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DKV Selección — the budget policy with no age limit and no co-payments when paid annually

Technical parameters

Cost

2026 rates, annual premium per insured person:
up to 49 — €468.86 · 50–64 — €826.10 · 65–75 — €1,172.16 · from 76 — €1,629.86
Payment: the first payment is always for the full year
Term: 365 days, taking effect on the first day of the month

General characteristics
ParameterValue
Medical networkJoint DKV — Unión Médica La Fuencisla network
Age limit at contractingNone
Primary careGeneral medicine and 24-hour emergency care
SpecialistsIncluded
Diagnostics and therapeutic methodsIncluded
Hospitalisation and surgeryIncluded
Additional coverHealth and prevention programmes, psychology, daily hospitalisation allowance, travel assistance
Travel assistanceWorldwide, with residence in Spain and absences of no more than 60 consecutive days
Co-payment per medical act€3 per act — removed entirely if the policy is paid annually by bank transfer or if it covers 4 or more insured
For a residence permitThe co-payment-free set-up qualifies: annual payment by transfer, or 4 insured and above
Surcharge for instalments7.5% monthly, 4.5% quarterly, 2.5% half-yearly
Travel assistanceUp to €15,000 per insured per claim, trips of up to 60 consecutive days
Start dateChosen by the client, no more than 30 days ahead; the policy begins on the 1st of the month
From the age of 75A medical report is required if the health declaration is left blank
Areas where the network operates
IslandsCanary Islands, Balearics
CentreMadrid and Guadalajara
EastValencian Community, Alicante and Murcia
SouthCentral Andalusia, Extremadura
North and north-westAragón, Asturias, Galicia, León

Rates reflect the 2026 conditions and are reviewed annually at renewal. Cover, limits and the list of centres are set out in the particular conditions of each policy; we go through them with the client before contracting.

The most affordable policy that still works for the paperwork

Selección runs on its own medical network: not DKV's general one, but the network jointly arranged by DKV and Unión Médica La Fuencisla. That is precisely why it costs noticeably less than the rest, while keeping the two features most often required for a residence application: no upper age limit at contracting and no co-payments — the co-payment is removed by paying annually by bank transfer, as explained just below.

What it costs

2026 rates, annual premium per insured person: up to 49 years — €468.86; 50 to 64 — €826.10; 65 to 75 — €1,172.16; from 76 — €1,629.86. The first payment is always made for the full year. The policy runs for 365 days and takes effect on the first day of the month. The absence of an age ceiling deserves separate mention: finding health cover in Spain past seventy is not straightforward, and here there is simply no upper limit.

How the payment method decides the co-payment and the residence permit

This is one of those cases where the way you pay changes the cover itself, and it is worth knowing before you sign.

By default the policy carries a co-payment: €3 for each medical act. You can pay monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or annually, but paying in instalments adds a surcharge: 7.5% monthly, 4.5% quarterly and 2.5% half-yearly.

The co-payment disappears entirely in two cases: if the policy is paid annually by bank transfer, or if it covers four insured people or more.

That has a direct consequence for paperwork. A residence permit requires a policy without co-payments, so it has to be paid annually by transfer or taken out for four people or more. Monthly payment leaves you with a co-payment policy, which will not do for residency. We talk this through before you sign, because once the file has been submitted there is no room to redo it.

What it covers

Primary care and 24-hour emergency care. Specialist consultations. Diagnostics and therapeutic methods. Hospitalisation and surgery. In addition: health and preventive medicine programmes, psychology, a daily allowance during hospitalisation, and medical assistance while travelling.

The main limitation is geographical

The medical network does not cover the whole of Spain. Care is provided through the DKV network arranged in the relevant province. The network currently comprises: the Canary Islands, the Balearics, Madrid and Guadalajara, the Valencian Community, Alicante and Murcia, central Andalusia, Aragón, Asturias, Galicia, León and Extremadura. If you live in one of those areas, the limitation does not affect you. If you are going to live elsewhere, this policy does not fit and we will find you another. This is a condition of taking out the policy, not a recommendation. If your home address, or the address given in your application, falls outside the covered area, the policy cannot be issued — the system simply will not accept it. The check is made against the specific address rather than the region: in Tenerife, for example, the policy is only issued with an address in the north of the island; with a southern address it will not go through. In Barcelona and in Catalonia generally, Selección is not written — and you would not be able to use it there either. If the address does not fit, we find you another policy: there is no shortage of options that work throughout Spain. Travel assistance works worldwide, provided your habitual residence remains in Spain and you are not away for more than 60 consecutive days a year.

For those over 75

Selección has no upper age limit for taking out the policy. That is rare: DKV’s other policies cap the individual contract at 75.

Put that together with how the co-payment works here. A policy paid annually by transfer comes without co-payments, and that is exactly what a residence permit requires. The result is a combination that barely exists elsewhere: someone over 75 can take out a co-payment-free policy that is valid for a residency application.

It is most often needed when the children already live in Spain and bring their parents over. One caveat: from the actuarial age of 75, with a blank health declaration, the insurer will ask for a medical report.

What to know before contracting

Before signing you must declare all known pre-existing conditions: the insurer assesses each case separately. Any change of country of residence must also be reported. Rates are reviewed once a year, at renewal.

Typical tasks that this policy solves

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Traumatology
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Oncology
Insurance Coverage for Oncology Surgery and Procedures
Cancer surgery and hospitalisation are covered without limit, with an eight-month waiting period.
Mental
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Psychotherapy is included: 20 sessions a year, and 40 under the age of 24 and in specific cases. The waiting period is six months.
Health
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Basic dental care at no extra cost: unlimited cleanings, consultations, extractions, treatments and the associated X-rays.
Pediatrics
Child Medical Insurance: Access to Specialists Without Waiting
Paediatrics and children’s specialists with no limit on consultations. Appointments fit your schedule rather than a waiting list.
Agent's opinion
I usually suggest Selección when the insurance is needed for a visa or residence permit and, at the same time, the budget has to stay reasonable. It is one of the most affordable options without a co-payment per consultation that still works for the application. But here the first thing I look at is not the price — it is where you are going to live. Selección has its own medical network, and it does not operate across the whole of Spain. If you live in the Canaries, in Madrid, in Valencia or in the Balearics, this option is worth considering. If it is another region, I simply do not propose it. There is no sense in saving on insurance that later turns out to be awkward or impossible to use properly. Another reason I often think of Selección is age. The policy has no upper age limit, and finding good health cover for an older person in Spain is not always easy. This matters particularly when the children already live here and bring their parents over. I will speak about payment separately, because it is not only a matter of budget. The policy is paid for the whole year at once, and for someone who has just moved while facing many other expenses, the sum can come as a surprise — I always flag that in advance. But it is precisely the annual payment by transfer that removes the €3 co-payment per act, and a policy without co-payments is exactly what a residence permit requires. Add to that the absence of an age ceiling and you can see why I keep Selección in play: for someone over 75 who needs a co-payment-free policy for residency, I know of no other workable option on the market. At that age, other insurers either decline outright or keep the co-payments. And the main point: I would not choose Selección simply because it is cheaper. It is a good policy when three things coincide — you need it for the paperwork, its network works in your area, and you do not need to choose doctors and clinics freely across Spain. If even one of those does not hold, it is better to look at another option.
Galina Miloserdova, exclusive agent for DKV and Zurich