The SIP card on the Costa Blanca: accessing public healthcare, step by step

On the Costa Blanca, as across the whole Valencia region, the public health card is called the SIP card. It gives you access to a GP and the public hospital. To get one you must be empadronado (registered at your town hall) and have opened your entitlement: by paying contributions if you work (employed or autónomo), or through an S1 form, the convenio especial or another basis if you don't. You then apply in person, at the health centre for your town or sector, from Dénia to Torrevieja.

The journey in three steps

1. Open a right to healthcare: either by paying contributions (employment or autónomo status, via your social security number), or through another basis (an S1 form for pensioners, insurance, the convenio especial). 2. Apply for the SIP card at the centro de salud for your address. 3. Get assigned a health centre and a family doctor: the province of Alicante is divided into health departments (Dénia, Marina Baixa, Alicante, Sant Joan, Elche, Elda, Orihuela, Torrevieja), and the assignment follows your padrón address. You can switch later.

Important: the SIP card doesn't create the right, it accredits it. The right itself comes from your situation.

If you're working: the easy route

Employed or autónomo, your affiliation to social security opens your entitlement directly: you get your affiliation number, then apply for your SIP. This is the smoothest case.

If you're not working (yet): the options

Retired on a UK State Pension or an EU pension: request the S1 form from the relevant authority in your home country (the UK's Overseas Healthcare Services for Britons, or your national body), ideally before you leave, then register it with the INSS in Spain. The S1 opens your entitlement and your home country foots the bill. It's a very common case on the coast, where the INSS offices of the big towns (Alicante, Benidorm, Torrevieja, Dénia) see S1s from all over Europe. GHIC / EHIC card: it only covers temporary stays (tourists), not residents. If you spend six months a year in your house in Calpe, it doesn't replace a proper set-up: you need a real basis of entitlement. Private insurance: often required to get your green certificate if you're not working, and in practice the main route for non-EU residents without a qualifying state pension (many Americans). Convenio especial: the paid public option (around €60/month under 65) for anyone empadronado for a year with no other cover. Note that it doesn't cover prescription medicines at the pharmacy.

Getting the SIP card, in practice

You do it in person, at your health centre. Bring: your ID (passport or green certificate), your empadronamiento certificate (the central document), and your entitlement document (social security affiliation, or S1 depending on your case). Book the appointment on the centre's phone line, via the GVA + Salut app or on 012. The card comes in a physical version and a virtual one in the app, handy for always having it on you.

Some accounts mention a few months of empadronamiento being required in practice before the card is issued: this isn't spelled out officially, so check it directly with your health centre.

English-speaking doctors and going private

The public system covers the essentials, and private insurance is not compulsory once your public entitlement is open. It stays useful for cutting waiting times or consulting in English: the density of private clinics in Alicante, Benidorm, Torrevieja or Dénia is one of the highest in Spain, driven by the international population. Your consulate and private insurers are the usual ways to find an English-speaking practitioner.

And in an emergency?

The 112 is the single, free number that works even without a SIM card. And public hospitals are required to treat any life-threatening emergency, whether or not your paperwork is in order.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get the SIP without empadronamiento? No: registering at your town hall is the entry key. It's the very first step to take when you arrive.

I live six months a year on the coast, is my GHIC/EHIC enough? For temporary stays yes, for living here no: it isn't designed for residents. Go through the S1 (pensioners) or another basis.

Can I choose my health centre? The initial assignment follows your address, but you can later request a change of doctor or centre, within the limits of your health department.

Does the SIP cover my children? Yes, each family member has their own card: apply for each one, with a family book or birth certificate for minors.

The logical next step: the resident's green certificate, and the overview in our guide to your first 90 days.

Sources

• Generalitat Valenciana: the Individual Health Card (SIP)
• Generalitat Valenciana: SIP card procedures
• Seguridad Social: applying for a social security number
• Seguridad Social: the S1 form

Information verified in July 2026. Procedures and conditions change fast: before you travel anywhere, always check the official source (links above) and your health centre. The Daily Costa Blanca is an AI-assisted publication with human review. Spotted a mistake? Drop us a line and we'll fix it. How we work.