New Year, New Start? Just moved to Spain as an early retiree but haven?t yet registered for healthcare? Check out how to register properly for healthcare in Spain, bearing in mind you may need to take out private health insurance for the first year. Just retired to Spain but haven?t yet registered for healthcare? Contact the International Pension Centre to apply for a UK Pensioner S1 form to access the public healthcare system on the same basis as a Spanish pensioner. For more information, visit http://www.gov.uk/healthcare-in-spain and watch our Moving to Spain? Think about healthcare! video found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtioSnff2IY

Hi everyone, I am new here and this is my first post. I am looking to retire early to Spain next year and have been looking at various forums and doing some research of my own.

Is this post correct?

I have been looking at healthcare and as an early retiree I don’t think I can be covered by the Spanish system since a recent change in the law. I understand that I will only be covered when I reach normal UK retiring age.

This would make my plans to retire early impossible and I think dreadfully unfair.

Private healthcare isn’t an option because of pre existing conditions.

Any guidance would be grately appreciated.

Thanks
Peter

I have just spoken to the british consulate in spain.

After 1 year of residency you qualify for “paid for” Spanish Healthcare the same as any other resident. However, this costs 60 Euro per month plus the cost of medicines.

A qualification for residency is that you have healthcare cover similar to that provided by the NHS, which obvioulsy as a non-resident you will need to pay for with a private insurer in the first year. However as my pre-existing conditions cannot be covered by private policies this would appear to be a circle I cannot break.

So much for freedom of movement within the EU. It seems to me that it is freedom to come to the UK but not the other way round.