Barcelona · Health card
Getting your public health card in Barcelona
In Barcelona you request your first public health card (TSI, CatSalut) at your local health centre. You need your padrón certificate and a Social Security document showing your right to healthcare.
What it is
In Catalonia the public health card is the targeta sanitària individual (TSI), issued by the Catalan health service (CatSalut). It gives you access to your GP at your local primary care centre (CAP) and to public hospitals, and shows your personal health code (CIP).
Before you apply
You need two things in place first:
- Your padrón certificate, showing you live in Catalonia.
- Your right to public healthcare, recognised by the Social Security Institute (INSS). You usually have it if you work or are registered as autónomo in Spain, receive a Spanish pension or an EU pension registered with an S1 form, or are the family member of someone who does. Get the INSS document that proves this.
What to bring
- Your passport or TIE (and NIE).
- Your padrón certificate.
- The INSS document showing your right to healthcare.
- Your Social Security number.
- Your padrón certificate must be less than three months old (or you can authorise CatSalut to check it).
Steps
- Find your health centre (CAP, Centre d'Atenció Primària). It's assigned by your address.
- Apply at the admissions desk with your documents. You can also apply with CatSalut's online form, without going to the CAP.
- Get assigned a GP at the same time.
- Receive your card by post, free, at your home address. Each family member gets their own. The La Meva Salut app and website then give you your health record and appointments.
Cost
Free.
Common pitfalls
- Register on the padrón and sort Social Security first. Without both, the health centre can't issue the card.
- Moved house? Update your padrón and your health centre so you're assigned the right GP.
- No INSS right? In Catalonia you can still get a card once you've been on the padrón for three months in a row; CatSalut sets your level of cover. Ask at your CAP.
- Forms may be in Catalan. Ask for a Spanish version if you need one.
When to ask a helper
If you're retired, not working, or on private insurance and unsure whether you qualify for public healthcare, ask someone in Barcelona who's been through it.
Spot a mistake?
Rules change and offices differ. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we'll check it.