a year

it's something a lot are worried about & we've had a few posters in recent weeks actually cancel their plans to move here because of it


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## Balneario (Jun 16, 2012)

Thanks again. We are 100% committed and will be there permanently within the next month. We have done much research and planning including lurking on this excellent forum for many months. We still see the ups as greatly outweighing the downs and in any event don't believe in worrying too much about things that are outwith personal control. Fair to say though that we are living in times that few of us prudent planners for sound financial futures thought we'd ever see (not my age group anyway)


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Balneario said:


> Thanks again. We are 100% committed and will be there permanently within the next month. We have done much research and planning including lurking on this excellent forum for many months. We still see the ups as greatly outweighing the downs and in any event don't believe in worrying too much about things that are outwith personal control. Fair to say though that we are living in times that few of us prudent planners for sound financial futures thought we'd ever see (not my age group anyway)


stick around & let us know how you get on


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## Balneario (Jun 16, 2012)

Certainly will and thanks again for the welcome.


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## Balneario (Jun 16, 2012)

Thinking through the "Spain could grab it wherever in the world" a little further, I appreciate that Spain will require a declaration of worldwide assets, which we will do but (on the basis of Spanish legal advice) will not apply to us until next year. How in practical terms would Spain be able to "grab" money from a UK bank account. I do not believe it would legally be able to do that, unless of course the UK cooperated with it in the process which is difficult although not impossible to envisage. The prominent asset that we will have in Spain is the property. Are we envisaging that, in the event of a "grab" of the assets of Spanish residents, that for example a charge might be levied against property assets in the absence of readily "grabbable" cash. I appreciate that this is all highly speculative.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Balneario said:


> Thinking through the "Spain could grab it wherever in the world" a little further, I appreciate that Spain will require a declaration of worldwide assets, which we will do but (on the basis of Spanish legal advice) will not apply to us until next year. How in practical terms would Spain be able to "grab" money from a UK bank account. I do not believe it would legally be able to do that, unless of course the UK cooperated with it in the process which is difficult although not impossible to envisage. The prominent asset that we will have in Spain is the property. Are we envisaging that, in the event of a "grab" of the assets of Spanish residents, that for example a charge might be levied against property assets in the absence of readily "grabbable" cash. I appreciate that this is all highly speculative.


yes, of course, it's speculative

atm - if the Spanish govt. decides that you owe it money, it can & does simply dip into your bank account & charges levied against property if there is no cash

I think what people are worried about is that in the future extra taxes will be levied against worldwide assets - & yes, it's not totally beyond the realms of possibility that other countries might co-operate & allow Spain to take what is owed


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## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

Amen...


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