# INSS and Health cards....



## Allie-P (Feb 11, 2013)

Afternoon to All..

Have any pensioner posters registered their SI's at the INSS, since the new rulings ?

Our last stage, today & all submitted paperwork was in order... but.... we have to wait 6 weeks for the letter, which enables us to register at the local Health Care Centre.

I was under the misapprehension that we would be given temporary paperwork & would be able to access the Spanish health system immediately


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Allie-P said:


> Afternoon to All..
> 
> Have any pensioner posters registered their SI's at the INSS, since the new rulings ?
> 
> ...


Welcome to the club. We are in a slightly different position but were also told six weeks.

Five (5) months on, still nothing. We keep enquiring but are told it's being dealt with!

We were told, if we need health care in the mean time, then we have to pay for it with no ability to get this money back!


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## Allie-P (Feb 11, 2013)

snikpoh said:


> Welcome to the club. We are in a slightly different position but were also told six weeks.
> 
> Five (5) months on, still nothing. We keep enquiring but are told it's being dealt with!
> 
> We were told, if we need health care in the mean time, then we have to pay for it with no ability to get this money back!




Oh dear !!! ....Thanks for the reply......that is not good


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## lynn (Sep 25, 2008)

Allie-P said:


> Afternoon to All..
> 
> Have any pensioner posters registered their SI's at the INSS, since the new rulings ?
> 
> ...


I wouldn't bank on getting anything without chasing it... If you are dealing with the INSS office in Fuengirola (which I presume you are if you are in Mijas) I would strongly suggest going back down after the six weeks are up if you haven't received anything. The office in Fuengirola are pretty good, but they send everything to Malaga for processing, and they are awful.


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## Allie-P (Feb 11, 2013)

lynn said:


> I wouldn't bank on getting anything without chasing it... If you are dealing with the INSS office in Fuengirola (which I presume you are if you are in Mijas) I would strongly suggest going back down after the six weeks are up if you haven't received anything. The office in Fuengirola are pretty good, but they send everything to Malaga for processing, and they are awful.




Appreciate the advice......Yes, dealing with Fuengirola INSS & will chase them up - if letter not received within 6 weeks.

In fact, the guy we saw, who seemed very efficient, told us to do exactly that......


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Well, just an update.

We rang the INSS head office in Valencia yesterday (bypassing our local office). Spoke to a very helpful lady who said, yes, all approved - go to local INSS and they will print off what you need.

Went to local INSS this morning;

First problem - that had not done us as a family but had done my wife and I separately. (no big shakes!)
Second prolem - they had lost all paperwork for our children so had cancelled their cover! and insisted we all apply again.
Chased and chased until they found the paperwork
Asked for a TSE for our son who's going to Italy with school next week - can NOT have one with this sort of health cover!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Went to local health centre to get medical cards - we were OK but our children were only allowed temporary ones. We will all have to reapply when these expire!!

Basically one mess after another - no wonder the country is in crisis when this is how the officials carry on!!!


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

snikpoh said:


> Well, just an update.
> 
> We rang the INSS head office in Valencia yesterday (bypassing our local office). Spoke to a very helpful lady who said, yes, all approved - go to local INSS and they will print off what you need.
> 
> ...


Why don't you ring back the helpful lady in Valencia & ask her why it is such a shambles. 

I would have taken her name & at the first sign of a problem been straight on the phone to her from the local office & got her to whip life into the people.

With this , 

" Asked for a TSE for our son who's going to Italy with school next week - can NOT have one with this sort of health cover "

I would ask the question stating the type of cover you have of the eu people here.

SOLVIT handles problems with a cross-border element that are due to bad application of EU law by public authorities within the EU member states

My understanding is that once you have healthcare of any type, then you are entitled to an TSE/EHIC card.

You don't think that all the spaniards going abroad to look for work who are on 'sin recursos' are being told they can't have one ?


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

snikpoh said:


> Well, just an update.
> 
> We rang the INSS head office in Valencia yesterday (bypassing our local office). Spoke to a very helpful lady who said, yes, all approved - go to local INSS and they will print off what you need.
> 
> ...



Here is the EU take on TSE/EHIC cards. If you are registered on the Spanish system then you are entitled.

" In principle, you and your wife should be entitled to the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) insofar as you are “insured persons” under the Spanish social security (article 19 of Regulation nº 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems and article 25.3 of Regulation nº 987/2009).

In this respect, in Spain “insured persons” are those who are affiliated and registered with the Spanish social security either: (i) as an affiliated (e.g., former employee currently involuntarily unemployed perceiving or having exhausted an unemployment benefit or subsidy); or (ii) as a beneficiary (i.e., spouse, dependant descendant of an affiliated worker or pensioner when he/she does not exceed the age of 26); or (iii) as a person who prove not to have sufficient economic means (the applicable rule is article 3 of Act 16/2003, as modified by Royal Decree 16/2012).

Therefore, as long as you and your wife are affiliated and registered with the Spanish social security under any of the 3 abovementioned modalities you shall be entitled to the EHIC for the duration of the term you are able to prove to the Spanish authorities that you will stay abroad.

In this context, if you were not able to prove the duration of your stay in your destination Member State, the issuing of the EHIC for a limited term of up to 3 months seems reasonable (it is actually the general term granted to tourists and jobseekers), although the Spanish authorities may renew this term at their discretion.

In this respect, I suggest you that you contact the main office of the Spanish social security authorities where you can get further information in the light of your concrete circumstances:
Dirección General de la Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social
Plaza de los Astros 5-7
28007 Madrid
Tel.: 91.503.80.00 / 060 

From an e-mail reply to me last night.
Hope this helps.


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