How to switch health insurance in Spain without a gap in cover: notice periods, waiting periods and paperwork

By Tomás Schwaighofer Pérez, exclusive insurance agent («agente de seguros exclusivo») of Sanitas, S.A. de Seguros · DGSFP no. C032043207680H
Reviewed on 2 October 2026

This guide is for people who already have private health insurance in Spain and are thinking of leaving: the renewal letter came with a price rise, the doctors on the list don't suit you, or you've moved to Mallorca and want something different. If all you want is what you'd pay with Sanitas, the short version is on switch your health insurance to Sanitas. This is the long one, with the calendar, the small print and the order I'd do things in.

When do I have to tell my insurer I don't want to renew?

You have to give written notice at least one month before the current policy period ends. That's the deadline article 22 of Spain's Insurance Contract Act (Ley 50/1980) gives the policyholder. The insurer, for its part, has to tell you about any change to the contract, price included, at least two months ahead.

The date that matters is the one on your policy schedule (condiciones particulares), which shows when each period starts and ends. You'll find websites saying all Spanish health policies end on 31 December. The law sets no such date. It talks about the current period, and that period is whatever your policy says.

If you don't object in time, the policy renews. Each renewal lasts a year at most, under the same article, in the wording in force since 1 January 2016.

What's my deadline, depending on when my policy renews?

If your policy renews on 1 January, your notice has to reach the insurer before 1 December, and the insurer had to tell you about any price change before 1 November. With a 1 April renewal, your deadline is the end of February; with a 15 July renewal, it's 14 June.

These are deadlines, and I wouldn't cut them fine. Send your notice a week or two early, by a method that records the date the insurer receives it.

Say your policy renews on 1 January. If your insurer is raising the price, it had to tell you before 1 November. That leaves you about four weeks to get a price, fill in the new insurer's health questionnaire and, once accepted, send your notice. One detail to watch: the 2026 Sanitas rate card covers policies starting by 31 December 2026. A policy starting on 1 January 2027 goes on the 2027 rate card, which Sanitas hadn't published as of 2 October 2026, so the price for that date comes when it does.

A 1 April renewal follows the same pattern three months later: notice before 1 March, changes communicated before 1 February. A mid-year renewal works the same way too. If yours renews on 15 July, the period ends on 14 July and your notice needs to be with the insurer before 14 June.

Which waiting periods does Sanitas waive if I switch from another insurer?

If you've had a full-cover policy with another company in Spain for at least a year, Sanitas removes the waiting periods on your new policy, except for childbirth and bariatric surgery. Without that offer, on Más Salud you'd wait 3 months for group 0 to II surgery, 6 for high-tech tests and psychology, and 8 for childbirth.

Source: sanitas.es, the Más Salud and no-waiting-period pages, checked on 29 September 2026. This is a Sanitas promotion and can change, so I recheck it every month.

What doesn't the one-year rule cover?

The one-year rule doesn't help if you've been insured for less than twelve months, if your current policy is dental-only or consultations-only, or if it isn't with a company in Spain. Even when it applies, childbirth and bariatric surgery keep their waiting periods.

It also has nothing to do with the health questionnaire: waiving waiting periods isn't the same as accepting a pre-existing condition. With eleven months on your current policy, say, you'd join with the normal waiting periods. Sometimes it pays to wait for the next renewal and complete the year.

If you're coming from a policy bought outside Spain, such as a German private health insurance (PKV) or an international plan, you don't meet the condition as Sanitas publishes it. In that case I check with Sanitas before you cancel anything.

If you're already with Sanitas, this doesn't apply, because it wouldn't be a switch. For changes to your policy, Sanitas can help on 91 752 28 52 or 93 362 34 49, or in the Mi Sanitas app.

What documents do I need to switch to Sanitas?

To waive the waiting periods, Sanitas asks for two documents from your current insurer: your policy schedule (condiciones particulares), or a health card showing your start date, and your latest paid premium receipt. You can provide them with the application or afterwards. To leave your old insurer you also need your written notice.

There's no set wording for that notice. It just has to identify the policy and say clearly that you don't want it renewed. You can use this text in Spanish:

In English, that says: "I object to the renewal of policy no. [number] at the end of the current period, on [date], under article 22 of the Insurance Contract Act. Please confirm receipt in writing."

Send it by a method that proves when it arrived: burofax, registered post with acknowledgement of receipt, or whatever channel your policy terms give. Keep the receipt until the first premium on your new policy has gone through.

What happens with pre-existing conditions when I switch?

When you take out Más Salud you fill in a health questionnaire. If you have or have had an illness, an operation or symptoms, the Sanitas medical team calls you to assess it before accepting the policy. That's why you shouldn't cancel your old policy until you have the answer.

I can't tell you in advance what the medical team will decide in your case, and I'd be wary of anyone who promises without seeing it. What I do is go through the questionnaire with you before it's sent, so nothing is left half-answered. Answer all of it.

If you're 60 or over there's another route. Sanitas Único has no questionnaire and no upper age limit, at €60.90 a month per person at 67. In exchange, hospital stays and surgery aren't listed in its published cover, and MRI and CT scans have a six-month wait. For many people that age who now pay for full cover, that's a step down, so think it through.

How do I avoid a gap in cover between two insurers?

Do it in this order: get a price and apply to Sanitas, wait until Sanitas accepts the policy, and only then send your current insurer the notice that you won't renew. Ask for the new policy to start the day after the old one ends, so not a single day goes uncovered.

Doing it the other way round carries a clear risk. If you cancel first and the questionnaire gets complicated, you can end up uninsured, and going back to your old insurer is no longer up to you.

So I'd start early, at least a month before your notice deadline. I can't say how long the medical review will take in your case. If the deadline is close and Sanitas hasn't answered, I'd rather you renew for another year with your current insurer than go without cover. You'll still meet the one-year rule the year after, as long as Sanitas keeps the offer.

A checklist before you switch

1. Find the end date on your policy schedule and take off a month: that's your deadline.
2. Check you've had a full-cover policy with another company in Spain for at least a year.
3. Have your policy schedule (or a card with your start date) and your latest receipt to hand.
4. Get the Sanitas price with the ages of everyone joining the policy.
5. Fill in the health questionnaire and wait for Sanitas to accept you.
6. Send your written notice, with proof of the date it arrives.
7. Ask for the new policy to start the day after the old one ends.
8. Keep your proof of notice and check the first Sanitas premium is collected.

If your policy ends on 31 December, your real window closes at the end of November. October is a good month to get a price, with your renewal letter in front of you. Prices by age and household are in the Sanitas price tables for Mallorca.