Latest News about Brexit: Updates regarding Healthcare and Pensions.
Healthcare
Are you registered for healthcare as a resident in Spain? Many of you are probably still using the advantages of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to access healthcare in Spain. However, as a resident, you should by now be registered correctly.
When you are registered for public healthcare as a resident and are travelling outside of Spain, you can apply for a Tarjeta Sanitaria Europea (TSE) online, or go to your nearest Social Security Office (Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social).
If you are travelling within the EU as an S1 form holder, you should hold a UK-issued European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Until further notice and formal agreements are made, the EHIC remains valid.
We also recommend buying additional travel insurance covering anything that isn’t covered by your TSE, EHIC or for travelling to countries outside the EU.
If the UK leaves the EU with a deal and you are resident in Spain, your access to healthcare will be protected for as long as you live in Spain.
If there is no deal, the importance of having all of your paperwork in order to avoid any surprises can’t be highlighted enough. The Spanish Royal Decree states that if you are currently registered for healthcare in Spain as a resident, you will be able to continue to access healthcare until at least the end of 2020. However, this isn’t certain and may happen only if the UK makes the same agreement for Spanish nationals in the UK.
Pensions
When retiring in Spain, you can claim the following:
- UK state pension or new UK State Pension.
- Spanish and UK state pension from the Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social if you worked in Spain.
- Pensions from working in other EU countries.
It is important to notify the responsible bodies of any changes relating to your situation, as failure to do so may lead to the suspension of payments.
If the UK leaves with a deal and you work and pay social security contributions in Spain, you will still be able to add your UK social security contributions towards your Spanish pension. This will happen even if you claim your pension after the end of the implementation period.
In the case that the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the Spanish government has proposed that they will take into account periods of work in the UK before the UK leaves the EU when calculating the Spanish pension.
Once there is a formal and final agreement in place, we will update the information on Expats Magazine, so make sure to subscribe to our list.
