Are you an expat in Valencia who wants to take advantage of the public health system? Get ready, because the administrative formalities aren’t over yet! Registering for Spanish social security is a key step, especially if you’re planning to work in Valencia or live happily here in retirement.
This mini-guide will take you step-by-step through the procedure to follow in Valencia. For students or trainees, the situation is a little simpler: it is recommended that you use the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) to cover your medical needs without too many complications.
Registering with the General Social Security Treasury in Spain (Tesoreria General de la Seguridad Social)
To ensure that your plans for moving to Valencia go according to plan, the first step is to register for Spanish social security, which involves going to the Social Security Administration Office (Tesoreria General de la Seguridad Social) corresponding to your place of residence or your employer’s head office. Here are the documents you need to bring with you:
- Your valid identity document (identity card or passport) together with a photocopy;
- Your NIE (Numéro d’Identification d’Étranger) and its photocopy;
- The Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la Union, if you already have it;
- Your padron, a certificate issued by your local council, proving your domicile;
- The S1 document if you are retired or have worked in France;
- The TA-1 form, which you can download from www.seg-social.es.
The S1 form is essential for expatriates, enabling the insured person and/or their family members residing in an EU Member State to register with the health insurance scheme in the country of residence in order to receive health and maternity insurance benefits in kind. For French citizens moving to Spain, this document is generally provided by the health insurance institution or pension fund of the last place of residence in France, such as the CPAM, MSA, RSI for the self-employed, or your pension fund.
Once you have registered with Spanish Social Security, you need to go to your local Centro de Salud to obtain your Spanish social security card.
Registering at the Centro de Salud
Once your Spanish Social Security affiliation has been confirmed, the next step is to go to the Centro de Salud (Health Centre) corresponding to your place of residence, with the following documents:
- The document showing your Seguridad Social number;
- Your valid identity document;
- The S1 document, if applicable;
- The certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión (also known as the resident’s green card);
- Your NIE, which normally appears on your Certificado de Registro;
- Your padron.
These are essentially the same documents you need for your visit to the General Treasury, plus the document given to you by the General Treasury. Depending on the staff at the counter that day, some documents may not be required. However, in general, your identity document, NIE, social security number and padron are often sufficient.
At the Centro de Salud, you will be issued with a provisional SIP card, which mentions the name of the GP and paediatrician assigned to you. The Centro de Salud will also finalise your file for the issue of your definitive social security card, which may take at least a month.
Once this stage has been completed, you will be able to access care in the Spanish public system. You also have the option of signing up to a private health insurance scheme, which offers a parallel health system to the public one.