The most important rule: one certificate per person
Every person included in a Non-Lucrative Visa application must have their own individual health insurance policy — and each policy must come with its own individual Spanish-language certificate (carta para visado). There is no family policy format that satisfies this requirement.
This catches many families off-guard. It does not matter that all family members are insured with the same insurer, or even that they are on the same account. The consulate requires a separate document for each applicant. If you submit one certificate that lists four family members, your application may be refused on that basis alone.
Every person in the NLV application — main applicant, spouse/partner, and each child — needs their own individual carta para visado (insurance certificate in Spanish). One family policy document is not sufficient, even if all are insured with the same company. Confirm with your insurer that individual certificates will be issued per person.
How the family NLV application works
For a family moving to Spain together on the NLV, the structure is as follows:
One person is the primary NLV applicant. They need their own private health insurance policy and individual certificate. Income is assessed in their name (or jointly, depending on consulate).
The spouse or partner applies with their own NLV application simultaneously. They need their own private health insurance policy and their own individual certificate. The income requirement increases by approximately €7,200/year for the second applicant.
Every dependent child included in the application needs their own individual health insurance policy and individual certificate. Children's premiums are very low — typically €15–30/month per child. The income requirement increases by approximately €7,200/year per additional child.
Income requirements for families
The NLV income requirement scales with family size. The 2026 figures:
| Family composition | Required annual income (approx.) | Required monthly (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Single applicant | €28,800/year | €2,400/month |
| Couple (2 adults) | €36,000/year | €3,000/month |
| Couple + 1 child | €43,200/year | €3,600/month |
| Couple + 2 children | €50,400/year | €4,200/month |
| Couple + 3 children | €57,600/year | €4,800/month |
Approximate figures for 2026. Exact thresholds vary by consulate and change annually. Confirm current requirements with your consulate or an immigration lawyer.
Children's health insurance — what to know
Children's health insurance for the NLV is simple and low-cost. A few specific points to know:
Typically €15–30/month per child under 18 on most plans. The cost of insuring children adds relatively little to your total family insurance budget.
Sanitas has the strongest paediatric specialist network nationally and the BLUA app enables paediatric appointment booking in English. For families with young children, the quality of paediatric access is a real practical differentiator.
Private insurers in Spain typically do not include routine childhood vaccinations as part of the health insurance benefit. These are available free of charge through the Spanish public health system once your children are registered (empadronados). Once you have residency and register locally, your children can access the Spanish public vaccination schedule without additional cost.
Caser includes basic dental as standard at no extra cost — including for children's policies. If dental care matters for your children (check-ups, fillings, extractions), Caser's inclusion is a meaningful benefit. Sanitas includes dental as standard in the Residents plan, including for children's policies — 45+ free services with no waiting periods.
Family discounts — ask explicitly
Some insurers offer discounts when multiple family members are insured with the same company. This is not always advertised and may not be applied automatically. The two key things to do:
- Ask explicitly about multi-policy family discounts at quotation stage
- Request quotes for all family members together in the same quotation session — not separately
Sanitas and Caser both offer multi-policy pricing arrangements in some configurations. The savings may be modest but are worth pursuing when insuring four or more people.
Example family costs (indicative)
As a planning figure for 2026, the following gives a sense of total family insurance costs. These are indicative mid-tier estimates — your actual premiums are confirmed at quotation:
| Family | Sanitas (approx. combined) | Caser (approx. combined) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 adults aged 40 | ~€160–200/mo | ~€130–170/mo |
| 2 adults aged 40 + 1 child | ~€175–220/mo | ~€150–190/mo |
| 2 adults aged 40 + 2 children | ~€190–240/mo | ~€165–210/mo |
| 2 adults aged 50 + 2 children | ~€230–290/mo | ~€200–260/mo |
Indicative figures only. Children's premiums approximately €15–25/mo per child. Adult premiums vary by age. Always get individual quotes for accurate figures.
Recommendations for families
The strongest paediatric specialist network nationally. BLUA app for English-language appointment booking for children and adults. Instant certificate issuance. BUPA-backed with the deepest national hospital network. Multi-policy family pricing available. The top pick for families who will genuinely use the health insurance — which with children, you will.
Dental included as standard across all policies — adults and children alike. This is a meaningful value-add for families: dental check-ups, cleaning, fillings, and extractions for every member of the family included at no extra cost. Competitive premiums across all ages. Via 247expatinsurance.com.
Digital Nomad Visa — covering the whole family
The Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) has become a popular route for remote-working parents who want to relocate the whole family to Spain. One remote worker earns the income abroad; the spouse and children join on the same visa application as dependants. For insurance purposes, the rules are the same as the NLV: every family member needs their own separate policy and their own individual certificate.
There is, however, one important split depending on how the primary applicant earns their income:
If the primary applicant holds a DNV as a salaried remote employee, the entire family must maintain private health insurance throughout their residence — exactly the same position as an NLV family. All family members need their own individual policies for the initial application and for every renewal. Typical combined cost for an employed remote-worker family (two adults, two children): €200–320/month depending on parents' ages and chosen plan.
If the primary applicant is self-employed (autónomo) and registered with Spanish Social Security, they can use Social Security at renewal as their own health cover. However, this does not automatically extend to their dependants. The spouse and children still need their own private insurance policies unless they too are separately registered as autónomo or employed in Spain — which, for a spouse not working, they typically will not be. In practice, most autónomo DNV families still insure the whole family privately for simplicity.
For DNV family applications, Sanitas is the strongest choice: it offers the clearest family pricing, issues individual certificates per person instantly, has an English-language app (BLUA) that works for both adults and children, and provides the deepest paediatric specialist network nationally. Caser is a strong value alternative — dental is included for every family member across all individual policies, and their combined premiums are typically lower than Sanitas for the same ages.
Key planning point: Buy all family policies at the same time and align start dates. This simplifies renewal administration, ensures maternity waiting periods are served simultaneously if relevant, and makes it easier to coordinate your annual visa renewals.
Student visa — health insurance for student families
The student visa in Spain is issued to the student themselves; the visa does not typically permit family reunification at the initial application stage. A spouse or partner cannot join as a dependant on a student visa — they would need to apply separately in their own right (most commonly via an NLV, or in some cases their own student visa if they are also studying).
Student couples or student families do exist in Spain, and each person's insurance situation is determined by their own visa type:
The student needs a student-visa-compliant health insurance policy in their own name. Sanitas International Students, ASISA, and ASSSA all offer compliant student plans. Premiums are lower than NLV plans — typically €25–45/month for a student under 30.
The partner accompanying the student typically applies on an NLV in their own right. They need an NLV-compliant policy — Sanitas Residents, Caser Adapta, or equivalent. This is a separate policy in their own name; the student's policy does not cover them.
Bringing children on a student visa is not a standard route at initial application. After establishing residency, a student may apply for family reunification in some circumstances. If that applies, the children would then need their own individual insurance policies once their residence is formalised.
If you are a student family navigating multiple visa types simultaneously, the most practical approach is to use the same insurer where possible — Sanitas in particular issues both student visa-compliant policies and NLV-compliant policies and can accommodate different plan types within the same account. This simplifies administration when you are managing two different sets of annual renewals.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Every person included in a Non-Lucrative Visa application must have their own individual health insurance policy and their own separate certificate (carta para visado). You cannot submit one family policy document covering multiple applicants. Each child, the spouse/partner, and the main applicant all require their own individual certificates.
As an indicative example for a family of four (parents aged 40, two children): approximately €190–240/month combined with Sanitas, or €165–210/month with Caser. Children's individual premiums are very low — typically €15–30/month per child under 18. Adult premiums at age 40 are typically €67–90/month per person.
Yes. Sanitas accepts children as new applicants (including from birth) on their NLV-compliant Residents plans. Sanitas has excellent paediatric specialist coverage via their national network, and the BLUA app enables paediatric appointment booking. Children's premiums are low — typically €15–25/month for under-18s.
Some insurers offer multi-policy discounts when multiple family members are insured with the same company. Ask explicitly about family discounts at quotation stage. Getting all family members quoted together (rather than separately) is the best way to ensure any available discount is applied. Sanitas and Caser both offer multi-policy arrangements in some configurations.
Approximately €28,800/year for the main applicant, plus approximately €7,200/year per additional family member. A family of four (two adults, two children) needs approximately €50,400/year (€4,200/month). Income can be from pension, savings, investments, rental income, or a combination. Confirm exact current requirements with your consulate or immigration lawyer.
Routine childhood vaccinations are not typically included in private health insurance in Spain. However, once your children are registered (empadronados) and you have residency, they can access the Spanish public vaccination schedule at no cost through the public health system. Travel vaccinations and non-routine vaccines may be available through the private insurer — confirm at quotation stage.
Not necessarily — if each family member has an individual policy, renewal dates may differ depending on when each policy was purchased. Some families choose to align all renewal dates by starting all policies on the same date. There is no technical requirement to renew simultaneously, but aligning dates simplifies administration. Ask your insurer about aligning policy start dates when applying.
Children's policies transition to adult policies at age 18, with premiums recalculated at adult rates. For healthy 18-year-olds with no health history, premiums are typically low — around €55–70/month with most insurers. If children are on a family NLV as dependants, their individual policy continues as long as it remains in force; they can apply for their own NLV as an adult with the same policy if it meets requirements.
Yes. The DNV follows the same rule as the NLV: every person included in the application — the primary holder, their spouse or partner, and each child — must have their own individual health insurance policy and their own individual Spanish-language certificate. There is no family policy format accepted by Spanish consulates for any long-stay visa category. Even if the primary DNV holder is autónomo and intends to use Social Security at renewal, the dependant family members must still have their own private policies unless they too are separately registered with Social Security.
Not automatically. An autónomo registered with Spanish Social Security is covered themselves through the public health system, but Social Security coverage does not automatically extend to dependant family members who are not themselves registered. The spouse and children typically still need their own private health insurance policies unless the spouse is also working and registered in Spain. In practice, most autónomo DNV families insure all family members privately for simplicity — and this is clearly required at the initial visa application stage regardless.