Questions & Answers
NLV Health Insurance FAQ
The questions we are actually asked about Sanitas health insurance for Spain’s Non-Lucrative Visa — requirements, the two Visado products, cost and payment, ages and medical history, applying, certificates and renewal. Short answers, each linking to the page that covers it properly, and the full guide library if you would rather read it through.
Jump To
Find your question.
NLV insurance requirements
Sanitas Residents Visado and Platinum Visado
Copayments and waiting periods
Cost and payment
Ages and medical history
Couples, families and children
Applying and documents
Certificates and consulate preparation
Starting cover and moving to Spain
Renewing and using the policy
NLV insurance requirements
A Non-Lucrative Visa application has to show health cover in Spain. What your consulate will accept is set out in its own current checklist, which is the document to work from. Our requirements page explains what the Sanitas Visado policies provide against it.
Those are designed for temporary visits rather than residence, and a visa file normally needs cover intended for living in Spain. Do you need private cover? works through the situations where an alternative may apply.
Consulates generally expect cover from an insurer authorised to operate in Spain. Sanitas is a Spanish insurer, which is why these two products are used for visa files.
No. The application takes a passport or an NIE, so an NIE is not required first. Your policy documents can be issued before you have one.
Sanitas Residents Visado and Platinum Visado
Both are Sanitas visa policies. They differ in what they cover and in who is eligible to take them out. The comparison page sets the two side by side.
It depends on the ages of the people being insured and on what matters most to you in the cover. We go through both with you before you decide; nothing is chosen for you.
Yes. One application can cover up to six people. See cover for couples and cover for families.
Repatriation is a specific benefit with its own definition rather than a general promise. What repatriation cover actually means explains it.
Copayments and waiting periods
The Visado versions of both products are the no-copayment versions. The copayments page explains what that means in practice and where it comes from.
The Visado versions are issued without waiting periods on the core health cover. The waiting-periods page sets out the detail and the wording it rests on.
A consulate is looking at whether the cover is effective from the date you need it. Cover that only begins after a qualifying period is a different proposition from cover that starts on day one.
Cost and payment
There is no single figure, because the premium depends on the ages of the people insured, the product, how many people are on the policy, the start date and the region. The cost page explains what drives it, and the quote is personalised and free.
By credit card, or by direct debit from a Spanish or other European (SEPA) bank account. The payment method affects how often you can pay.
From a Spanish or European bank account you can pay annually or twice yearly. By credit card the premium is paid annually.
No. A European SEPA account or a credit card is enough to start. Many people arrange a Spanish account after they arrive.
Ages and medical history
Yes, and it differs between the two products. Age is assessed on the intended policy start date, not on the day you enquire. The age limits page and the pages for over 60, 65, 70 and 75 cover each band.
Declaring a condition does not automatically mean it cannot be insured. Sanitas assesses each application on its own underwriting. The pre-existing conditions page explains how the process works.
At application stage only. The quote form asks for no medical or health information, and you should not put any into it.
Answer accurately. The policy conditions are explicit that the agreement is made on the basis of the declarations in the questionnaire, and an inaccurate or omitted declaration gives the insurer rights it would not otherwise have.
Couples, families and children
Yes, although eligibility is assessed for each person on the start date, so a difference in age can affect which product is open to you both. See cover for couples.
Yes. Cover for families explains how children are added.
Up to six.
Applying and documents
You start with a personalised quote. If you decide to proceed, we explain the application steps and what will be needed. How to apply sets out the sequence.
A passport or NIE for each person insured, your contact and address details, and payment details. Documents needed is the full list.
Yes. The policy can be arranged while you are still abroad, which is the usual case for a visa application.
The main applicant can sign for everyone on the policy.
Certificates and consulate preparation
It is the document that evidences your cover for the visa file. The certificate page explains what it is and how it differs from the policy documents.
Read it against your own consulate's checklist before it goes into the file. Checking your certificate is a step-by-step check.
We cannot speak for any consulate, and nobody selling insurance can. Requirements are applied by the consulate handling your application, and its current checklist is the reliable source.
Starting cover and moving to Spain
The start date needs to work with your appointment and your move, and it is also the date your age is assessed on. When should your policy start? works through how to choose it.
Talk to us before the policy is issued if your dates move. It is far easier to set the right date than to change it afterwards.
Speak to us. We do not give immigration advice, but we can explain the options on the policy itself.
Renewing and using the policy
Through the Sanitas medical directory (cuadro médico). How treatment is arranged explains the routes.
The policy runs for a minimum of one year and continues on the terms set out in the contract rather than restarting, so you do not reapply each year. The premium can change: the conditions provide for actuarial revision and the age attained is one of the named factors. Entry-age limits do not reapply once you are insured. Renewing your policy has the detail.
The same advisers. Phone, WhatsApp and email all reach us — see the contact page.
Still Not Sure?
Ask us the one that isn’t here
Tell us who needs cover and when you expect the policy to begin. We’ll prepare a personalised quote and explain the next step.
Phone, WhatsApp and email all reach the same advisers — see the contact page.