[Anonymous]

We will be moving over next year to rent a property for approximately 6 months before deciding to purchase and to move over permanently. My husband is 61 and I am 56, and we will be taking early retirement. We were planning on using our Healthcare Card (old E111) backed up by travel insurance when we first go over until we decide whether to make it a permanent move. If we do decide to then stay in Spain, will we then be able to get free healthcare through the E106 bearing in mind we won’t have been working in the UK for at least 6 months.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know the answer to your question re the E106, but would guess the answer to be NO! I have finally finished sorting out health cards for my family here.

Speaking personally and from the experience of 2 other families here, this has been the most difficult, time consuming and generally hair tearing out experience we have had here so far..although it might be an Oviedo thing as when I went to a different INSS office with the same documents, there were no problems..but in Oviedo, every time something was not quite right and we had to go back yet another time…it has taken all 3 families the best part of 2 years to get this sorted. Importing a car is far easier…buying a house is nothing in comparison.

Firstly, get your marriage certificate (and any other offical UK documents) legalised by the British counsel in the UK before you leave, and possibly not so necessary in Murcia, offically translated. This will make life much easier as the Spanish are obsessed with things being stamped and UK documents are not legally recognized as there is no stamp!!

Within Spain, there are two ways to claim a health card, one to be the beneficiary of someone paying social security – in order to do this you have to take your documents to your INSS office, probably your NIE, marriage certificate..but this seemed to change depending on who I spoke to, and get a “cartilla con beneficarios” which you then need to take to your local health centre to ask for the actual health card..probably during a set time period, outside of which they will be less than helpful!

Or: if you have no social security cover you can claim “Sin recursos” which means going to the health centre and filling in a mountain of paperwork. I think you need to be empadronated (registered with the town hall) first in order to do this..

It might be worth ringing the UK tax/ soc seg office as I know to claim unemployment benefits here, you have to have worked 180 hrs over the last 5 years in any EU state so maybe the health card is similar, but I doubt it…try http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HealthAndWellBeing/index.htm

The other alternative is to pay privately…

Good luck…maybe its an Asturias thing as English residents are not common here and you will not hit the same problems but!

Heather

[Melosine]

If you have sufficent NIS contributions you will have maximum of 2 years cover on E106. To qualify for future free healthcare one of you will have to be in receipt of a UK state pension. So looks like you may have to arrange insurance cover for about 12 months.

[Anonymous]

Thank you both for your help. I was thinking we would have to take out private insurance for approx 12 months.

[Author]

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