Health Insurance Cancellation Letter: Template and Deadlines

When to give notice: at least one month before expiry

Think of a family who have been with the same insurer for six years and received their 2027 premium in October. They have compared, decided to switch and think a phone call in December to say they are leaving is enough. It is not. Health policies usually renew every year unless someone says otherwise and both the form and the deadline for saying so are set by law. Anyone who calls on 15 December may find they already have a policy for the whole of the following year.

Article 22 of Act 50/1980 on Insurance Contracts says that either party can oppose the renewal with written notice to the other. The policyholder has to give it at least one month before the end of the current insurance period and the insurer two months before. For a policy ending on 31 December that means 30 November at the latest, which this year falls on a Monday. We recommend that by that day your insurer has already received the letter and not just that you have sent it. The same article requires the insurer to notify you of any change to the contract at least two months before the period ends. That is why next year's premium should reach you in time to decide and write.

How to find out when your policy expires

Not all policies expire on 31 December. Imagine someone who took out their insurance on 1 April and is convinced they have until the end of November to give notice. If their policy year ends on 31 March their deadline actually ends at the end of February. Some policies expire twelve months after enrolment and others run by calendar year even if they were taken out in summer. The only way to know is to look at your own contract and not at someone else's calendar.

The date is in your policy's particular conditions. The Insurance Contract Act requires the policy to state the duration of the contract with the day and time its effects begin and end (article 8) and to highlight the conditions and deadlines for opposing renewal (article 22). Look for words like “vencimiento” (expiry), “duración” (duration) or “fecha de efecto y vencimiento” (start and expiry date). If you cannot find the document, ask for it in your insurer's customer area or in writing with your policy number. Do not rely only on the premium receipt: the date of the charge does not always match the expiry date of the contract. With the date in front of you count back one month and note that day down. If you send us a photo of your particular conditions on WhatsApp at +34 655 02 69 85 we tell you your deadline.

What the cancellation letter has to say

The letter that causes the most problems is the one that reads like a complaint. It has two paragraphs about the price increase, none with the policy number and at the end an “I want to cancel” with no date. Whoever receives it has to guess which policy it is about, from when and who is signing it. The one that works is short and even boring. You do not need to explain why you are leaving: article 22 only asks for written notice given in time.

It has to include five things. Who you are: the policyholder's full name and DNI or NIE. The policyholder is the person who took out the policy and is the one who signs even if the insured persons are other people. Which policy it is: the number and the type of insurance (health). What you want: that you oppose the renewal and are not renewing, with the expiry date written out. The date and your signature. And what you ask for: written confirmation that they have received it and of the cancellation date and that they do not issue receipts for any later period. Nothing else. Pending claims and refunds go in a separate letter so they do not hold this one up.

Cancellation letter template to copy

This is a template for guidance. Copy the text, replace what is in square brackets with your details and check in your policy which address or email communications have to be sent to. If you like, we fill it in with you. And if your insurer asks for it in Spanish, the letter can be sent in Spanish: we prepare the Spanish version with you.

How to send it so there is proof

A phone call is not enough. Nor is telling the person who serves you at one of your insurer's offices if you leave without anything signed. The law asks for written notice and if there is ever a dispute you will have to prove two things: what you said and when your insurer received it. Imagine that in January they charge you the premium and tell you they have no record of any letter. The only thing that gets you out of trouble is a dated receipt.

Article 22 does not set a specific channel. Choose one that leaves proof. A burofax with acknowledgement of receipt and certification of content (a certified communication sent through Correos, the Spanish post office) proves the text and the delivery date and is the safest option when little time is left. Email and the customer area form are valid if your policy accepts them as a channel for communications: use the address stated in the policy, attach the signed letter as a PDF and keep the reply or the acknowledgement. You can also hand it in in person at one of your insurer's offices and keep a copy stamped and dated. Keep the proof with your policy. If a few days go by without confirmation, write again before the deadline runs out.

The right order: first Sanitas accepts you and then you cancel

The most serious mistake when switching insurers is sending the cancellation too early. Imagine you send the letter on 10 November and apply for the new insurance on the 20th. When your health questionnaire is reviewed you are asked for medical reports and the answer is delayed, but your letter has already gone. That is why at the office the rule has no exceptions: first we request your enrolment with Sanitas with an effective date of 1 January and only when Sanitas accepts it do you send your letter. Enrolment is requested with an application and a health questionnaire and can be prepared weeks in advance.

With that order you also look after your waiting periods. Sanitas can waive the medical directory waiting periods for people coming from another insurer: it is an underwriting policy that is requested at enrolment and decided by Sanitas when processing it. You need to have been on a full health policy with another private insurer operating in Spain for at least a year with not a single day's gap: cancellation on 31 December and enrolment on 1 January. You prove it with the particular conditions or a certificate from your insurer and the last paid premium receipt. Ask for them before sending the cancellation. The childbirth waiting period is not waived in any case and keeps its 8 months. Nor are the waiting periods for bariatric surgery or for reimbursement cover. Conditions you already have are declared all the same in the health questionnaire.

If you are late and how we help you with the letter

If your notice arrives late the insurer may consider the contract renewed for another period, which is normally one year. Stopping payment or returning the premium receipt is not a cancellation: article 15 of the same Act provides that cover is suspended one month after the premium falls due and that the insurer can claim the premium for the current period. The sensible thing is to send the letter in writing anyway and ask for a reply, because each insurer handles late cancellations in its own way. Also keep the notice in which you were told about the changes for the following year together with its date. Bring us the paperwork and we look with you at what room there is. And if the policy renews, note down next year's date now.

At the office we prepare the letter with you. Send us a photo of your particular conditions and we send you back the text with your policy number and your expiry date ready to sign. We tell you your deadline and let you know when to send it: once Sanitas has accepted your new insurance. For enrolments with an effective date of 1 January there are special conditions and we always give you the best price, guaranteed. Everything can be done remotely or at the Majadahonda office without an appointment. Message us on WhatsApp at +34 655 02 69 85 (every day) or call us on +34 919 93 17 90 during office hours: Monday to Thursday from 9:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 18:00 and Fridays from 9:00 to 15:00. 440 reviews with a 5.0 rating on Google say so.