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Spanish Health card

Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 7:56am
7 replies117 views2 members subscribed
Rachel A

Posts: 4

1 helpful points

Location: Calp / Calpe

Joined: 26 Oct 2020

My husband and I have an appointment at Calpe health centre in November to present our documents which show we are entitled for free healthcare in Spain. What is the process and how long does it to take to get the health card? We are pensioners with residencia. Thank you.

dinnerout

Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 12:15pm

dinnerout

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 2181

2422 helpful points

Location: Beniarbeig

Joined: 18 Sep 2015

Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 12:15pm

Rachel A wrote on Mon Oct 26, 2020 7:56am:

My husband and I have an appointment at Calpe health centre in November to present our documents which show we are entitled for free healthcare in Spain. What is the process and how long does it to take to get the health card? We are pensioners with residencia. Thank you.

Just for clarification, the process is

A) S1 Paperwork arrives from UK pensions, celebrate !

B) Make an appointment at your local INSS office. Attend appointment.

C) Take INSS paperwork to your local Health Centre

D) Health Centre issue temporary SIP, return for permanent plastic SIP card approx 4 weeks later which will have your Doctors name on it.

Is this the process you're following, it's just not clear whether you have been through the INSS part? The part at the local health centre is usually pretty straightforward, you hand them all the documents and they issue the SIP. Fluent Spanish not really required, although lack of Spanish possibly a bit more tricky at the INSS office depending who sees you.

Kind regards, Steve

Rachel A

Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 12:36pm

Rachel A

Original Poster

Posts: 4

1 helpful points

Location: Calp / Calpe

Joined: 26 Oct 2020

Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 12:36pm

dinnerout wrote on Mon Oct 26, 2020 12:15pm:

Just for clarification, the process is

A) S1 Paperwork arrives from UK pensions, celebrate !

B) Make an appointment at your local INSS office. Attend appointment.

C) Take INSS paperwork to your local Health Centre

D) Health Centre issue temporary SIP, return for permanent plastic SIP card approx 4 weeks later which will have your Doctors name on it.

Is this the process you're following, it's just not clear whether you have been through the INSS part? The part at the local health centre is usually pretty straightforward, you hand them all the documents and they issue the SIP. Fluent Spanish not really required, although lack of Spanish possibly a bit more tricky at the INSS office depending who sees you.

Kind regards, Steve

Thank you.  Yes we have done everything you listed . Just waiting for our appointment on13th Nov. at our local Health centre. Is it possible for my grown up daughter to pick up the cards for us perhaps with an affividavit?

dinnerout

Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 12:46pm

dinnerout

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 2181

2422 helpful points

Location: Beniarbeig

Joined: 18 Sep 2015

Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 12:46pm

Rachel A wrote on Mon Oct 26, 2020 12:36pm:

Thank you.  Yes we have done everything you listed . Just waiting for our appointment on13th Nov. at our local Health centre. Is it possible for my grown up daughter to pick up the cards for us perhaps with an affividavit?

Not really sure if that's possible. It could be, but I'd be surprised. Maybe ask your abogado or Gestor if this is permitted?

Certainly it's a very straightforward process. I did mine without an appointment. I just queued up, handed the papers and supporting documents over (Residencia Passport Padron) and a few sighs and grunts later I was issued with temporary SIP. The only possible language problem would be if the paperwork was incomplete or wrong. You do need to be a permanent resident to get a SIP and I doubt very much that a SIP will be issued without producing the Residencia card or TIE.

Kind regards, Steve

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dinnerout

Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 2:11pm

dinnerout

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 2181

2422 helpful points

Location: Beniarbeig

Joined: 18 Sep 2015

Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 2:11pm

dinnerout wrote on Mon Oct 26, 2020 12:46pm:

Not really sure if that's possible. It could be, but I'd be surprised. Maybe ask your abogado or Gestor if this is permitted?

Certainly it's a very straightforward process. I did mine without an appointment. I just queued up, handed the papers and supporting documents over (Residencia Passport Padron) and a few sighs and grunts later I was issued with temporary SIP. The only possible language problem would be if the pap...

...erwork was incomplete or wrong. You do need to be a permanent resident to get a SIP and I doubt very much that a SIP will be issued without producing the Residencia card or TIE.

Kind regards, Steve

I noticed that in your original post you say you have Residencia, is the problem that you are out of the country on the day of your appointment?

Kind regards, Steve

Rachel A

Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 2:36pm

Rachel A

Original Poster

Posts: 4

1 helpful points

Location: Calp / Calpe

Joined: 26 Oct 2020

Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 2:36pm

dinnerout wrote on Mon Oct 26, 2020 2:11pm:

I noticed that in your original post you say you have Residencia, is the problem that you are out of the country on the day of your appointment?

Kind regards, Steve

We went into the Health Centre last week. We tried to hand in our paperwork from the INSS, residencia card and Padron. They told us to come back in three weeks to hand it in and then of course there is the 4 week delay for the health card which you mentioned. Yes we were supposed to go and visit the grandchildren.

dinnerout

Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 2:50pm

dinnerout

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 2181

2422 helpful points

Location: Beniarbeig

Joined: 18 Sep 2015

Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 2:50pm

Rachel A wrote on Mon Oct 26, 2020 2:36pm:

We went into the Health Centre last week. We tried to hand in our paperwork from the INSS, residencia card and Padron. They told us to come back in three weeks to hand it in and then of course there is the 4 week delay for the health card which you mentioned. Yes we were supposed to go and visit ...

...the grandchildren.

How disappointing that they turned you away, did you get a reason for that? What a pain. Hopefully you have Private Health Cover still running. I'm sure if you need emergency treatment you will (hopefully) be able to access it with an EHIC card although there was a recent post on the Forum by someone who had their EHIC turned down. (But it may have been that she was trying to use the EHIC to access regular treatment, it was a bit unclear)

Either way I do hope you get the situation resolved. I have to say my first year of residence in Spain was a bit of an Admin blur with Residencia, car importation, SIP, insurance etc etc but after nearly 5 years I've found things have settled down, just making a note to self not to get tempted to move house!

Kind regards, Steve

Rachel A

Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 3:03pm

Rachel A

Original Poster

Posts: 4

1 helpful points

Location: Calp / Calpe

Joined: 26 Oct 2020

Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 3:03pm

dinnerout wrote on Mon Oct 26, 2020 2:50pm:

How disappointing that they turned you away, did you get a reason for that? What a pain. Hopefully you have Private Health Cover still running. I'm sure if you need emergency treatment you will (hopefully) be able to access it with an EHIC card although there was a recent post on the Forum by som...

...eone who had their EHIC turned down. (But it may have been that she was trying to use the EHIC to access regular treatment, it was a bit unclear)

Either way I do hope you get the situation resolved. I have to say my first year of residence in Spain was a bit of an Admin blur with Residencia, car importation, SIP, insurance etc etc but after nearly 5 years I've found things have settled down, just making a note to self not to get tempted to move house!

Kind regards, Steve

Well thank you very much. You have been very helpful and very sympathetic. We were assured that because we already had our paperwork from INSS we would be covered for emergencies. By the way there is now an online portal for INSS to submit your S1 which worked very well and they got back to us straight away with our documentation. So I am thankful that worked well. I think the Centro de Salud in Calpe is probably overwhelmed right now. Anyway, thanks again.

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