Spanish Student Visa Insurance Requirements
What matters is whether your policy and certificate meet the conditions your consulate checks. This guide sets out the requirements student visa applications are normally checked against — and the traps that get applications sent back.
What student visa applications are normally checked against
For a Spanish student visa (and later the TIE), non-EU students normally need private health insurance meeting all of the following. Requirements are set by each consulate, so always check your own consulate's document list — these are the conditions applications are most commonly checked against.
- An insurer authorised in Spain — the policy must come from a company authorised to operate in Spain
- Comprehensive medical cover — equivalent to public healthcare, not emergency-only
- No copayments — consulates generally expect zero-copay policies for visa routes
- No waiting periods — cover valid from day one
- Valid for the whole stay — including the standard date margins below
- Repatriation cover — commonly expected alongside medical cover
The date rule that catches people out
Consulate practice normally expects your policy to take effect one month before your course start date and remain valid until fifteen days after the course end date. Policies start on the first day of a month, so the insured period needs aligning with your enrolment dates — we do this with you when you apply.
Second trap: consulates normally require proof of payment in advance for the whole stay. A policy paid month-to-month without evidence of full payment can be queried, which is why annual payment is the standard route for visa applications.
Why travel insurance usually gets rejected
Travel policies and emergency-only medical cover are usually not accepted for student visas: they are not comprehensive, they typically carry excesses (a form of copayment), and they are not issued by an insurer authorised in Spain in the way consulates expect. The same applies to the EHIC route for non-EU students — it simply doesn't apply. What consulates are looking for is a Spanish private medical policy with the conditions above, evidenced by an official certificate in Spanish — see how the certificate works.
The Sanitas International Students plan is arranged on exactly this basis for students aged 14–35 on courses of 3–14 months. Eligibility, premium and policy terms are confirmed before the policy is issued.
Get cover arranged around these requirements
The Sanitas student plan is arranged on the basis applications are normally checked against — see your exact price instantly.
Happy with your price?
Complete the guided application online — we prepare the official Sanitas forms for you.