Spain insurance checkup
Pick a cover type to see what good cover looks like in Spain, then tell us where you stand with your renewal if you'd like a licensed broker to follow up.
Insurance is a regulated activity in Spain. Nothing on this page is advice — confirm details with a licensed broker (correduría de seguros) before buying or switching.
- Continente (the building/structure) vs contenido (contents) — check both are covered, especially if the furnishings are yours and you rent the place out.
- Holiday-let clauses — if you ever let the property, even occasionally through a booking platform, confirm the policy explicitly covers rental use. Standard residential policies often exclude or restrict it.
- Pool liability — third-party/civil liability cover for anyone using the pool, including guests, is a common gap. Check the liability limit specifically names pool incidents.
- Empty-property clauses — if the property sits vacant for long stretches, some policies require notifying the insurer, or reduce cover after a set number of consecutive empty days. Check the small print.
- Storm and flood (inundación) cover — coastal properties should specifically confirm storm and flood damage are included, not just fire and theft.
- Valuation basis — check whether contents are covered at replacement value or depreciated (actual cash) value; it changes what you actually receive on a claim.
- EU no-claims transfer — ask whether your home-country no-claims history is recognised. Not every Spanish insurer accepts a foreign bonus-malus record, and those that do may want a translated certificate.
- The green-card era is over for UK plates — if you are driving on UK plates in Spain, the old green-card system no longer applies post-Brexit; confirm what cross-border cover is actually required now, since the rules have changed.
- Matriculación — a car permanently based in Spain eventually needs Spanish plates and registration; Spanish insurers generally require a Spanish-registered vehicle or a clearly defined cross-border policy.
- ITV (the Spanish MOT) — cover and legality both assume a valid ITV certificate for the vehicle's age; check what is required before you insure.
- Named drivers vs open policies — confirm exactly who is covered to drive, especially if visitors or family will use the car.
- Residency-visa requirement vs top-up — some residency routes (the non-lucrative visa, for example) require private health cover with no co-payments and no waiting periods. A "top-up" policy designed to sit alongside the Spanish public system usually does not meet that bar — check which type your specific route requires before buying.
- Copay vs full cover — understand whether the policy carries copagos (co-payments per visit or procedure); cheaper policies often do.
- Waiting periods (carencias) — pre-existing conditions, and even some routine procedures, can carry waiting periods of months. Ask explicitly what applies.
- Coverage area — confirm the policy covers treatment in Spain generally (not only emergency/repatriation), and specifically the Comunidad Valenciana network you would actually use.
- Renewal terms — ask about the insurer's policy on renewal for life vs age-based non-renewal or steep age-banded premium jumps at each birthday.
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