Travel insurance for Spain.
Public care in Spain is free with an EHIC or GHIC. Private clinics, dental care and the flight home are not. Here is what the card leaves to you in Spain.
The rules
What Spain asks of visitors.
Checked against official sources on 23 October 2026. Entry rules change, so check again before you fly.
- The border can ask for proof
Spanish border guards may ask visitors for proof of travel insurance, a return ticket and enough money for the stay.
Source: gov.uk - EHIC and GHIC: free in the public system
EU, EEA and Swiss residents use the EHIC, UK residents the GHIC. Only Spanish public hospitals and health centres treat you free with it.
Source: employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu - Paying upfront means private
If you are asked to pay first, you are not in the public system and the card is not accepted. Ask for “asistencia sanitaria pública”.
Source: employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu - Start at a “centro de salud”
Outside an emergency, a public doctor at a centro de salud must refer you before a Spanish public hospital treats you.
Source: employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu - Balearic resorts: alcohol limits
In Magaluf and Playa de Palma on Mallorca, and San Antonio on Ibiza, local laws ban happy hours, open bars, pub crawls and shop sales of alcohol from 9:30pm to 8am.
Source: gov.uk - Catalonia can bill a rescue
Catalonia has started billing climbers, skiers and other adventurers when negligent behaviour caused the need for a rescue.
Source: gov.uk
What care costs
If something goes wrong, this is the bill.
What a visitor pays without insurance. Prices vary by hospital and change every year.
- Public care: free with the card
Doctors, hospital and emergency care in the public system have no co-pay for EHIC holders. You pay 50% of prescribed medicines, or 10% for EU pensioners.
Source: employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu - Private doctors: full price
Hotels and tour operators sometimes call a private doctor. You pay the whole bill, and the EHIC does not refund it.
Source: employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu - Dental care: on you
Dental treatment is mostly not in the public system, apart from rare acute cases. Any cost is not refunded.
Source: employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu
What to look for
Choosing travel cover for Spain.
Ankyro checks each of these on every plan, so you don’t have to read the fine print.
- The flight home from the islands
From Mallorca, Ibiza or the Canaries, getting home after a bad injury means a flight. The GHIC pays nothing toward it, so check the repatriation limit.
- Private hospitals
Some tourist areas have no public hospital nearby. Check your plan pays private hospitals directly.
- Alcohol and balcony exclusions
Many policies refuse claims for falls from balconies or injuries after drink or drugs. Read that clause before a Mallorca or Ibiza trip.
- Sea currents and Teide
Beaches around the Spanish islands can have strong undercurrents, and Tenerife is high enough for altitude sickness. Check water sports and hiking are covered.
Before you land
Sort these before you fly.
- Call 112, ask for public care
Dial 112 for an ambulance. If a doctor is sent, ask for “asistencia del Sistema Nacional de Salud”, or the visit may be billed privately.
- Look up your region
Each Spanish region runs its own public health service. Before you go, find the one where you will stay.
- Turn down the hotel doctor
If a hotel offers to call a doctor, ask if it is public. A private doctor means you pay, or your insurer does.
- Carry the card and the policy
Show your EHIC or GHIC on arrival at a public hospital, or you are billed as a private patient.
Common mistakes
3 we see all the time.
- 01Letting the hotel call a private doctor and expecting the EHIC or GHIC to pay.
- 02Walking into a Spanish public hospital for a minor problem with no referral from a centro de salud.
- 03Skipping the alcohol and balcony exclusions on a Mallorca or Ibiza trip. Your policy may not pay for those injuries.
Travel insurance stops when the trip ends, and most visas for living in Spain don’t accept it. See what Spain asks of residents.
Questions
People also ask.
Do I need travel insurance for Spain?+
Only if you need a Schengen visa. Schengen rules: see our Schengen page. Visa-free visitors can still be asked for proof of insurance at the Spanish border.
Does the GHIC work in Spain?+
Yes, at a centro de salud and in public hospitals. Hotel doctors and private clinics won’t take it.
Is healthcare free for tourists in Spain?+
Public care is free for EHIC and GHIC holders, apart from part of the cost of medicines. Without a card, the hospital can bill you as a private patient.
Can I be charged for a mountain rescue in Spain?+
In Catalonia, yes, if negligent behaviour caused the rescue. Climbers, skiers and other adventurers have been billed.
Do Americans need travel insurance for Spain?+
It is not needed to enter, but the border may ask for proof of it. Your US health plan may pay little abroad, or nothing for a flight home.
Other trips
Going somewhere else?
Visiting Singapore? Care is excellent and expensive. Living here and going abroad? MediShield Life does not pay overseas. Here is what to check.
02Schengen visaA Schengen visa needs travel medical cover of at least 30,000 euros, valid in every Schengen country, with repatriation. Here is what passes, and what doesn’t.
03MalaysiaVisiting Malaysia? Public hospitals charge foreigners full price. Living here and going abroad? Your cover at home stays at home. Here is what to check.
04ThailandThailand doesn’t ask tourists for insurance. But hospitals want a payment guarantee before they treat you, and private care is not cheap. Here is what to know.
05JapanJapan doesn’t ask tourists for insurance yet. But visitors pay the full bill, and unpaid bills can get you refused entry next time. Here is what to know.
06USA visitorsThe US doesn’t ask visitors for insurance. But a few days in hospital can cost more than a car. Here is what care costs, and what a visitor plan must cover.
07Bali and IndonesiaIndonesia doesn’t ask tourists for insurance yet. But a broken leg in Bali can cost over 160 million rupiah, and serious cases can need a flight out. Here is what to know.
08Dubai and the UAEDubai’s law says visitors must be insured, and the 5-year tourist visa asks for proof. Care is good but private, and an unpaid bill can stop you leaving.
09VietnamVietnam doesn’t ask tourists for insurance. But private hospitals cost a lot, and a motorbike crash can stop you leaving the country. Here is what to know.
11MexicoMexico doesn’t ask tourists for insurance. Private hospitals in big cities are good, but most want payment first, and Medicare won’t pay.
12FranceCare in France is not free, even with an EHIC or GHIC. You pay upfront, claim back part, and the flight home is never covered. Here is what to check.
13ItalyThe EHIC and GHIC work in Italy’s public system, but you still pay fees, most medicines and any private doctor. Here is the Italian bill the card leaves you.
14GermanyWith an EHIC or GHIC, most care in Germany costs little. Private extras, mountain rescue and the flight home are on you. Here is what to check.
15PortugalPublic care in Portugal is mostly free with an EHIC or GHIC. Private clinics, medicines and the flight home are not. Here is what to check before you fly to Portugal.
16Costa RicaCosta Rica doesn’t ask tourists for insurance. Only first emergency care is free, private clinics want payment first, and extensions have their own rules.
17ColombiaMost tourists need no visa and no policy for Colombia. If you do need a visa, insurance is part of it. Private clinics want payment first.
18South KoreaKorea doesn’t ask tourists for insurance, and the national scheme is not for short trips. Hospitals expect you to pay on the spot, then claim.
19Australia working holidayThe 417 and 462 visas don’t make you buy health insurance. But you pay every medical bill yourself, unless your passport gets you limited Medicare. Here is who is covered and what to buy.
20New Zealand working holidayMost working holiday visas for New Zealand require medical and hospital insurance for your whole stay, and you can be asked for proof when you land. Here is who is exempt and what to buy.