DKV Visado — health insurance for the Spanish visa and residence permit

The document they will ask for at renewal

The policy is only half of it. When you renew your residency you will be asked to prove that the premiums have been paid and that cover has not lapsed. That document is the certificado de primas pagadas, and the insurer issues it.

We request it for our clients as soon as they ask. You will not have to work out whom to write to or how to phrase it — write to us and we will obtain it and pass it on.

The start date can be deferred by three months

This is the most important practical feature of the visa policy, and almost nobody knows about it in advance. The full year is paid upfront by bank card through a link, and the start date can be pushed back by up to three months.

The policy is nevertheless already issued, paid for, and the certificates are in your hands. You file your papers with the consulate or Extranjería holding everything you need, and the cover begins when you actually arrive. You do not pay for the months spent waiting for a decision.

This policy has no waiting periods and no co-payments per visit — both requirements placed on visa insurance are met.

What Spanish law requires of the policy

Not every health insurance works for a visa or a residence permit. There are four requirements: full cover, comparable to the Spanish National Health System; no co-payments — however many times you go to the clinic, nothing is paid on top of the premium; no waiting periods — cover must be effective from the first day; an annual contract — effective from the date the visa takes force and for a full year; and when the residence card is renewed, the policy is renewed too. DKV Visado is built for exactly these requirements rather than adapted to them.

The two points where applications usually stall

Payment. The policy is paid by bank card through a virtual terminal — no Spanish bank account is needed. For anyone applying before moving, this is often the only workable route. The certificate. DKV issues a specific document in Spanish — the Certificado Ad Hoc — drafted so that neither the consulate nor the immigration office raises objections. It is produced once the policy is paid, usually within a day.

What the policy covers

Medical network: more than 51,000 professionals and 1,000 medical centres across Spain. Primary care: general medicine, paediatrics, nursing and 24-hour emergency care. Specialists and diagnostics: cardiology, dermatology, ophthalmology, traumatology, gynaecology, oncology and many more; ultrasound, MRI, CT, oncological radiotherapy, lithotripsy. Rehabilitation: podiatry, physiotherapy and rehabilitation with no limit on sessions. Psychotherapy: 20 sessions a year. Forty in cases of eating disorders, school bullying, cyberbullying, work-related stress and gender or domestic violence. For those under 24, 40 sessions in all cases. From 2026 cover extends to symptoms associated with ASD and ADHD. Hospitalisation and surgery: including oncological treatment, intensive care, and cover for pregnancy and childbirth. Dental: more than 50 treatments at no extra cost, among them unlimited cleanings, X-rays and consultations; the rest at special prices. Travel abroad: medical assistance for up to 180 days, with a limit of €30,000.

Terms of contracting

The policy is issued only to people without Spanish nationality, evidenced with a NIE or passport. A health declaration is completed and the insurer assesses each case individually. Having a medical history does not mean an automatic refusal: much depends on the specific condition. But this has to be established before contracting rather than after the application is filed — we make that check in advance. There are no waiting periods, with childbirth the only exception. The term is 365 days with annual renewal. From the third year of cover, protection becomes lifelong. If the visa is refused, DKV guarantees a refund of the amount paid — the refund terms are set out in the contract.

What we do

We check the specific requirement for your procedure before contracting: the details differ between visa and permit types. We prepare the documents, request the certificate in the format the authorities accept, and stay with you through the renewal, when a valid, uninterrupted and fully paid policy is required again. Nine out of ten policies we arrange for people moving to Spain are documents for visas and residence. Here we know not only the product, but how it is read at the consulate.