Health card in Barcelona for foreign nationals: who is entitled, which papers and where to apply

A foreign national living in Barcelona applies for the individual health card (TSI) at the CAP for their address or online. The INSS must recognise them as insured or a beneficiary or, if not, they need at least three months on the padrón in Catalonia and an income below the minimum insertion income. It is free and arrives in two to three weeks.

People who come to live in Barcelona for a few months tend to leave healthcare until they need it, and then find there is a step before it: the individual health card, the TSI. It is not a difficult procedure, but the route depends on your situation: whether you work here, whether you are a European passing through or whether nobody covers you. This is what the Catalan Health Service (CatSalut) and Barcelona International Welcome, the City Council's website for newcomers, explain.

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What the TSI is

The TSI is the document that identifies each person and gives them access to public health centres and services. It carries your personal identification code, the CIP, which is the number the system knows you by, and on the back the level of cover CatSalut has assigned you. It is individual: every member of the family has their own, whatever their age.

You use it to book appointments, to have a family doctor at the primary care centre (the CAP) and to get medicines funded by CatSalut at the pharmacy. It is not valid in private healthcare. Barcelona International Welcome adds a practical point for people who work: only a public health system doctor can certify sick leave, even if you have private insurance.

Who is entitled

Catalan Law 9/2017 of 27 June on universal healthcare guarantees care to everyone resident in Catalonia. For CatSalut to treat you at its expense, the National Social Security Institute (INSS) has to recognise you as insured or as a beneficiary. If you work and are registered with Social Security, according to Barcelona International Welcome that right is recognised automatically, the day after you join.

Foreign nationals who are neither insured nor beneficiaries have another way in, CatSalut's second-level access: being registered on the padrón of a municipality in Catalonia for at least three continuous months immediately before applying, and showing an income below the minimum insertion income. People in special situations, such as pregnant women, minors, applicants for international protection or victims of trafficking, do not have to prove their income. In this case the card expires and must be renewed every year; in all other cases the TSI has no expiry date.

What to bring to the CAP

If you are insured or a beneficiary: the signed application form, your ID (DNI, NIE or passport), a padrón certificate issued less than three months earlier and a photocopy of your Social Security membership document. You can also authorise CatSalut to check that information with other authorities instead of bringing it. How to register on the padrón is in our Barcelona padrón guide, and the foreigner's number in our guide to the NIE and its appointment.

If you are neither insured nor a beneficiary: a document from the INSS stating that you are not, your NIE or passport, the family book or birth certificate if needed, and a certificate or sworn statement that your income is below the minimum insertion income.

At the CAP or online

You apply at the CAP that corresponds to your address, which you find by postcode in CatSalut's search tool. No appointment is needed, although you can book one by calling 061 Salut Respon. You can also apply online: a provisional receipt with your CIP arrives by email, and it already lets you use public health centres. The first application must be signed by the person applying.

The card arrives at home by ordinary post in two to three weeks. Applying is free; a replacement card costs 10 euros (checked in October 2026 on Barcelona International Welcome). Once you have it, there is one step people often forget: asking the CAP to assign you a family doctor.

Europeans passing through: the European health insurance card

If you are from the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland and are in Catalonia temporarily, CatSalut treats you with the European health insurance card (TSE in Spanish), or its provisional replacement certificate, plus an ID document. It gives you the same public care as residents for health problems that arise during your stay and cannot wait until you return. You apply for it in your own country before leaving, each country sets its own validity, and it is not valid if the purpose of the trip is to receive a specific treatment.

If you already live here habitually, the TSE is no longer the route: CatSalut says European residents prove their entitlement with the official forms from their country, which are handed to the INSS, and the INSS then explains how to access care. Without that paperwork you will still be seen in an emergency, but you will be charged for the service.

Emergencies in the meantime

CatSalut puts it in writing: you can go to A&E even without any documents, but afterwards you have to show the TSI so that the service is not billed to you. That is why it pays to start the procedure as soon as you are on the padrón, even if you do not need it yet.

Checked

Checked on 17 October 2026 on the CatSalut website (what the TSI is, frequently asked questions about the card, who has access to the public health system and care for people coming from outside Catalonia) and on the Barcelona International Welcome pages on the individual health card and access to public healthcare. This text explains a procedure and is not medical advice; requirements can change, so confirm them on the official website or at your CAP.