Healthcare in Spain
How to get into the public system, when you need private insurance, and what happens to your health cover in Israel.
✓ Checked against the sources: October 2026⚠️ This isn't medical advice. It's general information checked against official sources.
The public system: first steps
- Register with the town hall at your address (empadronamiento). You usually need it before a health card.
- Register with Spanish Social Security, through your job or as self-employed.
- Get a regional health card and a family doctor at your local clinic. In Catalonia this goes through CatSalut, and the clinic is called a CAP.
Source: Seguridad Social · CatSalut
🔒 2 more sections in this guide
- 💳 Private health insurance
- 🇮🇱 Your Israeli health cover while abroad
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