Health Insurance for Non-Residents & Second-Home Owners in Spain

Last updated: May 2026 · Independent, English-language guidance

If you spend part of the year in Spain — a holiday-home owner, a snowbird wintering on the coast, or someone splitting their time between two countries — your health-cover needs are different from those of a full-time resident. You are not moving permanently, so you do not necessarily need a residency-grade visa policy, but relying on nothing while you are here is a risk worth avoiding. This guide explains the realistic options for non-residents and second-home owners: travel insurance versus a Spanish private policy, what suits short versus long stays, and how things change if you decide to make the move permanent.

Who this is for

This page is aimed at people who are not living in Spain full-time: second-home and holiday-home owners, part-year residents who come and go with the seasons, and anyone spending extended but temporary periods in the country without taking up residency. Your status matters because it shapes both what cover you can buy and what you actually need. A full-time mover applying for a visa has a clear, strict requirement; a part-year visitor has more flexibility — and more decisions to make about how much cover is enough.

Your cover options as a non-resident

There are broadly three routes, and many people mix them:

• Travel insurance — designed for trips, covering emergencies, repatriation and trip-related risks for a fixed period. Best for shorter, occasional stays.
• EHIC / GHIC — for eligible EU and UK visitors, this gives access to state-provided emergency and necessary care during temporary stays, but it is not comprehensive private cover and does not replace insurance.
• A Spanish private policy — a local seguro de salud you hold even as a non-resident, giving you the same network access, choice of clinic and English-speaking care that residents get, for the periods you are in Spain.

Insurers authorised in Spain do offer cover to non-residents, though plans and pricing can differ from resident policies and acceptance depends on the insurer. For how the public and private systems sit together, see public vs private healthcare in Spain.

Travel cover vs Spanish private cover

The key distinction: travel insurance is built around getting you home or stabilised in an emergency, whereas a Spanish private policy is built around using the healthcare system here — booking a specialist, having a scan, getting routine treatment — much as a resident would.

Which option suits your stay

As a rule of thumb: for a one-off two-week trip, good travel insurance (plus the EHIC/GHIC if eligible) is usually enough. For someone who returns for several weeks or months each year, or who wants proper access to local doctors and planned care rather than emergency-only cover, a Spanish private policy held year-round often works out better and gives real peace of mind. Many second-home owners run a private Spanish policy precisely so that, the moment they arrive, they can see their own doctor without arranging anything new each time.

If you move toward residency

Plenty of second-home owners eventually decide to spend more than 90 days at a time in Spain, which brings residency into play. At that point the rules tighten: most non-EU applicants need full private cover with no co-payments (sin copago) from an insurer authorised in Spain, with no waiting periods on the core cover and a certificate for the consulate. The Non-Lucrative Visa is the common route for non-working residents. See the full visa health insurance requirements if this is on your horizon — requirements vary by consulate and nationality and can change.

What it costs

For a Spanish private policy, premiums are mainly age-banded and rise with age, with plan type and add-ons making up the rest. Non-resident terms can differ from resident pricing, so a tailored quote is the only reliable figure.