Can I buy Sanitas health insurance entirely online?

You can complete the application, health declaration and document upload online from anywhere, but it is not a fully automated checkout: an adviser confirms the right plan and version, underwriting is applied, and the policy is finalised with Sanitas. You do not need to visit an office or be in Spain.

How to Apply for Sanitas Health Insurance Online

You can apply for a Sanitas policy online without setting foot in Spain, without an NIE in many cases, and with international card payment where available. What you can’t easily do online is work out which of the fourteen Sanitas plans you need — and, if you’re applying for a visa, which version of that plan. That’s where an adviser helps, and where applications go wrong without one. Here’s the whole process, in English, plus the two decisions that have to be right before you apply.

Start your application →
Not sure which plan? Get a personalised quote →

First, a translation note

A note on the word “contract”

If you’ve been reading Spanish insurance sites in English, you’ll have seen “contract your insurance”, “the contracting process”, or “two purchase options”. That’s a direct translation of the Spanish verb contratar, which just means to take out a policy.

Contract, take out, buy and arrange all mean the same thing here. Sanitas’s own English pages use “contract”; we’ve used “buy” throughout, because that’s what it is.

Before you buy

The two decisions

1. Which plan

Fourteen Sanitas plans exist. For most people moving to Spain, two matter:

	From	Best for
Sanitas Residents	€67.76/month	Complete no-copayment cover through the Sanitas network in Spain
Sanitas Residents Platinum	€107.23/month	The same, plus 90% reimbursement for doctors outside the network, up to €500,000 per person per year

If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss national already settled here, other plans may suit you better and cost less. If you’re outside the EU and applying for a visa, it’s almost always one of these two.

Compare Sanitas Residents and Residents Platinum →

2. Which version — and this is the one people get wrong

Both plans are sold in two versions under the same product name:

Standard version — for EU, EEA and Swiss nationals. Carries waiting periods of 3 to 10 months depending on the procedure.

Visa version — for everyone outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. Waiting periods waived from day one.

Spanish consulates require private insurance with no waiting period. So the standard version, despite carrying the same name on the certificate, will not support a visa application while waiting periods apply.

Sanitas presents this as “two purchase options: with and without waiting periods” and leaves you to work out which one your application needs. Buying the wrong one is the single most expensive mistake in this process — you find out at the consulate, not at checkout.

Which version does my visa need? →

The process

The nine steps

Choose the plan and the version

See above. If you’re unsure, talk to us before you start — it costs nothing and takes about five minutes.

Confirm whether it’s for a visa

This changes the version, the certificate you receive, and sometimes the start date. Say so at the beginning rather than halfway through.

Give ages and your Spanish destination

Premiums are priced on age and province, so a Málaga quote and a Madrid quote for the same person differ. You need the postcode of where you’ll be living, not where you are now.

Complete the health declaration

Answer it fully and honestly. Undeclared conditions are the most common reason a claim gets refused later, and the declaration is part of the contract. If something is complicated, tell us and we’ll check how it’s treated before you submit.

Set the correct start date

Cover can be arranged with up to six months’ notice, so you can hold a certificate for your application well before you move. Your start date should line up with your arrival, not your application date.

Pay

Card payment works, including international cards. You don’t need a Spanish bank account to start. A family pack of four or more takes 10% off.

Receive your policy confirmation

This is your contract documentation — keep it.

Receive the right certificate

For a visa application you need the insurance certificate, issued in Spanish for the consulate, confirming the conditions your route requires. It’s issued instantly. This is a different document from your policy schedule, and consulates want the certificate.

Set up Mi Sanitas

The app runs in English, and it has a filter for finding doctors who speak your language. Book appointments, get results, submit reimbursement claims and access Blua video consultations from it.

Can I buy before I have an NIE?

Yes, in most cases. You do not need an NIE, Spanish residency or a Spanish address to take out cover — which matters, because the insurance certificate is usually required for the application that eventually gets you the NIE. The order runs insurance first, visa second, NIE third.

Getting Sanitas cover before your NIE →
Health insurance without an NIE →

Can I pay with an international card?

Yes. You do not need a Spanish bank account to start a policy. Some payment methods work better than others for ongoing premiums, and it’s worth setting that up properly at the start rather than fixing a failed renewal later.

Paying for Sanitas with an international card →
Health insurance without a Spanish bank account →
Sanitas payment options →

Can I buy from outside Spain?

Yes, and most of our clients do. You can arrange cover from the UK, the US, Canada, Latin America or anywhere else, with a start date up to six months ahead.

Buying health insurance before you move →

Direct vs through us

Why buy through us rather than the Sanitas site

Straight answer: the price is the same. Sanitas sets the premium, and we’re an exclusive Sanitas agent, not a reseller adding a margin. What changes is everything around the transaction.

The Sanitas checkout doesn’t ask why you’re buying

It sells you a plan. It doesn’t ask whether there’s a consulate at the end of this, and it won’t stop you buying the standard version when your visa needs the visa version.

We do this in English, with a person

Not a translated page — an advisor who has processed these applications and knows what your consulate has asked for recently.

We handle the certificate

Getting the right document, with the right wording, for the right route.

We’re still here afterwards

Renewals, adding a family member, a claim you’re not sure about, a hospital that’s asking for something you don’t recognise.

You can absolutely buy a Sanitas policy online by yourself. The question is whether you’ll buy the right one.

Ready to apply?

Start your Sanitas application online in English. An adviser checks it before cover is finalised — or if you’re not sure which plan fits, get a personalised quote first.

Start your application → Not sure which plan? Get a personalised quote →

Common Questions

Buying Sanitas Online

You can complete the application, health declaration and document upload online from anywhere — you don’t need to visit an office or be in Spain. An adviser then confirms the right plan and version, underwriting is applied, and the policy is finalised with Sanitas — it isn’t a fully automated checkout.

No. Sanitas sets the premium and it’s the same either way. We’re an exclusive Sanitas agent, so there’s no added fee for using us — the difference is the English-language advice and the after-sales support.

It’s issued instantly once the policy is active. If your consulate appointment is close, tell us and we’ll prioritise it.

No. You can arrange cover from anywhere, with a start date up to six months ahead.

Tell us your visa route, ages and where in Spain you’re heading. We’ll tell you which plan and which version before you spend anything.

Yes, and it’s usually cheaper. A family pack of four or more takes 10% off. Children aged 0–2 need another insured person aged 2 or over on the policy.

You can take out a policy up to age 75. Once it’s active there’s no maximum age — it renews.

Spanish insurance contracts run for 12 months and renew unless you cancel. There are rules about how and when to cancel, so ask before you buy if you think you may only need short-term cover.