If you’re planning on moving to Spain and are applying for certain visas, then you will need to get private healthcare as part of your residency application.
Those wanting to move to Spain and applying for residency visas such as the non-lucrative visa, will need to get private health coverage. You will also need private healthcare if you are not working in Spain and are not paying into the social security scheme, as you won’t be eligible for public healthcare.
Currently, public healthcare is offered in Spain to those earning state pensions from certain countries Spain has deals with, Spanish state pensions and those who pay social security, whether they are employed by a company or are self-employed.
Although Spain is considered to have a good public healthcare system, many residents in Spain choose to go private, even if they have access to the public healthcare system, due to the affordability of private healthcare and the added benefits, such being able to see a specialist and shorter wait times.
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According to data from UNESPA (the employers’ association for insurers), more than 12.8 million Spaniards have some type of private health insurance, which represents 26 percent of the population.
Madrid is the region that has the most people with private health insurance (37.7 percent), followed by Catalonia (31 percent) and the Balearic Islands (30.9 percent).
The results of the latest Health Barometer in 2026 carried out by the Centre for Sociological Research (CIS) and the Ministry of Health confirm that 61.1 percent of the population, or more than six out of every ten patients, have to wait seven days or more to see a GP in the public system. A total of 22 percent of patients also said they had to wait more than an hour to be seen by the doctor when they had an appointment.
If you have private healthcare, wait times are drastically reduced. What’s more, you don’t have to wait for a referral from your GP to see a specialist; with most private health insurers in Spain, you can make an appointment with a particular specialist when you want to.
According to a Spanish Association of Consumers and Users (OCU) report from 2025, the top private health providers providers were ASC, Cigna, FIATC, Caser, Divina Pastora, and Sanitas.
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Top five health insurance companies in Spain
ASC – Asistencia Sanitaria Colegial
The company offers three different health plans, from basic to comprehensive, plus one for frequent travellers. They also offer 24-hour emergency services 365 days a year, plus online services, direct specialist access, and no wait times.
CIGNA
CIGNA also offers three levels of coverage – full, gold or titanium. You only have to add on co-payments for the full, while gold and titanium also give access to hospital networks in the United States. Gold clients also have a free choice of doctor or hospital.
FIATC
FIATC offers a total of nine different coverage plans, ranging from those designed for people with diabetes to one that offers full gynaecological and paediatric coverage. It allows you to avoid waiting times and inconvenient schedules and have access to a range of specialists and medical centres.
Caser
Caser offers health insurance with or without hospitalisation and a total of six different types of coverage plans. There’s one specifically designed for those over age 60, one for families and one that includes dental.
Divina Pastora
With Divina there are four different plans depending if you want ones with or without co-payments. The top two levels also offer surgical intervention, hospitalisation with a private room or the option to be cared for at home.
Keep in mind that not all types of private health insurance will serve if you have to get it as a visa requirement. Most of the time you will have to get a plan without co-payments, which are typically the most comprehensive ones.
