Moving to Spain comes with a long list of paperwork, and health insurance is one of the pieces you cannot skip. Whether you’re applying for a non-lucrative visa, a digital nomad visa, or picking up your NIE as part of your residency process, Spanish authorities want proof that you’re covered. Not travel insurance, not a policy from back home, but a private Spanish policy that meets specific legal requirements.
We went through this ourselves when we moved to Galicia, and after comparing a few providers, we ended up with Feather. We still use them today, and it’s the one we recommend when readers ask us what to sign up for.
Why health insurance matters for your NIE, visa, or residency application
If you’ve started looking into moving to Spain, you’ve probably seen “proof of health insurance” listed as a requirement somewhere in the process, whether that’s for a visa application at your local consulate, or for your residency paperwork once you arrive. Spanish immigration authorities are specific about what counts. In general, the policy needs to:
- Be issued by an insurer registered in Spain
- Offer full coverage with no copayments or deductibles
- Include no waiting periods
- Cover hospitalization, emergencies, and unforeseen illness, not just accidents
A basic travel insurance policy, or a health plan from your home country, usually won’t cut it. This is exactly the gap that expat-specific insurers like Feather are built to fill.
What Feather actually offers
Feather is a private insurer that specifically sells policies designed for people moving to Spain. A few things stood out to us:
It’s built for the visa and residency process. Feather’s policies are structured to meet the requirements consulates and immigration offices ask for, and they provide a signed and stamped confirmation letter you can submit directly with your application. That’s the document you’ll want in hand when you’re putting together your NIE, visa, or residency file.
No copayments, no deductibles, no waiting periods. This matters both for the paperwork and for actually using the insurance. You’re not stuck paying a portion of every doctor’s visit, and you’re not waiting months before coverage kicks in.
Everything happens online, in English. Signing up took us a matter of minutes. No paperwork to mail in, no waiting on hold. You get your policy documents by email right away, in both Spanish and English, which is useful when you’re the one handing them to an official.
Flexible plans depending on your situation. Feather has separate options depending on whether you’re a freelancer, retired, a student, or a digital nomad, so you’re not paying for coverage you don’t need.
What it doesn’t cover
In the interest of being upfront, since we only recommend things we’d actually use ourselves: Feather’s expat plans don’t include routine or travel vaccinations, and they don’t cover psychotherapy. If either of those matters to you, it’s worth checking the details of the specific plan before you sign up, or asking their team directly.
It’s also worth double-checking the requirements for your specific visa type with your consulate or with an immigration lawyer before you buy, since requirements can vary depending on where you’re applying from and what kind of visa or permit you’re going for.
Getting a policy
Getting a quote takes a few minutes, and you get your confirmation documents as soon as you sign up, which means you can move on with the rest of your NIE or visa application without waiting around. If you’re at the stage of gathering documents for your move to Spain, this is one box you can tick off quickly.
We use Feather ourselves and this is a genuine recommendation based on our own experience. This article contains an affiliate link, which means we may earn a small commission if you sign up through it, at no extra cost to you.
