# Convenio Especial



## Roy C (Sep 29, 2012)

I got this off the Gov.UK website and it states if you are signed on the padrón for a year you can get the Convenio. Is that true?

_If you are not a permanent resident and you are not working
You can apply to join the public health insurance scheme. This is called the Convenio Especial. You pay a monthly fee to join the scheme, which gives you access to the Spanish health system.

You can apply if you’ve been registered on the ‘padrón’ (at your local town hall) for at least one year. Find out how to apply at your local health centre in Spain.

If you’ve lived in Spain for less than one year and cannot get healthcare cover, you’ll need to buy private health insurance.

If the UK pays for your healthcare, for example through an S1, you cannot join the Convenio Especial._

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/healthcare-in-spain-including-the-balearic-and-canary-islands#history


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Yes. Andalucia suspended the operation of Convenio Especial in 2018 when there was a proposal for universal healthcare, but was reinstated a year ago.


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## Roy C (Sep 29, 2012)

I know of people who have been registered on the padron who haven't lived in Spain full time, so it looks like they would qualify without having to do the year of private healthcare.


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## tebo53 (Sep 18, 2014)

I think there may be other documentation needed to support the one year Padron. By rights you cannot register on the padron until you are a resident.
I can't imagine you would be able to get Convenio Especial on the strength of a single document. 

The monthly fee for Convenio Especial was: for under 65's around €65 and 65 years + €125 per month.

Steve


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

tebo53 said:


> I think there may be other documentation needed to support the one year Padron. By rights you cannot register on the padron until you are a resident.
> I can't imagine you would be able to get Convenio Especial on the strength of a single document.
> 
> The monthly fee for Convenio Especial was: for under 65's around €65 and 65 years + €125 per month.
> ...


Yes, you need to have been *registered as resident* ie have the resident registration doc/card for a year.

Although there are stories of people with just a padrón cert managing to get the convenio, that seems to be hearsay.


Technically, being on the padrón for a year is 'correct' since you're not supposed to be able to go on the padrón without the resident registration doc (as an EU citizen)


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## Roy C (Sep 29, 2012)

I have a good quote for private healthcare so I'm sorted but it does say on there just the Padron which it would be handy for some people to get healthcare that might find it difficult to get private. Just like four years ago when all Brits got two years free healthcare until that changed.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

These are the requirements according to Junta de Andalucia website (machine translation) so the padrón, residencia certificate, utility bills etc etc could presumably be used as proof of residence, but the padrón would definitely be needed for the second requirement.



> Requirements
> 
> Proof of effective residence in Spain for a continuous period of at least one year immediately prior to the date of the request for the special agreement.
> Be registered, at the time of submitting the application for the subscription of the special agreement, in a municipality belonging to the territorial area of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia.
> Not having access to a public health protection system by any other title, whether by application of national regulations, community regulations on Social Security or bilateral agreements that in this matter have been signed by Spain with other countries.


The current monthly rates are €60 for under-65s and €157 thereafter, plus the full cost of medicines.

https://www.sspa.juntadeandalucia.e...es-para-la-prestacion-de-asistencia-sanitaria


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

I think if you read it as meaning LEGALLY on the padron the rest will fall into place &#55357;&#56841;


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## Relyat (Sep 29, 2013)

Although there are stories of people with just a padrón cert managing to get the convenio, that seems to be hearsay

Not just hearsay. 
Wife and I joined the Convenio Especial in Valencia after 1 year on Padron only. We subsequently used the C. V. at our residency application


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Is it per person or family. What happens if those expensive drugs for cancer etc. Are needed is there a max cost?


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Isobella said:


> Is it per person or family. What happens if those expensive drugs for cancer etc. Are needed is there a max cost?


It is per person (€60 per month for people aged up to 65 and €157 per month for those aged 65 and over). As far as I am aware there isn't a ceiling on the cost of medications for anything, so the full cost of those would have to be paid for - which could be disastrous if something really expensive is prescribed.


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## Glynb (Oct 6, 2016)

We were in Alicante today to exchange our Residencia green card for a TIE.

While in town with all our documents to hand, more than any bureaucrat might desire  ... we thought we'd also try to join the Spanish health service via the Convenio Especial, expecting to be knocked back as we haven't had the green residency card for a year.

We easily found the REGISTRO DE LA DIRECCIÓN TERRITORIAL DE SANIDAD UNIVERSAL Y SALUD PÚBLICA as I'd pre-programmed the Satnav. Nearby there's an underground car park at reasonable rate.

There's a notice on the entrance saying due to current Covid restrictions you're supposed to book an appointment, but we just went in on speck anyway expecting to be refused. 

A quick word at reception (in Spanish) and we were shown to chairs to wait for a clerk to become available. There was hardly anyone in the place jusot one 'customer' before us, maybe that's why we managed to be seen without an prior appointment? 

We were then called over. Clerk checked all the papers for self and wife, gave them the all important official stamp. We'd taken copies of the Padron for several years as proof that we'd been in Spain longer than a year, but we didn't show our residenica green card. It wasn't asked for.

Anyway she didn't query anything and said we'd hear something in due course, but couldn't say how long that would be. We can contact them in a few weeks if we haven't heard anything but I understand if they accept your application papers and you don't get a reply from them within 30 days, then your application is deemed to be accepted by default? Fingers crossed.

/SNIP/


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## Roy C (Sep 29, 2012)

Good luck with that and I hope you're successful.


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## Glynb (Oct 6, 2016)

Roy C said:


> Good luck with that and I hope you're successful.


Thanks Roy. We hope so too. 

Private Health Insurance is expensive and doesn't cover any pre-existing conditions. I really appreciate the NHS even more after the experience of purchasing private health insurance here in Spain. The NHS is fantastic value for money in comparison!


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## Glynb (Oct 6, 2016)

Relyat said:


> Although there are stories of people with just a padrón cert managing to get the convenio, that seems to be hearsay
> 
> Not just hearsay.
> Wife and I joined the Convenio Especial in Valencia after 1 year on Padron only. We subsequently used the C. V. at our residency application


Did they require you to produce a letter from DWP newcastle stating that you had no access to any Health care by other means?

We took our documents to the office in Alicante two weeks ago and received a a stamp of approval, but so far we have heard nothing further. They didn't ask to see our green residencia card and we just showed them Padron certificates.

Just wondering if no news is good news? Of are they now going to ask us for the DWP letter? Hoe long did your application take?


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## Relyat (Sep 29, 2013)

We went armed with Padron and a current letter from DWP confirming that we didn't have any entitlement to healthcare, plus passports and copies etc
It was dealt with there and then and we received confirmation by post about 10-14 days later. It was a seamless process.
This was in Valencia about 4 or 5 years ago though.


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## Catalunya22 (Apr 25, 2020)

Relyat said:


> We went armed with Padron and a current letter from DWP confirming that we didn't have any entitlement to healthcare, plus passports and copies etc
> It was dealt with there and then and we received confirmation by post about 10-14 days later. It was a seamless process.
> This was in Valencia about 4 or 5 years ago though.


That was my understanding of it. You need to have a letter from the DWP as mentioned above. But it appears that every office is doing things differently.


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