# Permanent Residencia ??



## Yorick (Jul 4, 2017)

I've now been resident for 5 years and been hearing about becoming a permanent resident.

What are the benefits ? Any bad bits ?

I've also read that I can then automatically enter the Spanish Health system which is cool as I pay as lot for private health insurance

TIA for any advice or information


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## tebo53 (Sep 18, 2014)

Yorick said:


> I've now been resident for 5 years and been hearing about becoming a permanent resident.
> 
> What are the benefits ? Any bad bits ?
> 
> ...


I think that you automatically become a permanent resident after 5 years but I didn't notice or gain anything different when I became permanent resident.
Even as a permanent resident I think you can only join the Spanish Healthcare services for free is if you have no other means of gaining healthcare. If you are receiving UK pension you will be entitled to apply for the S1 healthcare scheme which is paid for by the UK government. The other way is to join the Convenio especial. 

Steve


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

A potential benefit of permanent residence is that you can leave the country for up to 5 years without losing it. I say 'potential' because there are many who don't want to leave for even 5 days let alone 5 years so only a benefit if it's something you might want or need to do, temporarily returning to UK to care for aged parents for instance. 

Permanent residence does not bestow free healthcare, see the stickies at the top of the home page.

You were entitled to join Convenio Especial after your first full year of legal residence.

For some just having been on a padron for a year, even illegally, has proved enough to be able to sign up for it.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

The 5 year residency and free healthcare issue has been debated alot here. I was on an expat Facebook page where someone was claiming to have got it but I don't think they really understood the system. As far as I know even though I am permanent resident if I stop working and therefore stop contributing my healthcare is automatically stopped after 3 months. Exactly why a retired Expat under 65 with no contributions should receive healthcare and I wouldn't sounds rather strange. However, if someone can prove me wrong I am all ears.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

Even though we have never found a legal grounds for free health care for permanent residents, it probably is still worth trying. There are people who claim to have done it (although nobody has ever proved it it or explained ho on here).

The "instructions" on how to do it according to those who claim it works are here: 




__ https://www.facebook.com/



I think that if it works, it is thanks to an administrative error, but lots of us have benefitted from administrative errors in the past and we will always do so if the chance presents itself.

Yorick, you literally have nothing to lose by trying! Please try and let us know how it goes!


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

Sorry that link is broken and we can no longer edit posts:




__ https://www.facebook.com/


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

Never mind. Post number 85 here:









Does permanent residence = free healthcare?


Worth watching........https://www.facebook.com/BritsInSpain/videos/1106608309857919 Relevant question at 10mins:30secs.




www.expatforum.com


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Overandout said:


> Sorry that link is broken and we can no longer edit posts:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I've reported the editing issue to the techies.


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## Yorick (Jul 4, 2017)

Thanks for the replies and I'm going to give it a go.

This link looks positive. 






Healthcare for UK nationals living in Spain


How to get state healthcare if you live, work or study in Spain.




www.gov.uk





*If you are not working and not entitled to an S1 form*
If you’ve been a resident in Spain for 5 years or more, you can apply for permanent residency. This will give you access to state healthcare on the same basis as a Spanish citizen.

Once you’re a permanent resident, you need to register for healthcare at your local INSS office.

You’ll need to show a ‘legislation letter’ (‘documento de no exportación’ in Spanish) stating that you are not covered by the UK for healthcare. You can request this by calling NHS Overseas Healthcare Services.

NHS Overseas Healthcare Services
Telephone: +44 (0)191 218 1999
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Saturday, 9am to 3pm
The INSS will give you a document which you need to take to your local health centre.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

There was a woman on a Facebook page I commented on who got very angry about the fact that I questioned if healthcare is free for those who are permanent. First she claimed she had it, which was true...but she had been here since 2011 and that was under the previous rules. Then she and others kept telling me about the UK government site which claims you can get it. However, that is just a UKadvisory remark and unfortunately doesn't represent the law in Spain which,as has been pointed out, seems to be linked to the idea that you have no other source of healthcare. Anyway as others have said ...give it a go and see what happens.


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## Yorick (Jul 4, 2017)

kaipa said:


> There was a woman on a Facebook page I commented on who got very angry about the fact that I questioned if healthcare is free for those who are permanent. First she claimed she had it, which was true...but she had been here since 2011 and that was under the previous rules. *Then she and others kept telling me about the UK government site which claims you can get it. However, that is just a UKadvisory remark and unfortunately doesn't represent the law in Spain which,as has been pointed out,* seems to be linked to the idea that you have no other source of healthcare. Anyway as others have said ...give it a go and see what happens.


Oops, that's what I just linked to above


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## Yorick (Jul 4, 2017)

Am I right in thinking that we go into the health system when we hit retirement age ? I have less than 3 years to go, so might just be patient


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Yorick said:


> Thanks for the replies and I'm going to give it a go.
> 
> This link looks positive.
> 
> ...


Yes this is the UK government website which we have debated alot here and think is erroneous as far as Spain is concerned. As I said above I have be told by INSS that if I stop working I have healthcare for only 3 months then it stops. If I get paro then it continues but voluntarily quitting a job negates my healthcare. I think this was the case even for Spanish nationals although this changed under the recent government. So it makes no sense to deprive me of healthcare even after years of contributions yet award it to an non working expat. That's why I think the advice given is technically wrong.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Yorick said:


> Am I right in thinking that we go into the health system when we hit retirement age ? I have less than 3 years to go, so might just be patient


If you have a S1 then you get the free healthcare as the UK is basically paying Spain for it.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

The instructions in the Facebook page suggest that the way to do it is to request a "Tarjeta Sanitaria" on the basis of being resident in Spain and not having medical coverage by any other means.
The "evidence" of not having coverage by any other means is the letter from the Social Security in the UK stating that you, as a resident of Spain are not covered by the NHS. This is of course true, so no problem there.

So, you go to this link:

Reconocimiento del derecho a asistencia sanitaria y gestión de beneficiarios | Solicitud y trámites de la seguridad social

And in the part where it says "Como se solicita?" you click on the applicable link. (First one if you have a digital certificate or [email protected] code, second one if you don't have either but want to do it online, and the third one if you want to find your local office to do it in person).

I would recommend doing it online via link 1 or 2 so that there is a record of the process and documents.

You need to get the letter from the UK first though confirming that you are not entitled to the NHS coverage.

Please let us know how it goes because this could benefit many people if it works.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

I hope someone here can give this a go as it would be great to have a first hand account of what happens. My ex deals with Swedish folk who are resident here and she says that all the Swedes under retirement age pay the convenio even after 5 years. I think the no resort to other help means immigrants with no funds which makes sense with the idea of universal healthcare law that the government introduced a few years,ago.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

The "Swedish" interpretation of the law is aligned with mine. In fact the website I linked to above puts it in clearer language than the law does, it says:


_En el caso de solicitudes de residentes en España, _*el solicitante debe residir legalmente en España y no tener cobertura obligatoria de Asistencia Sanitaria por otra vía.*
"In the case of requests from residents in Spain, the requester must reside legally in Spain and not have obligatory Health Cover by another means."

We know that some organisations believe that after 5 years (and hence reaching permanent status) private health care is no longer obligatory, presumably because you previously wouldn't have had to prove that you have private insurance anymore (as you didn't have to renew your certificate of residency of an EU Citizen in Spain). 
It is possible that some public servants believed this and granted free health care to residents who let their private cover lapse after getting the permanent green cert., most however know that just because you are "permanent" doesn't mean that the law obliging you to have private health care ceases to apply to you.

But as I said, its got to be worth a try.

But I wonder, now that we (the British, like all other 3rd country citizens) have TIEs which require renewal even when we are permanent residents, will extranjería accept the Health Card issued "by mistake" as evidence of health cover if they request it? I guess they would have to, but I wouldn't want to try it.


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