Spain visa health insurance requirements by consulate, country and visa type (2026)

The Immigration Regulation (LO 4/2000 and RD 557/2011) requires, for every consulate, private health insurance taken out with an insurer authorised to operate in Spain, with no copays and no waiting periods, covering 100% of medical costs equivalent to the Spanish public system and including repatriation, with no minimum sum insured set in euros. At the office we see many applicants arrive thinking they need a specific coverage figure, as with Schengen travel insurance (€30,000), but for the non-lucrative visa, arraigo or the digital nomad visa the requirement is total coverage, not a cap. What we check before issuing the certificate is that the policy has no copay, deductible or outstanding waiting-period clause, because it is precisely that detail — not the price — that can trigger a request for correction from the consulate.

None of the five consulates researched (Buenos Aires, Caracas, Bogotá, Miami, Moscow) requires a specific apostille or legalisation for the health insurance certificate, unlike other documents in the file such as a criminal-record certificate, which usually does require one if issued abroad. That is because the certificate is issued directly by an insurer authorised by the DGSFP to operate in Spain — such as ANYO HEALTH SL, exclusive Sanitas agent with registration number C0320B67816207 — not by a foreign authority. Even so, at the office we always recommend confirming this with your specific consulate before your appointment, because the absence of a mention on the official website is no absolute guarantee it will not be asked for in a particular case: verifying directly with your consulate before submitting your documents avoids surprises on the day.

None of the five consulates researched explicitly specifies a separate mandatory language for the health insurance certificate, although Miami applies a general rule on translated foreign documents that is unclear as to whether it extends to a Spanish insurer's policy. At the office we issue the official certificate in Spanish or English, whichever the applicant needs, in under 24 hours guaranteed — precisely because in practice consulates accept both languages without objection when the issuer is an insurer authorised in Spain. That said, if your file includes other documents in a third language, those usually do need a sworn translation into Spanish, something worth checking well before your appointment.

None of the five consulates researched sets a minimum amount in euros for non-lucrative residence insurance, unlike short-stay Schengen travel insurance, which does require a minimum of €30,000; here the requirement is 100% coverage of medical costs, with no cap on the sum insured. What Buenos Aires, Caracas, Bogotá, Miami and Moscow all require equally is that the policy have no limits, copays or waiting periods — that is, coverage equivalent in benefits to the Spanish public health system, rather than a specific insured sum you can compare like a quote. At the office we find this confusion is common among people who have previously applied for a Schengen tourist visa, because there a fixed figure does exist to memorise.

Only the Bogotá consulate specifies an explicit and verified minimum period — 12 months of coverage from the intended travel date, expressly rejecting policies with an automatic-renewal clause; Buenos Aires requires coverage for the whole first year of residence, and for Caracas, Miami and Moscow the official page does not detail a specific minimum. For those last three, the exact validity is recorded as unverified in our research, so the right move is to verify directly with your consulate before submitting your documents. At the office, as a general rule to avoid objections at any of the five consulates, we recommend always presenting a policy with annual validity from the date of the appointment or intended travel, with no automatic-renewal clause visible on the certificate.

Only Caracas explicitly and verifiably requires full advance payment of the policy, expressly rejecting instalments or pay-and-claim arrangements; for Miami a similar claim is made only by unofficial sources and is not confirmed on the consulate's official page, and in Buenos Aires, Bogotá and Moscow this requirement is not mentioned. At the office, when the destination is Caracas or Miami, we offer the option of issuing the certificate with the annual payment already settled precisely to cover that scenario — but for the other consulates there is no need to pay the full amount up front unless the consulate itself asks for it in writing on the day of the appointment, which is worth verifying directly with your consulate before submitting your documents.

The official certificate for our no-copay, no-waiting-period policies is valid for all five procedures — non-lucrative visa, arraigo, digital nomad visa, studies and family reunification — because the underlying legal requirement in the Immigration Regulation is the same in every case; what can vary is the validity period or method of payment each consulate demands. At the office we issue a single certificate tailored to the destination consulate, adjusting the coverage start date and, where the destination requires it — as in Bogotá or Caracas — the annual payment format with no automatic-renewal clause. Prices for our visa and NIE policies start from €67.76/month, with a 5-8% multi-insured discount depending on family size.

If your consulate requires, in writing or verbally, something different from what is described here — a specific language, an apostille, a minimum amount or a different validity period — that local criterion always prevails over this guide and over the general Exteriores page, because consulates apply a degree of discretion that can change without public notice. This is especially relevant for Miami, where several unofficial sources warn of criteria that vary by official or by moment. At the office, when a client passes on a specific requirement from their consulate that does not match what we have documented, we adapt the certificate to that exact request. This article is not legal or immigration advice: for your specific file, the source that prevails is always your consulate's official page or a registered immigration lawyer.