Introduction
Access to the Spanish public health system for people with the right to health care by British health entities (NHS) after the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union is guaranteed until December 31, 2020 by the Withdrawal Agreement Consensus reached last November between the EU and the United Kingdom.
The guarantees offered by the Withdrawal Agreement are the broadest possible, maintaining the right of UK citizens to continue receiving healthcare in all EU Member States on the same terms as if they continued to be EU citizens and vice versa.
I am a UK citizen and I want to travel to Spain as a tourist at a later date than the UK withdrawal date. Will I have the right to healthcare in Spain? What document will I have to provide?
Yes, your situation will not change, the European Health Card will be the document that allows you to receive health care during your trips, as the Community Regulations will continue to apply.
I am a UK citizen and I am studying an ERASMUS PhD / Master / Fellow in Spain. Will I be entitled to healthcare?
Yes, you have the right to receive healthcare if you are a holder of the European Health Insurance Card (TSE) or, if your university or research center sends you temporarily to Spain, you are still covered and in charge of the British healthcare system, so you must request a form S1 in the UK before leaving.
I am a citizen of the United Kingdom and work permanently in Spain. Am I entitled to free healthcare? How can you prove it if you ask me to?
Yes, Spanish legislation guarantees healthcare to all workers registered with Spanish Social Security. In this case the recognition of the right is automatic, you will not have to carry out any procedure.
You will be attended at the health centers that make up the National Health System by presenting the health card issued to you by the CCAA of your place of residence.
Health cards prior to the withdrawal date will remain valid and will be fully effective for receiving health care in Spain.
I work in Spain. Is my family entitled to healthcare?
Yes, a family member of a United Kingdom national who works legally in Spain, provided that he is authorized to reside and actually resides in Spain, is entitled to healthcare.
It applies to descendants of the worker who are under the age of 26 or disabled older as long as they are in charge and live with the worker, as well as his spouse or domestic partner.
What services of the Spanish National Health System are free?
The holders of the Spanish health card or those who prove that they have the right to health care in the United Kingdom or Gibraltar do not have to pay to be treated in the Spanish public health system, since the cost of their care will be borne by Spain or from the United Kingdom, which will reimburse the expenses to the Spanish State.
If I am not considered a habitual resident in Spain, can I be asked to pay for healthcare?
To foreign visitors who do not have a health card from the Spanish National Health System or do not provide a document accrediting health coverage by British entities, the Spanish National Health System may charge for the services provided.
How will the treatments scheduled for the UK exit from the EU be affected?
They will not be affected.
I am a national of the United Kingdom, my company is located in the United Kingdom but I am going to move temporarily to Spain. Am I entitled to healthcare?
Yes, the Withdrawal Agreement guarantees that the Community Regulations continue to apply. A company can send a worker to another country keeping the contributions in the country of origin. As a posted worker, you can work temporarily in an EU country and remain registered with British social security for a period of two years during which your social security rights, including healthcare, remain unchanged.
I am a national of the United Kingdom and I commute daily to Spain. Will I be entitled to healthcare?
Yes, you will keep the right.
In the case of UK pensioners residing in Spain, will their access to healthcare be affected at their place of residence after Brexit?
Your right to health care will not be affected, the Community Regulations will continue to apply.
Information provided by the Spanish Ministry of Health