Sanitas vs Adeslas: Spanish Visa Health Insurance 2026

Sanitas vs Adeslas: at a glance

Price: Adeslas costs less — but Sanitas includes far more

Adeslas Extranjeros is publicly priced from €620.04/year (€51.67/month) for applicants aged 0–44. Sanitas Residents Visa starts from €67.76/month. That is roughly €16/month more for Sanitas at entry level. On paper that looks like an easy saving. In practice, when you look at what Sanitas actually includes for that premium, the comparison changes significantly.

Sanitas includes dental cover as standard — 45+ free dental services and 20%+ discounts on all other treatments, with no waiting periods, from day one. Adeslas does not include dental. If an Adeslas policyholder arranges dental separately, the effective cost gap narrows considerably or disappears entirely. Sanitas also includes the BLUA app — 24/7 English-language GP access, video consultations with specialists, digital physio, mental health programmes, nutrition coaching, and pregnancy plans. Adeslas has no equivalent digital platform.

Add the 12-month contract flexibility (vs Adeslas's 36-month tie-in), the automatic certificate on payment, the 6-month advance contracting window, the owned hospital network, and the wide range of optional add-ons available exclusively through Sanitas — and the €16/month difference represents a materially different product, not just a marginal one.

Sanitas optional add-ons — not available through Adeslas

One of Sanitas's less visible advantages is its ecosystem of optional add-ons that can be added to the base policy. None of these exist on Adeslas. They include:

None of these add-ons exist through Adeslas. For applicants who want to build a comprehensive, joined-up health and wellbeing package in Spain, Sanitas is the only policy on this comparison that provides this ecosystem.

Adeslas prices from publicly published Extranjeros tariffs. Sanitas prices confirmed at point of quote based on age band and province. All prices subject to underwriting and current insurer tariffs.

Contract length: this is the biggest practical difference

This is the most significant structural difference between the two policies and one that many applicants overlook. Sanitas is a 12-month contract, renewable annually. Adeslas Extranjeros is a 36-month contract — you are tied in for three years from the policy start date.

For most applicants applying for a Spanish visa, this matters. Your circumstances may change — you may move region, change insurer, return home, or want to reassess your health insurance after year one. With Sanitas, you have that flexibility every 12 months. With Adeslas, you are committed for three years regardless of what changes.

Dental: Sanitas includes it, Adeslas does not

Both Sanitas Residents Visa and Sanitas Platinum Visa include dental cover as standard — with no waiting periods. The Sanitas dental benefit includes more than 45 free dental services, plus discounts of over 20% on all other dental treatments. Platinum Visa includes a more comprehensive dental package than Residents Visa. Sanitas operates 216+ owned dental clinics across Spain, so the dental network is part of the same integrated infrastructure as the rest of the policy.

Adeslas Extranjeros does not include dental cover as standard. If dental care is a priority from day one, this is a meaningful point in Sanitas's favour — you get dental access included from the first day of your policy with no separate arrangement needed.

Network: owned infrastructure vs contracted providers

The fundamental difference between the two networks is ownership. Sanitas is its own network — it owns and operates its hospitals, Milenium clinics, dental centres, and medical facilities directly. When you join Sanitas, you are accessing infrastructure that Sanitas controls: five owned hospitals including Hospital Universitario Sanitas La Zarzuela and Hospital Universitario Sanitas CIMA in Barcelona, a national chain of Sanitas Milenium clinics, and 216+ owned dental centres. The consistency and standards are set by Sanitas across every facility.

Adeslas has no owned infrastructure. Its cuadro médico is built entirely from contracted relationships with third-party private providers — individual GPs, private clinics, independent specialists, and hospital groups such as Quirónsalud and HM Hospitales. Adeslas does not own any of these facilities. The network is large in terms of listed providers, but the standard of each facility depends on that individual provider, not on Adeslas directly.

For routine GP and specialist consultations, both approaches produce adequate access across major Spanish cities and coastal areas. The owned-infrastructure advantage becomes most apparent for complex inpatient care, surgical procedures, and any situation where the integrated management of your care — from GP referral through to hospital admission and aftercare — matters. Sanitas's ability to manage that pathway within its own facilities is a genuine quality differentiator.

Certificate & process: Sanitas is faster

Sanitas sends the visa certificate automatically once the policy is activated and payment is received. There is no manual step and no agent delay — the certificate arrives as soon as the transaction completes. For applicants with an imminent consulate appointment who need confirmed documentation in hand as quickly as possible, this is the most reliable process available.

Adeslas issues the certificate within 48–72 hours, normally sent by your agent after acceptance and payment have been confirmed. In practice this works smoothly for the vast majority of applicants — but the two-to-three day window is a real consideration if your consulate appointment is within 48 hours of your payment being processed.

Advance contracting: Sanitas gives you 6 months

One of Sanitas's less-discussed advantages is its contracting window. Sanitas allows you to contract the policy up to 6 months before the required start date. This matters for applicants who are planning a move to Spain well in advance — you can lock in your health insurance and have the certificate ready months before you actually need it.

Adeslas can normally be contracted a maximum of approximately 90 days before the required start date. For most applicants applying 1–3 months before their move this is sufficient, but for those planning further ahead, Sanitas is the only insurer on this comparison that provides this level of advance flexibility.

English support: a significant day-to-day difference

Sanitas provides English-language support throughout — the BLUA app operates in English, customer service is available in English, and the Mi Sanitas app has an English interface with a doctor filtering system that shows which doctors speak your language. For new arrivals who do not yet speak Spanish, this is a genuine practical advantage from day one.

Adeslas's corporate customer service is primarily in Spanish. The Adeslas app and website are Spanish-language. In expat-heavy areas — Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, Barcelona, Madrid — many Adeslas-affiliated doctors and clinics will have English-speaking staff, but this depends on the individual provider, not on Adeslas directly. For any administrative issue — claims, authorisations, certificate queries — you are dealing with a Spanish-language operation.

For applicants who are not yet confident in Spanish, or who are managing a complex medical situation, the language support gap between Sanitas and Adeslas is a real day-to-day difference that the headline price comparison does not capture.

Who should choose Sanitas?

Who should choose Adeslas?

Our verdict

For most visa applicants making a long-term move to Spain, Sanitas is the stronger choice — and the gap is wider than just price. Sanitas includes dental cover from day one (45+ free services, no waiting periods, across 216+ owned clinics). It is a 12-month contract, giving you full flexibility to reassess annually. The BLUA app provides 24/7 English-language GP access, appointment booking, and prescriptions in one place. The certificate is sent automatically on payment. You can contract up to 6 months in advance. The network is owned infrastructure — hospitals, clinics, dental centres — not contracted third parties. For applicants making a serious long-term move to Spain, Sanitas provides a materially better product.

Adeslas has a lower from-price — €51.67/month versus €67.76/month at entry level — and that is a real difference for cost-sensitive applicants. But there are important trade-offs to understand: the Adeslas Extranjeros policy is a 36-month contract. You are tied in for three full years. There is no dental included. The network is entirely contracted third-party — Adeslas owns nothing. And the certificate takes 48–72 hours via your agent rather than arriving automatically.

The honest summary: Adeslas's from-price is lower. But Sanitas includes dental from day one, a full digital health platform, 10 optional add-ons, owned hospitals and clinics, a 12-month contract, and the ability to contract 6 months in advance. When you add the cost of dental separately — which most Adeslas policyholders will need — the real price gap is much smaller than the headline figures suggest. For anyone planning to actually live in Spain and use their health insurance as healthcare rather than just a visa document, Sanitas is the stronger investment.

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.