Do you need a medical certificate to apply for a Spain visa?
Published 19th September 2024
Disclaimer: Melimundo is not an immigration specialist service. The below information is based on experience and research.
So I became worried when a site pointed out that I needed a medical certificate to apply for my Spain visa. The only issue was I had already applied and it was successfully granted. So then I was worried, do I need to get a medical certificate after the application? So I did some digging.
Do you need a medical certificate for a student visas longer than 180 days?
If you're applying for a student visa where you'll be studying for longer than 180 days, then you will most likely need a medical certificate. If you're studying less than 180 days, this requirement does not appear necessary.
Below is the advice for those applying from the UK from the Spanish Exteriores Government website.
"Medical certificate . Where the duration of the studies exceeds 180 days, the original and a copy of a medical certificate certifying that the applicant is not suffering from any disease that may have serious repercussions on public health in accordance with the International Health Regulations 2005. This certificate must be issued by a registered doctor no later than 3 months prior to the submission of the visa application and must be formulated in the following terms or similar:
– From the Official Spanish Exteriores Website - Translated into English.
But it would be advisable to check whether you need to apply for a medical certificate from your country.
| Country | Medical Certificate Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Yes | www.exteriores.gob.es, Over 180 days. Certificate must be from the UK or Spain. |
| United States | Yes | Certificado médico required if the stay exceeds 180 days. Must be signed, stamped by a doctor, and translated into Spanish unless the suggested form is used. Valid for 3 months. |
| India | Yes | Certificado médico required if the stay exceeds 180 days. Foreign documents must be legalised or apostilled and translated into Spanish if necessary. |
| China | Yes | Certificado médico required if the stay exceeds 180 days. Must be obtained from one of the centres designated by the Consulate General. |
| Brazil | Yes | Certificado médico required if the stay exceeds 180 days. Issued by a licensed Brazilian doctor with CRM, notarised, apostilled, and translated into Spanish unless a bilingual model is used. |
Digital Nomad Visas
It appears no.
You must have public insurance (by registering with Social Security) or equivalent private health insurance taken out with an insurance company authorised to operate in Spain . Travel insurance, or insurance limited to reimbursement of medical expenses, or insurance with waiting periods or co-payments, are not valid.
The focus is on providing health insurance coverage, not a medical certificate. For example, for Digital Nomads from Brazil they mention:
"Health Insurance: Original and a copy of the public or private health insurance certificate contracted with an insurance company authorised to operate in Spain (the insurance company must be listed in the register of insurers and reinsurers of the Directorate General of Insurance and Pension Funds of the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Tourism). The insurance must cover all risks covered by the public health system in Spain."
I saw the same on the UK website.
Improving this resource in future
I'll be looking to add all visa types and all consulate countries (as big as a challenge that would be) here in future as guide. Hopefully others will find preparing for a visa much easier.
And if you need with your visas, do get some official help from immigration specialists. And if you need a simple way to organise your visa documents, you can try melimundo.com.