Convenio Especial in Spain: Public Health Cover in Valencia
No public health cover? The convenio especial is a paid route into Valencia's public health care for residents with no other public cover. It costs €60 a month under 65 and €157 from 65. You need a continuous year of residence in Spain and a Valencian padrón. The Conselleria must notify its decision within 30 days.
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Is the convenio especial for you? Check three requirements first, then the fee, the documents and where to file.
Can you sign the convenio especial?
You can sign if you live in Spain, are not an insured person or beneficiary of the National Health System, and meet three requirements:
- You can prove effective residence in Spain for a continuous minimum of one year immediately before you apply.
- You are on the padrón of a municipality in the Comunitat Valenciana when you apply.
- You have no access to a public health protection system on any other basis.
a) Acreditar la residencia efectiva en España durante un período continuado mínimo de un año inmediatamente anterior a la fecha de la solicitud del convenio especial.
a) Prove effective residence in Spain for a continuous minimum period of one year immediately before the date of the application for the special agreement.
BOE · Real Decreto 576/2013, art. 3.a
Ley 16/2003 created the convenio for people with no right to care at public expense; Decreto 190/2013 of the Consell regulates the Valencian version.
If you receive a pension from another EU country, check the S1 route for EU pensioners before you pay for a convenio.
What does the convenio especial cost?
Your age when you sign sets the monthly fee.
| Subscriber | Monthly fee |
|---|---|
| Under 65 | €60 |
| 65 or over | €157 |
a) Si el suscriptor tiene menos de 65 años: cuota mensual de 60 euros.
b) Si el suscriptor tiene 65 o más años: cuota mensual de 157 euros.
a) If the subscriber is under 65: monthly fee of 60 euros. b) If the subscriber is 65 or over: monthly fee of 157 euros.
BOE · Real Decreto 576/2013, art. 6.1
How fees are charged
- Fees are charged per calendar month, but the first and last months are prorated by days.
- If you turn 65 during the agreement, the 65-plus fee applies from the first day of the month after you reach 65.
- Pay by direct debit from an account in your name. Each fee after the first is due within the first ten calendar days of its month.
- Where direct debit is impossible, the Conselleria may authorise payment with form 046 at a collaborating bank.
Valencian fees cannot fall below the minimum amounts that result from any revision under article 6.2 of RD 576/2013, so confirm the current amount with the Conselleria when you file.
Documents to bring
A missing paper restarts the clock, so pack everything before you go:
- Your NIE or, failing that, a valid national ID or passport.
- Documents proving effective residence in Spain for the required year.
- A padrón certificate from your municipality of residence.
- A responsible declaration that you have no access to public health protection on another basis.
- A third-party bank sheet with the details for direct debit, plus a SEPA direct debit order.
You do not need the ID and padrón documents if the Administration can check identity and residence electronically and you consent. For NIE holders who sign the data-verification authorisation, the padrón check is made through the residence data verification system.
Where do you apply, and how long does it take?
File at the register of the Dirección Territorial de Sanidad in Valencia, Gran Vía Fernando el Católico, 74, 46008 Valencia, tel. 012. Two other routes work: any post office, in an open envelope so the form and your copy get stamped and dated, or online through the Conselleria procedure page. The application stays open all year. The 012 line answers Monday to Friday 08:00 to 19:00.
- File the application with all documents.
- Fix gaps within ten days. An incomplete application is deemed withdrawn if you do not complete it in that time.
- Wait for the decision. The territorial directorate must notify a reasoned decision within 30 days of receiving the application.
- Silence counts as approval. If no decision is issued and notified in time, the application is deemed approved.
- Formalise within three months of the approval notice or the approval by silence.
- Start. The convenio takes effect on the day it is formalised.
What do you get, and what is not covered?
The convenio gives access to the common basic portfolio of the National Health System, with the same guarantees of extent, continuity of care and coverage as insured people have. The Conselleria excludes pharmaceutical costs.
You get a temporary inclusion document, not a SIP card, and you carry it whenever you need care at a health centre or hospital. Signing does not lead to a health card, because you are not an insured person or beneficiary. The SIP card guide explains the difference.
Moving temporarily to another region keeps your right to the common basic portfolio there.
How does the convenio end?
Late payment ends the convenio: it lapses if you miss the first fee, two consecutive monthly fees or three alternate ones. It also ends if you stop meeting a requirement, become an insured person or beneficiary, or leave the padrón of a municipality in the region.
After an agreement ends, you cannot apply for a new one until one year has passed from the day after it ended.
What if you do not qualify?
Without a year of residence or a padrón, the convenio is closed to you for now. Universal care and the health social worker remain.
The universal-care route is for people not registered or authorised as residents, in Spain more than three months, with no cover on another legal basis. Apply for universal health care at the counter of a Conselleria health centre. Royal Decree 180/2026 sets that procedure. The decision is due within three months, and the document proving the right does not expire.
In every case, ask your nearest health centre to refer you to the health social worker. After hospital emergency care, do the same as soon as possible.
The old Valencian Decreto-ley 3/2015 on universal access no longer applies: the Constitutional Court declared it unconstitutional and void in a judgment of 14 December. The Generalitat must still guarantee health benefits to the whole population without discrimination.
Step by step
- Check you qualifyYou must not be insured, have a year of effective residence in Spain, be on a Valencian padrón and have no other public cover.
- Gather your documentsBring your NIE or passport, proof of residence, a padrón certificate, a responsible declaration and bank details.
- File with the ConselleriaFile at the register of the Dirección Territorial de Sanidad in Valencia; the application stays open all year.
- Wait for the decisionA reasoned decision is due within 30 days; if none is notified, the application is deemed approved.
- Formalise and payFormalise within three months, then pay each fee by direct debit.
Not confirmed: Whether time lived in another EU or EEA state, Switzerland or the UK counts toward the year: the Conselleria adds that territory, while the decrees name Spain only. Ask at the Dirección Territorial de Sanidad before you file.
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Common questions
How much does the convenio especial cost in Valencia?
It is €60 a month if you are under 65 and €157 a month if you are 65 or over. If you turn 65 during the agreement, the higher fee applies from the first day of the month after your birthday month. The first and last months are prorated by days.
Do I need to live in Spain for a year before I can apply?
Yes. You must prove effective residence in Spain for a continuous minimum of one year immediately before the date of your application. You must also be on the padrón of a Valencian municipality when you apply. Documents proving that year go with the application.
Does the convenio especial cover my medicines?
No. The convenio covers health care but not pharmaceutical costs. It gives access to the common basic portfolio of the National Health System, with the same guarantees of extent, continuity of care and coverage as insured people have.
Do I get a SIP card with the convenio especial?
No. You get a temporary inclusion document, not a tarjeta SIP. You must carry it whenever you need care at the health centre or hospital. Signing the convenio does not lead to a health card, because you are not an insured person or beneficiary.
How long does approval take?
The Conselleria's territorial directorate must notify a reasoned decision within 30 days of receiving your application. If no decision is issued and notified in time, the application is deemed approved. You then have three months to formalise the agreement.
How do I pay the monthly fee?
By direct debit. Fees are paid by direct debit from an account in your name. Each fee after the first is due within the first ten calendar days of its month. Payment at a collaborating bank with form 046 is possible only in exceptional cases that the Conselleria authorises.
When does the convenio especial end?
It ends if you miss the first fee, two consecutive monthly fees or three alternate ones. It also ends if you stop meeting a requirement, become insured or leave the padrón of a municipality in the region. You cannot sign a new one until a year has passed.
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General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.
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