# Health Insurance for NLV.



## Michaeltyas (Apr 5, 2021)

Got my interview for my NLV in a couple of weeks. Got just about everything done, just sorting out my health insurance, but saw a rumour on one of these sites that you would be rufused the visa if you did not pay your health insuarnce in full at the time of the application, which is quite a lot of money, something like £1600. I would want to pay mine monthly as I have lots of other financial hoops to jump through with this move. Has anybody had any experience of this?


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

Michaeltyas said:


> Got my interview for my NLV in a couple of weeks. Got just about everything done, just sorting out my health insurance, but saw a rumour on one of these sites that you would be rufused the visa if you did not pay your health insuarnce in full at the time of the application, which is quite a lot of money, something like £1600. I would want to pay mine monthly as I have lots of other financial hoops to jump through with this move. Has anybody had any experience of this?


For Spanish residency (The TIE) you have to show a full years Healthcare (or did last year) 
You will need to provide the certificate and a full copy of the Policy as well (thats in Alicante anyway) So I would imagine that the visa requirements would be the same.

Whats stopping you from taking out the policy and then cancelling it once in Spain if paying monthly? And this is why they do it.


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## Michaeltyas (Apr 5, 2021)

Barriej said:


> For Spanish residency (The TIE) you have to show a full years Healthcare (or did last year)
> You will need to provide the certificate and a full copy of the Policy as well (thats in Alicante anyway) So I would imagine that the visa requirements would be the same.
> 
> Whats stopping you from taking out the policy and then cancelling it once in Spain if paying monthly? And this is why they do it.


Thanks Barrie, makes sense.


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## trotter58 (Feb 8, 2017)

Barriej said:


> For Spanish residency (The TIE) you have to show a full years Healthcare (or did last year)
> You will need to provide the certificate and a full copy of the Policy as well (thats in Alicante anyway) So I would imagine that the visa requirements would be the same.
> 
> Whats stopping you from taking out the policy and then cancelling it once in Spain if paying monthly? And this is why they do it.


When I applied for my healthcare policy for residencia last year I had to pay the 12 months in advance.


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

trotter58 said:


> When I applied for my healthcare policy for residencia last year I had to pay the 12 months in advance.


Yep so did we. And everyone else who applied.

The OP wanted to know if they could pay monthly originally.
As it wasn't allowed for those of us who got residencia recently I assumed that the same would apply for all new visa applicants going forwards.

Which turned out to be strange. Took the policy out in April 2020 (paid for the 8 months) 
Got our residency approved end of Nov. So I could have cancelled the policies at the end of December and we would still have been legal.

Didn't though cause you never know when something may happen....


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

Barriej said:


> Got our residency approved end of Nov. So I could have cancelled the policies at the end of December and we would still have been legal.


You have an odd concept of 'legal'.

The rule, or law if you prefer, is that you have PHI for the first year of residence so while cancelling it might have been get awayable with legal it would not have been.

I'm not sure you would have been able to cancel mid term anyway and definitely not if you'd made any sort of claim. Such policies are generally for a specified term and must run their course, death being about the only get out.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

A requirement of residency is to have health insurance in place. 

Anyone cancelling it & not having any, would be in breach of the terms of residency.


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

Make *ABSOLUTELY SURE* that anything offered if fully comprehensive without exclusions for pre-existing conditions or co-payments (excess's in other words).

In essence a qualifying policy must provide cover *at least equal to that of the state system.*

/SNIP/ You should note that it's been common practice amongst many insurers to issue a certificate stating that their policies are compliant whilst in actual fact they are not, full scrutiny of the policy will reveal the truth.

In the past such certificates have been accepted during residency interviews however the authorities have got wise and now are likely to want to see the policies themselves and if they include exclusions or co-payments they will be rejected.

Good luck in getting your money back in that instance!


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## Phil Squares (Jan 13, 2017)

Barriej said:


> Yep so did we. And everyone else who applied.


Then I must be the odd man out! Secured medical coverage from Sanitas while we were still living in the UK. Paid two months upfront and then the remainder via monthly direct debit to our Spanish bank account. Never even asked for it and never questioned it. 

To also add, under the terms of your health insurance policy, you can't just stop paying and think that's the end of it. Apparently, the insurer, in this case, Sanitas, will come after you and if need be they will contact the government and report your insurance cancelled. Part of the terms of your visa or residentia is you must maintain health insurance as a condition of your visa.


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

I think in some cases paying 'up front' or 'in advance' can probably be equated to an irrevocable contractual commitment to 12 months regardless of whether paid in a lump sum or by instalments, as Phil mentions.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

MataMata said:


> I think in some cases paying 'up front' or 'in advance' can probably be equated to an irrevocable contractual commitment to 12 months regardless of whether paid in a lump sum or by instalments, as Phil mentions.


For the new 'Brexit' TIE, some extranjerías have been demanding a full year policy paid up front. Not a monthly contract.


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