If you're moving to Spain for the first time, you must have an insurance in place on your arrival date. If you are already in Spain and were previously insured elsewhere, your new policy should start the day after your previous policy expires to avoid any gap in coverage. Either way, signing up is fully digital and only takes a few minutes.
When does my expat health insurance need to start?
The right start date depends on your situation:
If you're moving to Spain for the first time and haven't arrived yet, your insurance must start on your arrival date. The authorities don't require your coverage to begin on the day of your appointment — but they do require an insurance certificate that shows your arrival date as the start date.
If you're renewing a visa or residence permit and were previously insured elsewhere, your new policy should start the day after your previous policy expires. This ensures you don't have any gap in health coverage.
Can I choose my own start date?
Yes. You can set your start date to any date in the future, the earliest being tomorrow. Your insurance certificate is issued immediately after you sign up, so you schedule your policy as early as 12 months in advance if you'd like, or just a few days before your visa appointment. Although we would always recommend planning your move early.
What does my insurance certificate show?
Your confirmation of coverage is issued immediately after you sign up.
Start date: it lists your chosen start date
End date: it lists the end date as 5 years from your arrival date in Spain (since our Expat policy can be used for up to 5 years), which satisfies visa authority requirements. This is a document formality, not a contract commitment.
Am I locked into a yearly or 5-year contract?
No. While the expiration date on your certificate cannot be changed, your policy renews on a monthly basis if you chose monthly payments, and on an annual basis if you chose an annual payment.
In any case, you are free to cancel at any time directly from your account. The 5-year expiration date on your certificate is required for visa compliance purposes only ; it does not bind you to any fixed contract term.
If you have another insurance, if you leave Spain or if your visa was rejected, you can cancel your coverage at any time after the one-month minimum. In that case, you will stop being charged on the following month (if you chose monthly payments), or get a refund from the remaining prepaid months (if you chose an annual payment).
What should I do if my arrival date in Spain changes?
To update your start date before your policy starts, you'll need to sign up for a new policy with your correct arrival date first. Once that's done, go to your old policy in your Feather account and cancel it with the reason "I have another health insurance."
Since your old policy hasn't started yet, you'll automatically receive a full refund.
You can find more information about this in our dedicated FAQ.
How do I sign up for expat health insurance?
You can sign up for expat health insurance on our website. The process is fully digital and only takes a few minutes: no documents to upload, and you'll be approved instantly.