Healthcare in Marbella: public, private, and what we actually use
How the Spanish system works for new arrivals, what private insurance costs, and the practical setup most families here end up with.
Insurance prices vary a lot with age and pre-existing conditions. Get quotes rather than relying on the ranges here.
This is the topic people worry about most before they move and think about least once they are here, which tells you something.
The public system
Andalusia's public health service is good. If something serious happens, you are in capable hands, and the hospital in Marbella plus the larger facilities in Málaga cover most of what you would need. Access depends on your status: employees and autónomos contribute through social security, EU pensioners have their own route, and there is a paid convenio especial for some people who fall between categories.
The practical steps are: register on the padrón at the town hall, register with social security, then get your health card and be assigned a local health centre and doctor.
The honest limitations are waiting times for non-urgent specialist appointments, and language — your local GP may not speak English, which matters more than you think when you are describing symptoms in a second language.
The private layer
Almost everyone I know here has private insurance on top. It is inexpensive by northern European standards, roughly €50–120 per person per month depending on age and cover, and it buys speed and English. A specialist appointment in a few days rather than a few months, clinics used to international patients, and direct access without a referral chain.
Things to check before signing: waiting periods for pre-existing conditions and for maternity, whether dental is included (usually barely), the excess, and whether the clinics you would actually use are in the network.
What most families end up doing
| Situation | What people use |
|---|---|
| Emergency or anything serious | Public |
| Routine GP for kids | Whichever is faster, often private |
| Specialists | Private, for speed |
| Maternity | Private, if the waiting period allows |
| Dental | Paid privately, per treatment |
Practical advice
Sort a paediatrician, a dentist and a physio before you need them. Ask other parents rather than searching — the good ones here are found by word of mouth and the reviews are not useful.
Keep your EHIC or equivalent valid during the transition, and do not let your old country's cover lapse until the Spanish side is actually working. There is usually a gap of a few weeks and it always lands in the week someone gets ill.
Common questions
- Is healthcare free in Marbella for foreigners?
- Public healthcare is free at the point of use once you are registered and either contributing through social security, covered as an EU pensioner, or paying into the convenio especial. You must register on the padrón and with social security first to get a health card.
- How much is private health insurance in Spain?
- Roughly €50–120 per person per month in Marbella, depending on age and level of cover. Family policies are common and cheap relative to northern Europe, but check waiting periods for pre-existing conditions and maternity.
- Do doctors in Marbella speak English?
- Private clinics on the coast almost always have English-speaking doctors. Public health centres often do not, which is one of the main reasons families here keep a private policy alongside the public system.
This is part of my Marbella guide: everything I have written about moving here, living here, and running a company from the coast.
Last updated 10 August 2026.
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