You'll need to visit the Health Centre that corresponds to your area of residence. If you don't know where your Health Centre is located, call INFOSALUT at 900 161 161

What documents do I need to apply for a card?

1. Spanish Identity Card or passport
2. Municipal Registry Certificate (empadronamiento)
3. Official sworn translation of a certificate or certified letter issued by the country of origin, certifying that applicant is not receiving health care from that country
4. Spanish Family Record (Libro de familia) or Birth Certificate

Healthcare aid for Spanish citizens in need residing abroad, wherever prior agreement exists.

As of 9 January 2009, as per Royal Decree 8/2008 dated 11 January 2009, of the General Directorate of Spanish Citizens Abroad ( Dirección General de la Ciudadanía Española en el Exterior), which extends the right to healthcare for Spanish citizens living abroad whose pensioner status as of 31 December 2008 can be certified.

What aid is available?

The following benefits are available:

a) Old age pension

b) Disability pension for complete disability, i.e. Absolute inability for work of any kind

c) Healthcare assistance

Who is eligible for these benefits ?

These benefits are directed to Spanish citizens residing abroad, whenever there exists a prior signed Agreement regarding healthcare benefits for those in need.

1) Spanish citizens born in Spain, residing abroad

2) Spanish citizens not born in Spain, who can certify a residence period in Spain of over ten (10) years.

3) Spouse and family who are Spanish either biologically or through adoption, provided they are economically dependent on Spanish citizen and are part of the economic family unit.

What requisites must be met to be eligible for aid ?

1) The applicant must be sixty-five years or older to be eligible for old age pension.

2) The applicant must be between sixteen (16) and sixty-five (65) years of age as of application date to be eligible for permanent disability benefits.

3) The applicant must be a legal resident in those countries where precariousness of system justifies the need for the benefit (this must be accredited through a report submitted to Council for Work and Social Affairs (Consejería de Trabajo y Asuntos Sociales).

4) The applicant must not belong to organisations and/or schemes  that are obligated to provide assistance.

5) The applicant must show that their income does not exceed level established for this scheme.

6) The applicant must not own property with a value over limits established for this scheme, for the country in which they reside.

7) The applicant can't have donated any property in the five years prior to the application.

What documents do I need for the application?

1) Current Spanish passport, which shows applicant's registration with Spanish Consulate abroad as a resident in the foreign country (Inscripción en el Registro de Matricula consular).

2) Government document issued by the country of residence which certifies the identity of the applicant, spouse or common-law partner and members of the family economic unit.
3) Cohabitation certificate (Certificación de convivencia familia)

4) Spanish family record (Libro de familia) if applicable

5) Any court rulings for cases of separation or divorce

6) Death certificate if applicable

7) Certified document showing all income or pension benefits

Where do I apply?

At the Councils for Work and Social Affairs at Embassies or Consulates (Consellerias de Trabajo y Asuntos Sociales)

This right to healthcare protection is valid until 31 December 2009.

There are two types of aid available that will assist individuals with their mortgage payments: one option is to extend the mortgage at no extra cost and the second involves a temporary and partial moratorium on mortgage payments.

1) Mortgage extension:

What are the requirements that must be met in order to extend my mortgage?

A) The mortgage must be in the applicant's name

b) The mortgage must be on their primary residence

c) The mortgage must be arranged through a bank, savings bank, cooperative, or a financial credit institution

d) There must exist an agreement between the applicant and the financial institution

Applicants must go to:
a) Their financial institution (the new clause on the agreement is free of charge)
b) Notary (to modify the mortgage on the public deed)
c) Property Registry (to register the new deed)

What aid is available?

This aid consists of helping homeowners pay their mortgages by extending their terms.

What is the deadline for applications?

Deadline for applications is 22 April 2010

For more information, please visit the following website: www.tesoro.es/sp/legislacion/index_HipotecaGratuita.asp

2) Temporary and partial moratorium on payments made on the mortgage:

What are the requirements that must be met to be eligible for this aid?

a) The mortgage holders must have opened the mortgage before 1/9/2008
b) The total mortagaged amount must be less than €170,000

c) The mortgaged home must be the primary residence

d) There must exist an agreement between the applicant and the financial institution. It will be reduced by 50% but for a maximum of €500, for the period starting  1/1/09 and ending 31/12/2010. After this period has ended, the holder must pay the pro rata payments.
e) The applicant must be officially unemployed during three months prior to application date, or
f) If the worker was self-employed, work activity had to have ceased during at least 3 months or with an income that is 3 times lower than the Spanish IPREM index (3), or
g) The applicant must be a widowed pensioner as of 1 September 2008.

What is the deadline for applications?

The deadline for applications is 1 September 2011

For more information, please consult the Royal Decree 1975/2008 dated 28 November 2008

For further information please call: 900 121 121 Ministry of the Economy

Children born in Spain to foreign parents can acquire Spanish nationality automatically, if nationality is not granted automatically from the parent's country of origin ( countries which use territorial criteria to grant nationality). In these cases, the children have no nationality.

Where do I submit the application?

At an Office of the Civil Registry that corresponds to the place where applicant resides, ie, where the applicant has registered (empadronado).

What documents do I need to submit?

• Verbatim copy of birth certificate of the applicant (minor)
• Certificate of Municipal Registry (Certificado de empadronamiento) of parents
• Certificate from foreign consulate stating that minor has not been registered there.
• Application form for automatic granting of nationality (solicitud de presunción de nacionalidad)

Who must submit the application?

The minor's parents. The child need not be present.

How long does the application process take?

The process usually lasts one or two years.

Where can I consult the status of my application?

On the following website: www.mjusticia.es or by calling 902 00 72 14.

The interested party must apply at the Civil Registry that corresponds to their place of residence.

List of Civil Registry Offices in the Valencian Region:

http://www.mjusticia.es/Directorio/ServletControlador?comunidad=10&nombre_comunidad=Comunitat%20Valenciana&apartado=registros

Documents that must be submitted along with the application (in every case):

1.- Application Form (Copy for Ministry of Justice)
2.- Residence Permit or certificate of registration in Foreign Citizen Registry

3.- Passport

4.- Municipal Registry Certificate (Empadronamiento)
5.- Birth Certificate (legalised, if necessary)
6.- Certificate of Criminal Record from country of origin (legalised), not necessary for minors.
7.- Proof of having sufficient financial means to reside in Spain

8.- Certificate of Criminal Record issued by the Spanish Ministry of Justice (in Valencia, the form is available for a small fee at the newstand (estanco) located in C/ Hernán Cortes nº 24)