Health & Protection in Barcelona

If you are one of the lucky ones who are about to start a new journey in this beautiful city, then you should start preparing right away! One of the essential factors every expat should have is protection for their health and properties. Some forget how important insurance is and often find themselves faced with financial problems. It is not given that your benefits package, or group insurance protection as a working expat will cover everything. Allow us to walk you through on how you can get the best insurance package that’ll secure your expat life in Barcelona.

Getting Insurance

Barcelona serves as Spain’s economic centre and Europe’s fourth best cities that’s why major foreign and local insurers are headquartered here. But before making any phone calls or appointments, make sure that the provider you’re transacting with is accredited by Direccion General de Seguros (Department of Insurance). It is also the same agency that you can go to regarding insurance related issues or complaints.

Expats under a relocation programme to the city are mostly covered by the basic health coverage from their employers. If you still need a more comprehensive plan, there are several international and local companies that you can choose from. Some of them are AXA Global Healthcare a multinational provider of health insurance for expats in Barcelona and Liberty Seguros, one of Spain’s largest life and non-life insurer.

Importance of Insurance

Unclean air is a major health risk where traffic serves as the primary source of pollution in the city. Illegal burning of tyres and plastics are also prevalent anywhere in Barcelona which adds up to the already highly polluted air. These harmful air emissions can cause severe health problems especially to the respiratory system and for expats who are still adapting to the new environment. It is best that you get insurance before or as soon as you arrive in the city to ensure that you'll have access to proper health care as well as emergency and medical services any time needed.

Local Insurance in Barcelona

The Great Spanish Recession that started in 2008 and ended in 2014 significantly injured the country’s insurance industry including the local market in Barcelona. However, the sector remained resilient to the crises and managed to recover with the aid from the rising housing market and growing auto policies sales. All of the insurance providers in Barcelona are under the supervision of the Direccion General de Seguros (Spanish Department of Insurance) whose purpose is to ensure that all of them are operating in a lawful manner.

All vehicles in Barcelona are obliged to have third liability, theft and fire insurance. This type of coverage is also called responsabilidad civil obligatoria (Compulsory Liability) or seguro a terceros (third party insurance). You must bring the proof of your policy with you at all times and make sure that you have proper insurance to avoid being penalised.

Expats moving to Barcelona will not run out of options on how they can get insurance for their health and properties. Many Spanish companies are offering adequate plans, but international insurance is also becoming popular not just for expats but to locals as well. The edge of having coverage from a global provider is the assurance that you’ll have financial security and medical services even if you are outside Barcelona.