Do I need private health insurance for the EU family member card in Spain?

It depends on your EU family member. If they work in Spain as an employee or are self-employed (autónomo), you are usually covered as their dependant (beneficiario) under Spanish Social Security. If they live on their own means or study, the health insurance has to cover both of you.

Can I be covered by my partner's policy?

Yes, as long as the policy lists you by name as an insured person. What gets checked is that every applicant appears on the insurance certificate; a policy in the EU citizen's name alone is not enough.

What insurance does an unmarried partner (pareja de hecho) need?

The same as a spouse. The partnership has to be registered in a public register of an EU or EEA country; whether insurance is required depends on the EU citizen's situation, not on the type of relationship.

Which policy is accepted for the residence card?

Comprehensive cover in Spain: no copayments, no waiting periods, hospital care included, valid for at least the period applied for, with a certificate for each person. The exact list is set by the immigration office (Oficina de Extranjería) handling your case.

Health insurance for the EU family member card in Spain

Your partner holds an EU passport and you don’t. To live together in Spain you apply for the residence card for a family member of an EU citizen — locally the “tarjeta comunitaria” — and sooner or later the question comes up: do you need private health insurance? The short answer: if your EU family member works in Spain, usually not, because you join their Social Security as a dependant. If they live on savings or study, yes — and the policy has to cover both of you.

Why it depends on them, not on you

Your right to live in Spain comes from theirs. Royal Decree 240/2007 lets an EU citizen stay longer than three months if they work, if they have sufficient resources plus health insurance “for themselves and their family members”, or if they study with insurance and resources. As a non-EU family member, you inherit that same basis. That is why your partner registers first and gets their registration certificate, the “green NIE”, and you then apply with a copy of it.

Situation by situation

Your EU family member in Spain	Do you need a private policy?
Employed	Usually not: they register you as a dependant (beneficiario) with Social Security
Self-employed (autónomo), paying contributions	Usually not: same as above
Not working, living on own means	Yes: one policy covering the whole family, each person named
Studying	Yes: the student’s insurance must include family members too

If you do need private cover, comparing policies and certificates for two or more people takes time — many families ask us to price a policy for the family member card and check it against what they already have. The quote is free.

Unmarried partners

A partner has the same rights as a spouse provided the partnership is entered in a public register of an EU or EEA country (in Spain this is called pareja de hecho). Marriage and registered partnership cannot be combined. The insurance rule does not change with the type of relationship — it follows your EU partner’s situation. Which registers and evidence are accepted is set out in the decree and checked by the office; don’t rely on summaries, ours included.

Note: if your partner is a Spanish citizen, this is not your procedure. Since 2025 family members of Spanish nationals follow a separate route under the immigration regulations (Reglamento de Extranjería). Check it before booking an appointment.

Policy checklist

Comprehensive cover in Spain, no copayments (copago — more in copay or no copay) and no waiting periods (carencia).
Hospital care and surgery included.
Valid for at least a year and, ideally, for the period you apply for.
One certificate per applicant, with name and passport number; what it must say is in our guide to the insurance certificate.

The exact paperwork is decided by the immigration office where you apply and varies between provinces — go by their list.

Deadlines

You have three months from entering Spain to apply. The card is issued for five years, or for your family member’s planned stay if shorter. The policy must be in force on the day of your appointment: these policies can usually be bought up to 150 days before arrival, the PDF certificate arrives right after payment, and they are generally non-refundable unless officially refused. The first year is paid with an international card; from the second year you need a Spanish bank account (IBAN).

Don’t confuse this with family reunification: that route is for families of non-EU residents and has different rules. Coming with children? See also insurance for the whole family.

The price depends on each person’s age, how many of you there are and the term — there is no flat rate. Tell us in the chat who is applying for the card, and a manager will price a policy for your situation free of charge.