Who it is for

Persons entitled to medical assistance and their dependent beneficiaries who meet the requirements of Spanish law and EU Social Security Regulations.

What you can do

• Obtain the Provisional Substitute Certificate (CPS) for the party entitled to medical assistance and their beneficiaries.
• Print the certificate at home.

What you need to do it

• Enter to request the European Health Card.
• Click on: Download the Provisional Substitute Certificate.
• Indicate the period of validity of the certificate (maximum 90 days)
• Ensure you have the software required to download/print the certificate (PDF file).

Please note

Countries where the CPS is valid: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom, Czechia, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland.

The CPS is the personal and non-transferable document that proves an individual's right to receive any healthcare that may be required, from a medical point of view, during a temporary stay in the indicated States, taking into account the nature of the healthcare services and length of the stay, in accordance with the legislation of the country that the individual is visiting, regardless of whether the visit is for tourism, professional or educational reasons.

The CPS is not valid when the purpose of the trip is to receive medical treatment, in which case it is necessary for the National Social Security Institute (INSS), or the Social Marine Institute (ISM), to issue the corresponding form after receiving a favourable report from the Health Service. Neither will it be valid if you change your residence to the territory of a different member State.

The CPS offers the same coverage as the EHIC. In certain cases, you will have to pay a fixed amount or percentage of the healthcare expenses, in line with the conditions applicable to residents in the State to which you are travelling. These amounts are not reimbursable.

For more information please visit https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1021&langId=es.

The CPS is valid for the period indicated on the document (it is issued for a maximum of 90 days from the start date) and its use, during the valid period, is subject to the holder continuing to meet the requirements for entitlement to said document. Otherwise, expenses incurred may be recovered as undue benefits, in accordance with Article 76 of Regulation (EC) 883/04.

Before travelling to any of the above countries, make sure that the period of validity of the CPS includes the planned return date.

Next steps

The certificate obtained is a .pdf file, of which printed copies can be obtained and which contains the CEA code (Electronic Code of Authenticity) with which you can check its authenticity by going to the Documentation Integrity Verification Service.