Healthcare for foreigners without papers

Lawyers Marbella > Blog > Healthcare for foreigners without papers

8 de diciembre de 2018

Healthcare in Spain

Healthcare is a necessity for all people, as it allows them to recover their health and not put their lives at risk. As this issue has suffered some legal changes, we want to explain what is the situation in Spain right now.
According to the General Law of Health, in its first article, all Spaniards and foreign citizens who have established their residence in the national territory are holders of the right to health protection and health care.
This means that foreigners with legal residence in Spain have the right to healthcare under the same conditions as Spaniards. They can request an appointment at the doctor, go to the specialist, receive treatments, and other rights.

But what about foreigners without papers?
Until a while ago, the law was restrictive for these people and only allowed them to receive free medical assistance in certain cases, such as the following:

• If a woman was pregnant;
• If a person had had a serious accident;
• If he or she was a minor;
• Etc.

This situation changed and right now all foreigners have the right to free medical assistance, regardless of their administrative situation. Therefore, if you are a foreigner, you can ask for a health card before Social Security. For this it is necessary, of course, to be registered and join the Social Security system.

English lawyer for inmigration procedures

When in doubt about what our situation is and what procedures we must do, it is advisable to consult an english lawyer to help us. In our Marbella office we can guide you with issues related to Social Security, as well as others that you ask us (work in Spain, request family reunification, ask for nationality ...). Complete our form or call us by phone and we will get back to you as soon as possible.