Which health insurance do you need as an expat in Valencia?

If you live in Valencia without paying into Spanish social security, you need either private health insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain or, once you are on the padrón and meet the conditions, the Generalitat Valenciana's convenio especial (€60 a month under 65, €157 from 65, rates checked on 3 October 2026). British State Pension holders have a third route: the UK-funded S1. For a non-lucrative or digital nomad visa, only a full private (or equivalent public) policy with no co-payments and no waiting periods works at the application stage.

Updated 3 October 2026. Every price quoted below was checked that day on the official website of the body or insurer concerned.

Who needs private health insurance in Valencia?

In practice, three groups of newcomers:

• Non-lucrative visa applicants: non-EU nationals, Americans and post-Brexit Brits included, who will live on their own income without working in Spain. Health cover is a compulsory part of the file.
• Digital nomad visa applicants: the same logic applies, comprehensive cover is required (see our guide to the Spanish digital nomad visa).
• Residents with no route into public healthcare: you are not employed or self-employed (autónomo), you have no pensioner S1 and you do not yet qualify for the convenio especial. Without an underlying entitlement, you will not be issued a SIP health card: the card proves a right to care, it does not create one.

Irish and other EU citizens need no visa, but registering as an economically inactive resident usually means showing health cover for the green residence certificate. Private insurance is the usual answer until you start contributing.

I am a British pensioner: does the S1 still work after Brexit?

Yes. The UK government's page on healthcare in Spain (GOV.UK, last updated 27 July 2022) states that if you are resident in Spain and receive a UK State Pension or another exportable benefit, you may be entitled to Spanish state healthcare paid for by the UK. Here is how it works, according to that page:

1. You request the S1 application form by phone from the NHS Overseas Healthcare Services (the page lists +44 (0)191 218 1999).
2. You register your S1 with your local INSS office or through the INSS online portal.
3. The INSS posts you a Spanish social security number, which you take to your local health centre to register.
4. You receive a medical card for doctors, hospitals and pharmacies.

The same GOV.UK page sets out the fallback for everyone else: after more than one year living in Spain you can apply for the convenio especial; with less than one year and no other cover, you need private health insurance. It also notes that people with a registered S1 in Spain can apply for a UK EHIC, and that moving abroad permanently can mean losing your entitlement to free NHS care.

What must the policy cover for a Spanish residence visa?

The Consulate General of Spain in Paris (non-lucrative residence visa page, checked on 3 October 2026) asks for a certificate of public or private health insurance, taken out with an insurer authorised to operate in Spain, covering all the risks covered by the Spanish public health system.

American applicants get an even more explicit list from the Consulate General of Spain in Los Angeles (non-lucrative residence visa page, dated 11 February 2026). The policy must:

• be valid for one year and cover every person included in the visa application;
• carry no deductible, no co-payment, no waiting period and no coverage limit;
• cover 100% of medical, hospital and outpatient costs.

The Los Angeles consulate also states that travel insurance with medical assistance is not accepted. Requirements are published consulate by consulate, so check the page of the one handling your file, whether you apply from the UK or the US (our guide to moving to Spain from outside the EU walks through the visa options).

For the digital nomad visa, immigration lawyers point to Article 74 of Ley 28/2022 (the "Startups Law") and Article 62.4 of the immigration regulation (Real Decreto 1155/2024): the insurance, public or private, must come from an insurer authorised in Spain and cover the whole of Spain. We have not yet read those articles directly in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE), so confirm the current wording with your consulate.

Pre-signing checklist

• The insurer is authorised to operate in Spain.
• Cover matches the public system: GP, specialists, hospital stays, emergencies.
• No co-payment (copago), no waiting period (carencia), no deductible, no cap.
• Cover applies across Spain, not just one province.
• The insurer issues a certificate stating all of the above, ready for the visa file.

What is the convenio especial and how much does it cost?

The convenio especial is a pay-in agreement that opens Valencian public healthcare to people with no other entitlement. Its conditions and fees are published by the Generalitat Valenciana on its online sede electrónica (procedure no. 17044, legal basis Decreto 190/2013, checked on 3 October 2026).

Who can apply?

• You must be registered on the padrón (empadronado) in a municipality of the Comunitat Valenciana.
• You have no access to Spain's National Health System and no other public cover.
• You have actually lived in Spain, the EU, the EEA, Switzerland or the United Kingdom for at least one year before applying.
• The administration has up to 30 days to decide; once approved, you have 3 months to sign the agreement.

Convenio especial monthly fees

The switch to the 65+ fee happens automatically, with no new application.

What the convenio especial leaves out

It gives access to the National Health System's core services (the cartera común básica) within the Comunitat Valenciana. The Generalitat explicitly excludes:

• pharmacy medicines;
• orthotics and prostheses;
• dietary products;
• non-urgent medical transport.

So your prescriptions stay fully at your own expense. And because you need to be on the padrón in the Comunitat Valenciana, the convenio especial cannot be used for a visa application lodged from abroad. Once you are settled and meet the one-year residence condition, it becomes a real alternative to private cover: ask the Conselleria de Sanitat how your previous residence will be counted.

There is also the Asistencia Sanitaria Universal (ASU), available under conditions after three months of actual residence with no other cover; our SIP card guide explains it.

Convenio especial or private insurance: which suits you?

For the bigger picture on how public and private care fit together, read our explainer on the Spanish healthcare system.

Which insurers offer expat health insurance in Valencia?

This is not a ranking. Insurers appear in alphabetical order, none paid to be listed, and we give no scores. We checked four criteria, only on each insurer's official website, on 3 October 2026:

1. Product: a plan built for foreign residents or visa applicants.
2. Visa compliance: does the insurer state "no co-payments, no waiting periods"?
3. Valencia network: can you look up doctors and centres in the province?
4. English-language service: is support in English mentioned?

A price only appears if it is shown publicly on the insurer's own site. Figures quoted by comparison sites and brokers are left out.

Asisa

Asisa's page for foreign residents describes its policy as "sin carencias, sin copagos, ideal para visados de residencia" and says it meets the Spanish residence visa requirements with full medical cover. It is the easiest insurer to check locally: the page links straight to a PDF of its cuadro médico (doctors and centres) for the province of Valencia. A product information sheet exists in English, but Asisa's own FAQ says phone support is in Spanish only. No public price: you get a figure from its online simulator or on request.

DKV

DKV sells a dedicated plan called DKV Visado, presented as valid for a Spanish residence visa, with no co-payments and no waiting periods. Its site shows "from €57 a month", with a discounted price displayed at €37 a month (checked on 3 October 2026, no validity date shown, so ask how long the discount lasts and on what terms). A broader plan, DKV Mundisalud, starts at €88 a month, shown reduced to €61 a month on the same page. DKV is the one insurer in this list to confirm phone and email support in English. The page quotes a national network of 51,000 specialists and 1,000 medical centres without a Valencia breakdown, so look at the cuadro médico before you sign.

Mapfre

Mapfre says its insurance for foreigners is designed to meet visa and residence requirements, without naming a specific product on the page we checked. English-language assistance appears among the cover options. No price is displayed: use the online calculator or ask for a quote. Its "Médicos y Centros" search tool shows the network.

Sanitas

Sanitas offers Sanitas International Residents, which its "seguro médico para visado" page presents as meeting visa criteria: full cover, no waiting periods, no co-payments. Premiums are shown "from €95.15 a month" (checked on 3 October 2026). That is an entry-level price; yours will depend on your age and situation. The page we checked mentions neither English-language service nor Valencia centres; its office and centre finder lets you check.

What about Adeslas, Cigna and AXA?

Adeslas (SegurCaixa Adeslas) is one of the best-known health insurers in Spain, but its official site was not reachable when we checked on 3 October 2026, so we quote no price or feature we could not verify at source. If it interests you, ask for a quote and say the policy is for a visa. Cigna and AXA also operate in Spain: compare them case by case against the same criteria.

How do you compare quotes in practice?

• Get two or three quotes with your exact age and start date: "from" prices only apply to the cheapest profile.
• State the purpose: "for a non-lucrative residence visa" or "for the digital nomad visa", and make sure the certificate says so.
• Check the cuadro médico in Valencia: a GP and a hospital near your neighbourhood matter more than a big national number.
• Read the exclusions: pre-existing conditions, dental, optical, medicines.
• Ask about English: among the official sites we checked, only DKV confirms phone and email support in English.

For home, car and liability cover, see our guide to insurance in Valencia.

FAQ

Can British pensioners use the S1 in Valencia after Brexit?

Yes. According to GOV.UK (page last updated 27 July 2022), UK State Pension holders resident in Spain may get Spanish state healthcare paid for by the UK: request the S1 from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services, then register it with the INSS.

Does travel insurance count for a non-lucrative visa?

No. The Spanish consulate in Los Angeles (page dated 11 February 2026) states that travel insurance with medical assistance is not accepted, and that the policy must have no deductible, co-payment, waiting period or coverage limit.

Is the convenio especial enough for a residence visa?

Not for an application lodged from abroad: it requires padrón registration in the Comunitat Valenciana and one year of residence. On arrival, a private policy with no co-payment or waiting period, from an insurer authorised in Spain, is what makes the file complete.

How much does the convenio especial cost in Valencia?

€60 a month under 65 and €157 a month from 65, according to the Generalitat Valenciana (checked on 3 October 2026). Pharmacy medicines are not covered.

How much is private expat health insurance in Valencia?

The only public prices shown on official insurer sites on 3 October 2026 were Sanitas International Residents (from €95.15 a month) and DKV Visado (from €57 a month, €37 with the displayed discount). Asisa and Mapfre work by quote.

Sources

• GOV.UK, Healthcare in Spain, including the Balearic and Canary Islands, last updated 27 July 2022, checked on 3 October 2026.
• Consulate General of Spain in Los Angeles, Non-working (non-lucrative) residence visa, page dated 11 February 2026, checked on 3 October 2026.
• Consulate General of Spain in Paris, "Visado de residencia no lucrativa", exteriores.gob.es, checked on 3 October 2026.
• Generalitat Valenciana, convenio especial de prestación de asistencia sanitaria, sede.gva.es (procedure 17044), checked on 3 October 2026.
• Sanitas, seguro médico para visado, checked on 3 October 2026.
• DKV, seguros de salud para extranjeros, checked on 3 October 2026.
• Asisa, seguro médico para residencia, checked on 3 October 2026.
• Mapfre, asistencia sanitaria en España para extranjeros, checked on 3 October 2026.