Using an EHIC or UK GHIC in Barcelona: What Is Covered
How the European Health Insurance Card and the UK Global Health Insurance Card work at public CAPs and hospitals in Barcelona, and why they stop being enough once you live here.
With a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or a UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), visitors to Barcelona get the same public healthcare as Catalan residents for health problems that arise during their stay. Show the card and ID at a public CAP (primary care center) or hospital. Private clinics are outside the scheme and can charge you.
What does the card cover in Barcelona?
According to CatSalut, Catalonia’s public health service, the EHIC (in Spanish and Catalan, targeta sanitària europea or TSE) entitles a temporary visitor from the EU, the European Economic Area or Switzerland to the same public healthcare that residents receive, for health problems that come up during the stay. It is issued by your home country and must be requested before you travel. Each country sets its own expiry date.
| Situation | Covered with the card? |
|---|---|
| Illness or accident during your stay, at a public CAP or hospital | Yes, on the same terms as residents |
| Travelling to Barcelona to get a specific planned treatment | No; you need form S2 from your home country |
| Private clinic or private doctor | No; the card covers the public system only |
| Living in Catalonia long term | No; residents must register through the Spanish system |
If you forget the card, the public system will still treat you in an emergency, but CatSalut says you will be asked to pay, and if you need admission you may have to sign a commitment to pay. Your home country’s health insurer can issue a provisional replacement certificate (CPS), which CatSalut accepts in place of the card.
Does the UK GHIC work the same way?
Yes. CatSalut accepts the UK GHIC, which it calls the new targeta sanitària global (TSG), and the older UK EHIC while it is still valid, or a provisional replacement certificate. CatSalut notes that UK cards carry an expiry date, and that cards issued to students last for the length of their studies. The rules mirror those for EU visitors: care that arises during the stay is covered in the public system, and planned treatment needs an S2 form arranged in advance with the UK authorities and a booking made before you travel.
Since 1 July 2022, cards issued by the Gibraltar Health Authority are no longer valid in Catalonia, and Gibraltar residents are billed as private patients.
Where should you go?
- For anything that is not an emergency, go to a public CAP (Centre d’Atenció Primària) and show the card plus your passport or national ID at the admissions desk.
- Outside CAP hours or for urgent problems, use an urgent care center or a hospital emergency department. Our guide to urgent care in Barcelona explains which one to choose.
- For a life-threatening emergency, call 112.
- If a private clinic, hotel doctor or tourist medical service sees you, expect to pay and keep the invoice; the card does not oblige them to treat you on public terms.
Keep copies of every document you are given, including discharge reports and receipts, in case your insurer at home asks for them.
Non-EU visitors without a card or travel insurance pay for any care they receive. CatSalut advises people from outside the EU on short stays to check their home country’s arrangements before travelling.
What changes when you move to Barcelona?
The EHIC and GHIC are for temporary stays. Once you live in Catalonia, CatSalut expects you to prove your right to public healthcare through the Spanish system instead:
- Working in Spain: your employer or your own registration as self-employed links you to Spanish social security.
- Pensioners and posted workers from another EU country or the UK: your home country issues a form such as the S1, which you register with the INSS (Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social, Spain’s social security institute).
- Other residents: CatSalut assigns cover based on your situation, often after you are registered on the padrón.
With that done, you apply for the Catalan health card. Our guide to the TSI health card covers the steps, and EU citizens should also get the EU registration certificate.
Bottom line
Check the expiry date on your card before you fly and note how to request a replacement certificate from your home insurer, so a lost card does not leave you paying at the desk. If you plan to stay longer than a few months, start the switch to the Spanish system early, because the card does not cover residents.
FAQ
Do I pay anything at a public CAP with an EHIC?
You get the same public care as residents. Where residents pay a share, such as for prescriptions, you may pay it too; the pharmacy or center will tell you.
Is travel insurance still worth having?
The card only gives access to public care on residents’ terms. It does not cover private clinics, so insurance can fill that gap; whether to buy it is your choice.
Does the card work outside Catalonia?
Yes. The EHIC and GHIC give access to the public health system across Spain on the same basis. CatSalut’s rules described here apply in Catalonia; other regions run their own services, but the right to care is the same.
Can I use my EHIC while I wait for a TSI?
The card is meant for temporary stays. If you have moved, ask your CAP how to get care while your registration in the Spanish system is processed.
