A familiar situation: you already live in Tenerife but do not work officially — a freelancer with no Spanish contributions, a retiree, the spouse of a resident. There is no automatic right to free public healthcare. Two routes remain: the Convenio Especial or a private policy. Let us look at both.
What the Convenio Especial is
It is an agreement with your autonomous community (in Tenerife, the Canary Islands health service) under which you pay a fixed monthly fee and gain access to public healthcare: a family doctor, specialists by referral, hospitalisation, emergency care.
The fee is set by regulation, differs for people under and over 65 and is revised periodically — check the current amount with your own community.
Who qualifies
The conditions are set nationally but processed regionally. The basic requirements are usually:
- you are legally resident in Spain and registered at your address (empadronamiento) for a set period — as a rule at least a year;
- you have no entitlement to healthcare on other grounds (employment, contributions, an agreement between countries);
- you are not covered by another country’s compulsory system.
You apply to the regional health authority with proof of residence and registration.
What it leaves out
This is the decisive part:
- Medication at full price. Residents with ordinary entitlement pay a subsidised share for prescriptions. A Convenio Especial holder pays 100%. With ongoing treatment that can swallow the whole saving.
- The basic public package only — no additional programmes.
- The same queues as everyone else: specialists by GP referral, planned procedures by appointment. More on the difference in private versus public healthcare.
- Not valid for a visa or residency application.
When a private policy wins
Private insurance is the better answer if what you need is:
- Speed. Book a specialist directly, no referral — how it works in Tenerife.
- Choice of doctor and of language, through the cuadro médico network.
- Immigration paperwork. For a visa or residence permit only a private policy with the right certificate is accepted.
- Dental and add-ons, which the basic public package does not include.
In practice many residents use both layers: the public system as the base for complex and expensive cases, a private policy for speed and everyday matters.
How to choose
| Your situation | What to look at first |
|---|---|
| Applying for a visa or residence permit | A private policy — there is no alternative |
| Already resident, on permanent medication | Price the Convenio Especial including full-cost prescriptions |
| You want speed and choice of doctor | A private policy |
| You want cover across the full range of risks | A private policy, alongside the public system if needed |
What next
If you are still at the paperwork stage the question is settled: you need a private policy. If you are already a resident, it is worth pricing both against your real treatment pattern.
Message us in the chat — we will help you work out which fits your case and quote a private policy free of charge for comparison.