Non-lucrative visa
Health Insurance for the Non-Lucrative Visa
For Spain's non-lucrative visa, the Spanish consulate in London asks for insurance with an insurer authorised to operate in Spain, and US consulates ask for cover for all risks insured by the Spanish public health system. Requirements vary, so your own consulate's list is the one to follow. The policy built for exactly this is Sanitas Residents in its visa version. We arrange it for you, check the certificate before your appointment and help when the policy renews.
Which plan works for the NLV?
There are two policies to choose between, Sanitas Residents and Sanitas Residents Platinum. Both are designed for foreign residents, and each has a version made for visa applications. The visa versions are for nationals of countries outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, which covers NLV applicants.
| Residents (visa version) | Residents Platinum (visa version) | |
|---|---|---|
| Copayments | None | None |
| Waiting periods | Waived in the visa version | Waived in the visa version |
| Maximum age to take out | 75 (until the month of your 76th birthday) | 64 (until the month of your 65th birthday) |
| Treatment outside the insurer's network | Not the core of the plan | 90% reimbursement with any doctor, up to €500,000 a year |
| Visa certificate | Yes | Yes |
The short version:
- Residents is one of the insurer's main plans for residence-visa applicants. It's designed to meet residence-visa requirements and covers you across the Sanitas network in Spain.
- Platinum suits applicants under 65 who want freedom of choice: treatment with doctors outside the network, reimbursement abroad and a wider set of extras.
- If you or your partner is 65 or over, Platinum isn't available to take out. Residents is the plan for you.
Not sure which fits? Tell us your ages and where you plan to live, and we'll recommend one plan and explain why.
Couples and families applying together
If you're applying as a couple, each person included in the visa application needs to be covered and properly named on the policy and certificate.
What usually comes up for couples:
- Different ages can mean different plans. If one partner is 63 and the other 67, Platinum is only available to the younger partner. Some couples choose Residents for both so the cover matches.
- Household pricing applies. Sanitas publishes separate Residents Visado tariff tables for individual, two-person, three-person and four-or-more-person policies.
- Medical questions are assessed per person. Each applicant completes the health questionnaire, and declared conditions are assessed individually.
Applying over 60, 65, 70 or 75
Plenty of NLV applicants are retiring to Spain, so age matters:
- Up to 64 (until the month of your 65th birthday): you can apply for Residents or Platinum.
- 65 to 75 (until the month of your 76th birthday): you can apply for Residents. Acceptance is always subject to Sanitas's medical assessment.
- Once insured, there's no upper age limit for staying on the policy.
- From the month of your 76th birthday: the insurer won't accept a new application. Talk to us before you book your appointment so we can explain your options honestly.
Price varies with age. For an exact figure, we need each applicant's date of birth and where in Spain you'll live.
Medical history and the health questionnaire
Every applicant completes a health questionnaire. If you declare a condition, Sanitas's medical team may contact you to assess it before the policy is accepted.
In practice, that means:
- Answer fully and accurately. An incomplete answer can cause problems later, when you need to use the cover.
- Allow time. A declared condition adds a step to the process, so it's best not to leave insurance until the week before your appointment.
- Talk to us first if you're worried. We can go through it with you before you apply. If there's anything medical we need to discuss, we'll handle it privately.
When should the policy start?
The policy needs to be in force for the period the consulate expects, and the start date printed on the certificate has to match. Cover normally starts on the first day of the selected month, and policies may be arranged up to six months ahead.
Agree the intended start date before the application is submitted. The start month may sometimes be adjusted before cover begins, but a change is never guaranteed, so contact us promptly if your appointment moves. Compare the certificate details with your application before you submit it, and if anything needs correcting, come to us rather than changing the certificate yourself.
The insurance certificate
The consulate doesn't want your full policy document. It wants a certificate confirming the cover. Sanitas provides a visa certificate for Residents and Platinum policies.
Before you submit it, we check:
- names and passport numbers match your application exactly
- the start date and length of cover are right
- the no-copay and no-waiting-period wording is there
- every family member on the application is covered
Can UK applicants use an S1 instead?
If you're a UK state pensioner with an S1, some consulates accept registration of the S1 with Spanish Social Security in place of private insurance. The London consulate says so explicitly. Not every consulate takes the same view, so confirm whether yours accepts it. We'll look at whether one of the Sanitas plans we arrange suits your route and circumstances, and explain why if it doesn't.
What does NLV health insurance cost?
It depends mainly on age, where you'll live in Spain, which plan you choose and how many people are insured. Sanitas publishes dated April 2026 tariffs by age, area and number of insured people; they apply in the first year to new insured people whose cover starts from 1 April through 31 December 2026, before a 0.15% Consorcio surcharge.
With a Spanish or other European IBAN, the premium can be paid annually or half-yearly; card payment is for annual payment. Your quote shows the exact premium for your payment schedule.
After you arrive: renewal and residency
Your NLV residence authorisation is renewed later, and the renewal checklist in force at that point is the one to follow. Your policy schedule sets out the renewal terms; Residents Platinum renews automatically after twelve months unless cancelled at least one month before renewal. We help with your renewal when the time comes and review whether your plan still suits you once you're living in Spain.
Where your cover applies
Cover applies across the Sanitas network in Spain, with emergency cover on trips abroad for up to 90 days. We can't currently arrange policies for people living in Cantabria (including Santander) or Navarra. This is a limit on our distribution area, not on the insurer's medical network. If you're choosing where to live, tell us the town and we'll confirm cover before you apply.
Why arrange it with us
- Visa health insurance is what we do. We explain openly how we work and are paid. About us
- We check the certificate against your application before you go to the consulate.
- Human help in English by phone, email or WhatsApp.
- We stay with you at renewal, when you switch plans and when you need to use the cover.
Need help with the visa application?
We arrange the insurance. If you'd like help preparing and submitting the visa application itself, see non-lucrative visa application help.
Frequently asked questions
Does the policy have to start before my consulate appointment?
The certificate needs to show cover for the period the consulate expects. Cover normally starts on the first day of the selected month, and policies may be arranged up to six months ahead, so we agree the start month with you once your appointment is booked.
Can my partner and I be on one policy?
Residents Visado has published tariffs for two-person policies, and each of you must be properly named on the policy and certificate.
Is there an upper age limit?
You can take out Residents up to age 75 (until the month of your 76th birthday), and Platinum up to 64 (until the month of your 65th birthday). Once insured, there's no maximum age to stay on the policy.
Do I need to pay for the whole year upfront?
With a Spanish or other European IBAN, the premium can be paid annually or half-yearly; card payment is for annual payment. Your quote shows the exact premium for your payment schedule.
Can I use my existing international insurance instead?
Only if it's with an insurer authorised in Spain and meets the consulate's requirements. Some international policies don't. Send us the policy and we'll give you an honest view.