Social Insurance Medical Card SIP in Spain (UPDATED 2025)

This information will be useful for Ukrainians in Spain who wish to apply for state (free) medical insurance, but in each city (region) there may be slight differences in obtaining a SIP card.

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What is a SIP card in Spain and why is it needed?

The SIP (Sistema de Información Poblacional) card is your personal identifier in the Spanish healthcare system. It is required to make an appointment with your family doctor and receive medical consultations, undergo diagnostic examinations and tests, and purchase prescription drugs at a discount (discounts of up to 100%, which we were very surprised by).

Without a SIP card, Spanish public healthcare facilities only provide emergency care.

What is a Social Security number and how do I get one?

Seguridad Social is a social security system in Spain that guarantees access to healthcare. To apply for a SIP card, you need to have a Seguridad Social number, as it confirms your right to free or preferential treatment. Many people received a Seguridad Social number when applying for a NIE back in 2022. Now it may not be given immediately, but it is very easy to do - you need to contact your local Seguridad Social office to register there.

To obtain a Seguridad Social number, you must follow these steps:

1. Find the nearest INSS (National Institute of Social Security) branch – this can be done through the official INSS website https://www.inclusion.gob.es/ or in Google Maps search.
2. Make an appointment (cita previa) – you can do this online through their INSS website or by phone, depending on the region. You can also try going directly to their office and asking about it.
3. Prepare the necessary documents:
   • Passport or residence permit (TIE)
   • NIE (foreigner identification number)
   • Registration (empadronamiento)
4. Come to INSS for an appointment – at the meeting you will be issued a Social Security number and issued a document confirming its assignment (Documento de Afiliación).

Importantly: In some regions, it is possible to obtain a Seguridad Social number online via electronic signature or Cl@ve. Hestor can also help you get a Seguridad Social number if you are self-employed. I wrote about this in more detail in the article I work as an autonomo (autónomo, freelancer) in Spain: my own experience and real examples.

How to get a SIP card in Spain?

1. Prepare the necessary documents:
   • Passport or document proving your identity
   • NIE (foreigner identification number)
   • Social Security Number
   • Registration certificate (empadronamiento). If there is no residence permit, it is worth indicating that you are registered with social services. We did not require it in 2022 and we simply indicated the address of the temporary apartment where we lived at that time. Now there may already be some changes.
   • Well, it's better to clarify everything in your region or medical center because the list of documents required to obtain SIP may differ.
2. Make an appointment and visit your local health center (Centro de Salud).
   • SIP can be issued at the nearest Centro de Salud medical center.
   • Temporary protection is not required for this if you don't already have it. While you're waiting for it, you can already get SIP.
   • In Google search, type: Health Center near me (next to me)
   • You choose the one closest to you and go there.
   • It's better to go for lunch sometime between 9 am and 1 pm.
   • In order to approach the information desk, you must take a queue number.
   • When it's your turn, go up to the counter and say: Hola! Soy de Ukraina, necesito obtener una tarjeta medica SIP, por favor!
   • After that, you need to provide your residential address.
   • Then they look at which medical center is processing SIP at your address. It may be the same one, or another one near you.
   • The presence of all family members is required for everyone to sign.
   • If you don't have an NIE or a residence permit (Empadronamiento) yet, they can issue one for 3-6 months with the possibility of extension. Otherwise, they can give you a medical card immediately for 10 months or more. We have already been given cards in the north without an expiration date.
   • All this is done free of charge.
3. Get a SIP card. Initially, it may be a temporary card or just a piece of paper with data. You can already contact the Centro de Salud with it. Most likely, after some time, a permanent card (plastic) will be sent to your postal address. We waited for our cards for about 3 months. It is better to ask your medical center about the possibility of receiving a SIP card and not just a piece of paper.

Please note, if you change your place of residence, you will need to go through this procedure again at another medical facility.

What to do if you need medical attention?

1. First aid – contact your family doctor Health Center by appointment (cita previa). Usually, for children, free dates for a family doctor (pediatrician) appointment can be found right away, but for adults, things are much more complicated. You may have to wait a few days, weeks, or even months. Yes, unfortunately, the realities of state Spanish medicine are like this.
2. Emergency assistance – in case of a critical situation, call 112 or go to the nearest emergency room (emergency rooms). In Google Maps, write “urgencias”. By the way, if you really need to get to the doctor, they often use this method of urgency, emphasizing that “you need urgent help or something hurts badly…”.
3. Specialized help – is possible only with a referral from a family doctor. For example, to get to a state ophthalmologist, it is almost impossible to do without a referral from a family doctor. And so, unfortunately, the situation with expectations of an appointment date here can be even worse than with a family doctor.

Medicines in Spain and what you need to know about them

Many different medicines and medical preparations can be easily found in pharmacies. Analogues of our usual Ukrainian medicines are described in detail in the article Spanish analogues of Ukrainian medicinesBut when you need some more serious medications, they won't sell them to you without a prescription from a doctor.

The SIP card provides big discounts on the purchase of medicines, but only those that are written in the prescription issued by the doctor. We had a case when we bought prescription medicine for a child (for cough), and the pharmacy told us “no need to pay". We asked twice more, took the medicine, thanked him and left.

What to do to avoid waiting in line to see doctors in Spain

There are few options – you can go to Ukraine or another country to receive medical services or contact private clinics in Spain. However, the cost of private medicine can be quite high. A regular doctor's appointment can cost from 150 euros, and some tests or ultrasounds - from 300 euros. I won't even imagine what the price might be for some serious operations. The solution to this issue may be private health insurance, which covers most medical services, visits to specialist doctors, diagnostic examinations, tests and even dental treatment without additional charges.

My experience using private insurance in Spain

Our family already has private DKV health insurance and uses it to the fullest. I have made it a rule to undergo a full medical check-up twice a year and take all the necessary tests. I also regularly visit the dentist for a check-up and teeth cleaning, and recently I had a consultation with a dermatologist. All these services are provided at no additional cost, as they are covered by insurance. Of course, we pay for the policy itself, but given the quality of medical care and the possible risks without it, private insurance in Spain is a very profitable and reasonable choice.

I recommend contacting Olesya – insurance agent of DKV companyShe will help you figure it all out, advise you, and choose what you need.

Continuation of the SIP medical course in 2023

Attention, this may be outdated information, but in 2023 it was relevant. I will save it here, maybe it will be useful to someone. Write in the comments to the article whether you used this method and whether it is still valid, I will be grateful.

Information has appeared on the possibility of extending SIP and receiving a plastic card. It covers more medical services.

To continue SIP you need take the document to Seguridad SocialIt's better to do this online, as it's very difficult to take the net to their branch:

1. Let's go to the link https://tramites.seg-social.es/tramites/asistencia.
2. Click the “Request” button.
3. Enter your email address and confirm it (the “Confirm email” button).
4. Next, enter your data, attach a photo with the TIE in your hands, and also attach a photo of both sides of the TIE and click “Continue”.
5. On the next screen, select “…para si mismo” if you are making a request for yourself, or “…para titular y beneficiarios” if you are making a request for yourself and your family. Click “Continue”.
6. Next, enter the family data (wife, child, etc.). You can add a new member by clicking the “Add” button. Check the necessary boxes in the item below (I chose No, No, Yes, Yes) and click “Continue”.
7. On the next screen, I had to attach documents: marriage certificate, birth certificate of a child, photo of a TIE of a woman, photo of a TIE of a child. In your case, everything will depend on which family members you added. Next, confirm the data processing (select Yes) and click “Continue”.
8. On the next screen, at the very bottom, click “Firmar Solicitud”. First, a code will come to the Email that we specified. Enter the code and also enter your signature in the window and click “Adjuntar Firma”.
9. Almost everything is ready. At the very end, click the “Solicitar” button. This will send the application. You will receive an email notification that the application is being processed.

After successfully processing the request, we receive a document from Seguridad Social and go to the clinic with it to be given a new SIP card.