Approximately around 5 million expats live and work in Spain. Some of the most popular reasons why Spain is so popular with foreigners are the social security benefits, an outstanding work-life balance, the fantastic weather, and without a doubt, its highly effective healthcare system.

However, expats are often confused about how the Spanish healthcare system works, whether they qualify for public insurance, and whether they need to purchase private health insurance. This type of health insurance is different from Spain travel insurance, which covers tourists and visitors only for travel-related events.

So, before you join the rest of the 5 million expats living there, here is an overview of Spain’s healthcare system for expats.

pain has a universal public healthcare system where every resident is offered free health insurance coverage. This type of system is made possible by a government fund where every employed resident pays a percentage of their salary towards social contributions in the form of taxes, covering healthcare costs.

In addition to the public healthcare system, Spain has several private insurance options. However, in this case, you are in charge of selecting your provider and paying for the insurance plan you choose