ASISA vs Sanitas: Spanish Visa Health Insurance 2026

ASISA vs Sanitas: at a glance

Price: ASISA is the lowest-priced major insurer — by a significant margin

ASISA Health Residents is priced from approximately €42.88/month — the lowest from-price of any major insurer reviewed on this site. Sanitas Residents Visa starts from €67.76/month. That is a gap of roughly €25/month or approximately €300/year at entry level. For applicants on a tight budget, this is a real and meaningful difference.

However, the comparison does not end at the headline figure. Sanitas includes dental cover as standard — 45+ free services from day one with no waiting periods. ASISA does not include dental. Once you add the cost of routine dental care separately, the real saving from ASISA narrows. Sanitas also includes BLUA — a 24/7 English-language digital health app with GP video consultations, prescription requests, physio, and mental health support — for which there is no ASISA equivalent.

For younger applicants in good health who mainly need the visa certificate and basic cover, and who are comfortable managing healthcare in Spanish, ASISA's lower price point is genuinely attractive. But for most applicants planning a long-term move and intending to use their health insurance regularly, the full ASISA vs Sanitas comparison is less one-sided than the headline prices suggest.

Maximum joining age: ASISA is 70, Sanitas is 75

ASISA Health Residents has a maximum joining age of 70. Sanitas Residents Visa accepts applicants up to age 75. This is a significant practical difference for applicants in their early seventies — a demographic for whom the Spanish Non-Lucrative Visa is a common choice.

Applicants aged 71–75 cannot use ASISA at all. For this age group, Sanitas is the straightforward answer. Even for applicants approaching 70 who may be renewing their visa in coming years, the age limit trajectory matters — a 68-year-old purchasing ASISA today may find themselves outside the acceptance range on renewal in the future.

Hospital network: ASISA's HLA link is a genuine differentiator

ASISA's link to HLA Grupo Hospitalario is worth genuine acknowledgement. HLA is one of Spain's largest private hospital groups, operating 18 hospitals and 20 owned medical centres across Spain. The HLA footprint has particular depth in Madrid, Sevilla, Huelva, Cádiz, and Zaragoza — areas where ASISA policyholders can access owned hospital infrastructure that goes beyond what a purely contracted network provides.

This distinguishes ASISA from Adeslas, which owns nothing. For applicants relocating to areas with strong HLA coverage, ASISA's network link is a meaningful quality consideration — especially at its lower price point.

That said, Sanitas's owned infrastructure remains stronger overall. Sanitas owns and operates five hospitals — including Hospital Universitario Sanitas La Zarzuela in Madrid and Hospital Universitario Sanitas CIMA in Barcelona — alongside a national chain of Sanitas Milenium clinics and 216+ owned dental centres. The integrated ownership model means consistent standards across every Sanitas facility in ways that a linked-but-not-owned relationship cannot fully replicate.

For applicants moving to areas where HLA hospitals are strong (Madrid, Sevilla, Huelva, Cádiz, Zaragoza), ASISA's hospital access is a genuine differentiator. For applicants moving to other regions — the Costa del Sol, Catalonia, the Valencia community, the Canary Islands — verifying HLA hospital availability in your specific province before committing to ASISA is strongly advisable.

Dental: Sanitas includes it, ASISA does not

Sanitas Residents Visa and Platinum Visa both include dental from day one — 45+ free dental services and 20%+ discounts on all other treatments, with no waiting periods. Platinum Visa includes a more comprehensive dental package. Sanitas operates 216+ owned dental clinics nationwide.

ASISA Health Residents does not include dental as standard. For most applicants planning to live in Spain long-term, dental care within the first year is a realistic expectation. The cost of arranging dental separately reduces ASISA's headline price advantage. When comparing the two policies on a total-cost basis inclusive of dental, the gap is considerably smaller than the from-prices suggest.

Certificate & process: automatic vs 48–72 hours

Sanitas sends the certificate automatically once the policy is activated and payment received — no manual step, no agent delay. ASISA issues the certificate within 48–72 hours via your agent after acceptance and payment are confirmed.

For applicants with comfortable lead time before their consulate appointment, the ASISA certificate process works smoothly in practice. For anyone with a tight appointment — particularly if payment and activation happen within 48 hours of the consulate visit — Sanitas's automatic issuance is the more reliable option.

Advance contracting and payment flexibility

Sanitas allows contracting up to 6 months before the policy start date — useful for applicants planning well ahead. ASISA can normally be contracted approximately 90 days in advance. Both policies are 12-month contracts — on annual flexibility, they are equivalent.

On payment, Sanitas offers a 50/50 split — 50% upfront at policy start, 50% at month six. ASISA requires the full annual premium upfront. For applicants managing relocation costs, Sanitas's split-payment option is a practical advantage.

English support: BLUA vs limited provision

Sanitas's BLUA app is a fully English-language 24/7 digital health platform — GP video consultations, prescription requests, specialist booking, physio, mental health, and nutrition services, all in English. Customer service is available in English. The Mi Sanitas app lets you filter doctors by language spoken, making it straightforward to find an English-speaking GP or specialist in your area.

ASISA's customer service and digital provision are primarily Spanish-language. For new arrivals who are not yet fluent in Spanish — which describes the majority of applicants for this type of visa — the day-to-day difference in English support between Sanitas and ASISA is significant. Managing appointment requests, authorisations, and prescription queries entirely in Spanish is a real additional challenge for the first months in a new country.

Sanitas optional add-ons — not available through ASISA

Sanitas policyholders can extend their cover with ten optional add-on modules. None are available on ASISA Health Residents:

Who should choose Sanitas?

Who should choose ASISA?

Our verdict

ASISA is the lowest-priced major visa insurer and that is a real advantage — from ~€42.88/month versus Sanitas from €67.76/month, the difference is approximately €300/year at entry level. For applicants under 65 in good health for whom cost is the primary concern, ASISA's lower price combined with its HLA hospital network link makes it a credible choice, particularly in regions where HLA coverage is strong.

But the comparison is not simply about price. ASISA's maximum joining age of 70 immediately excludes applicants aged 71–75 — a significant cohort of Spanish visa applicants. There is no dental included. There is no equivalent to BLUA. The certificate takes 48–72 hours. Advance contracting is limited to ~90 days. And the HLA hospital footprint, while genuine, is most relevant in specific regions — applicants moving elsewhere should verify local coverage before assuming the network will meet their needs.

Sanitas costs more, but includes dental from day one, BLUA English digital health, automatic certificate delivery, owned hospitals and clinics nationally, 6-month advance contracting, 50/50 split payment, and a maximum joining age of 75. When total-cost comparisons are made — dental included — the real gap is smaller than the headline figures suggest. For applicants planning to live in Spain long-term and use their health insurance as actual healthcare, Sanitas is the more complete product. ASISA is a credible budget option for the right applicant in the right location.

Frequently asked questions

Pricing shown is sourced from each insurer's own published pages and is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. Premiums are individually underwritten and confirmed at quote stage. Always verify current terms directly with the insurer or your specialist before purchasing.