Health Insurance for a Spanish Visa: the Law vs the Consulate
You bought health insurance, you paid for it, and the consulate rejected it anyway. It happens to a lot of people, and almost always for the same reason: confusing a short-stay travel policy with the health insurance a residence visa asks for.
Before the table, it is worth separating two things that get mixed up constantly: what the law requires, which is written down and you can quote, and what consulates ask for on top of that, which is administrative practice and varies from one to another. Both can cost you the application, but only one is law.
The figure that appears in no residence rule
The €30,000. It is the number that circulates on every forum, and it appears neither in the Immigration Regulation nor in Law 14/2013. It comes from the travel insurance required for a Schengen short stay — the tourist visa of up to 90 days — and from there it has been copied into requirement lists for visas that do not ask for it. For a national residence visa, that figure is a consulate's criterion, never a legal requirement.
The same goes for "no copayments, no waiting periods": it is what you want to bring, because it is what consulates look for, but none of the three rules below writes it down.
What each visa actually requires
| Visa | What the law requires | What consulates ask for on top |
|---|---|---|
| Non-lucrative | "Contar con un seguro de enfermedad" — to hold health insurance (art. 61.2.b of RD 1155/2024). That is all of it: it does not say private, it sets no minimum cover and it does not ban copayments. To renew, you must have kept it for the whole period of the permit and still hold it (art. 64.2.c). | An insurer authorised to operate in Spain, cover equivalent to the public health system, and no copayments or waiting periods. |
| Student | Health insurance taken out with an insurer authorised to operate in Spain, "with benefits similar to those granted by the basic common portfolio of healthcare services of the National Health System, valid for the duration of the intended stay" (art. 35.i of RD 1155/2024). If you work while you study, the requirement "shall be deemed met by registration with the corresponding Social Security scheme" (art. 57.5). | That the certificate states in writing that there is no copayment and no waiting period. The group policy many universities offer is usually enough. |
| Digital nomad | Public or private health insurance taken out with an insurer authorised to operate in Spain (art. 62.3.e of Law 14/2013). | The UGE and the consulates ask for broad cover with no copayments or waiting periods, and the €30,000 minimum often comes up — which comes from the Schengen Visa Code, not from this law. |
| Schengen short stay (tourism, ≤90 days) | Travel medical insurance, with the minimum cover set by the Schengen Visa Code. This is where the €30,000 figure actually lives. | That the policy covers repatriation and the whole period of the trip. |
Note what is law in two of the three: the insurer has to be authorised to operate in Spain. That is the filter that knocks out most international travel policies, more than the level of cover.
Why travel policies get rejected
- The insurer is not authorised in Spain. Many foreign insurers are not registered with the Directorate-General for Insurance and Pension Funds. For student and digital nomad visas that is a written requirement.
- It is built for tourism, not for residence. It covers a one-off emergency. For students, the rule asks for benefits similar to the basic portfolio of the National Health System, which is another level.
- It does not cover the whole period. Art. 35.i requires it to be valid for the duration of the intended stay. If you apply for a year and the policy lasts three months, it does not work even if everything else is right.
- The certificate does not spell out the exclusions. The consulate needs to read in writing that there is no copayment and no waiting period; your own reading of the small print is not enough.
Repatriation and paying up front. Some consulates ask for repatriation to appear on the certificate in so many words, or for the policy to be paid in one go rather than in instalments. It is not in the regulation: it is each consulate's own criterion, so check your consulate's website before you buy.
How to know your policy works before you pay
Ask the insurer for a document — not a sales brochure — that explicitly states:
- That the company is authorised to operate in Spain, with its registration number.
- A duration equal to or longer than the permit you are going to apply for.
- Hospitalisation and surgery covered from day one.
- No copayments, no deductibles, no waiting period (not law, but it is what avoids a request for further documents).
- Repatriation, if your consulate expressly asks for it.
If they will not put that in writing in those words, do not buy the policy however attractive the price: you will end up paying twice, for the one that does not work and for the one that does.
Your next step
Before you book an appointment, write to the insurer — email, not a phone call — and ask them to confirm their registration number in the Spanish insurance register, the length of cover and the exclusions. Keep that email: if the consulate raises a doubt, it is your evidence.