When you apply for Sanitas health insurance in Spain, you may need to complete a health declaration or medical questionnaire — and how you answer it can affect whether cover is offered and on what terms. This is especially relevant for applicants over 60, anyone on medication, people with previous surgery or chronic conditions, visa applicants, retirees and families. This guide explains, in plain English, how the declaration works and why honest disclosure protects you.
What it is
A Sanitas health declaration is a set of health questions used to understand an applicant’s medical history before issuing or confirming certain policies. It is part of the insurance application and underwriting process — the stage where the insurer assesses your history and decides whether, and on what terms, cover can be offered.
It is important to be clear about what it is not: it is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not a guarantee of acceptance. It simply gives Sanitas the information it needs to make an underwriting decision. Completing it accurately is in your interest, as the rest of this guide explains.
Why it matters
How you complete the declaration can affect several things:
The single most important message on this page: honest disclosure protects the applicant. Declaring everything relevant gives the most accurate quote and avoids serious problems later, such as refused claims or cancelled cover.
What asked
Depending on the policy and your circumstances, the declaration may ask about:
Medication
Yes. Regular medication often indicates an underlying medical condition, even if you feel well or the condition is stable — so it should be declared. Common examples include medication for blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes or the thyroid, inhalers, heart medication, anticoagulants, regular pain medication and antidepressants. Listing your medication and dosage accurately helps Sanitas assess your application correctly and avoids problems with claims later.
Medical history
Medical history is broader than “serious illness”. It can include resolved conditions, previous operations, ongoing monitoring, repeat prescriptions, hospital admissions, specialist reviews, scans, tests, or symptoms that have not yet been diagnosed. If you are unsure whether something is relevant, it is safer to include it and let underwriting decide — a controlled or stable condition still needs to be declared.
Outcomes
It helps to know the range of possible outcomes, so there are no surprises:
| Possible outcome | What it means |
|---|---|
| Accepted on standard terms | Sanitas may offer cover without special restrictions |
| Accepted with an exclusion | A specific condition or related treatment may be excluded |
| Accepted with special terms | Sanitas may offer modified terms |
| More information requested | Medical reports or clarification may be needed |
| Alternative plan suggested | Another Sanitas option may be more suitable |
| Application declined | Sanitas may not offer cover in that case |
We cannot predict which outcome you will receive, and we never guarantee acceptance or cover for any condition. What we can do is present your history clearly and explain the response in plain English.
Visas
Visa applicants should be especially careful, because acceptance, exclusions and certificate wording can affect whether the policy is suitable for the intended route. A policy may be valid as private insurance but still need checking if a major exclusion is applied — comprehensive no-copay cover with a single exclusion is often still strong cover, but borderline cases are worth confirming. See the visa certificate guide, no-copay for visas, Sanitas Residents, Residents Platinum, NLV health insurance and DNV health insurance.
Over-60s
Over-60s, over-65s and over-70s often have medication or previous medical history — this is completely normal, but it makes a personalised review important, because age and the declaration are assessed together. EU citizens and permanent residents may have access to general Sanitas options such as Único, Más Salud or other plans depending on age, terms and eligibility, while third-country visa applicants are usually routed towards Residents or Residents Platinum where visa-style cover is required. See our over-60 quote and best plan for retirees.
Families
Each family member is assessed individually. One spouse or child having medical history does not automatically decide the whole family outcome, but each person must disclose their own relevant history. This means a family can often still be covered together even when one member has a condition. See our best plan for families, non-EU families and pre-existing conditions quote.
Non-disclosure
Insurers rely on the information you provide. If a relevant condition is left out and later comes to light — for example when you make a claim — the insurer may refuse the claim or cancel the policy, which is far worse than an exclusion agreed up front. Full, honest disclosure is genuinely in your interest.
Conditions
These are the conditions we are asked about most. The notes are general — every case is assessed individually under the current Sanitas underwriting criteria, and nothing here is a promise of cover:
Both are common and routinely assessed. Even when well controlled with medication, they should be declared, along with how long they have been stable and any related history.
The type, how it is managed, how well controlled it is, and any complications or follow-up all matter.
The diagnosis, treatment, dates, current status and any follow-up are relevant; a past diagnosis is assessed carefully but does not automatically rule out cover.
Arrhythmia, stents, surgery, medication and cardiology follow-up should be declared, with dates and current stability.
Severity, medication, any admissions and current control are the key points.
Scans, physiotherapy, injections, surgery or planned treatment should be declared, with whether the problem is active or historic.
Common and usually straightforward to declare — the condition, the medication and that it is stable.
Handled sensitively; where the questions ask, relevant history such as medication, specialist care or hospital treatment should be declared.
Declare what was done and when, and whether there are ongoing symptoms or follow-up.
If you are waiting for tests, scans or a diagnosis, Sanitas may ask for the outcome before confirming terms; applying while something is unresolved can be more difficult than waiting until it is clear.
Documents
Where available, these can help Sanitas assess your application accurately:
Mistakes
How we help
We help applicants understand what information to provide, request a personalised Sanitas quote, explain the response in English and route you to the right Sanitas option. We do not promise acceptance, and acceptance, exclusions and terms always depend on Sanitas underwriting and current policy conditions.
Important information
Send us your age, route, medication and a brief medical history and we will help you request a personalised quote in English. Acceptance, exclusions and terms always depend on Sanitas underwriting and current policy conditions. Please check the actual current policy terms and your personal conditions before purchasing or using any Sanitas policy. Policies change and individual terms can vary.
We explain the health declaration in English, handle your history carefully and request a personalised quote.
FAQs
Common questions about the Sanitas health declaration in Spain. Acceptance, exclusions and terms always depend on Sanitas underwriting and current policy conditions; honest disclosure protects you.