Spanish Consulate London — Visa Health Insurance
If you are applying for a Spanish long-stay visa from the UK, you will almost certainly go through BLS International in London — and they have specific requirements for health insurance. We know exactly what is needed, arrange the right policy, and issue your certificate fast.
Is this page for you?
This page is specifically for UK-based applicants applying for a Spanish long-stay visa and needing health insurance that will be accepted by BLS International or the Spanish Consulate General in London.
Post-Brexit, British nationals can no longer live in Spain on EU citizenship rights. The Non-Lucrative Visa is the main route, and health insurance is a central requirement. We help hundreds of UK NLV applicants each year.
Spain's Digital Nomad Visa is increasingly popular with UK-based professionals who work remotely. The health insurance requirements are similar to the NLV. We handle DNV applications routinely.
UK students applying for a Spanish study visa, as well as those applying for Arraigo or Family Reunification visas, all need compliant health insurance. We cover all visa types processed in London.
The London process explained
The Spanish Consulate General in London is the primary diplomatic mission handling consular affairs for Spanish nationals and visa applications from UK residents. However, for most long-stay visa applicants, the relevant point of contact is not the consulate directly but BLS International — a company contracted by the consulate to handle document collection and initial processing.
BLS International operates visa application centres in London and other UK cities. For most NLV, DNV and student visa applicants in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the process is to book an appointment at a BLS centre, attend in person, submit all required documents (including your health insurance certificate), pay the relevant fees, and then wait for the consulate to process your application. BLS acts as an intermediary, conducting a document check before forwarding your application to the consulate for the actual decision.
This arrangement has important practical implications. First, you are dealing with BLS staff — not consulate officers — when you submit your documents. BLS follows the consulate's requirements strictly, and if your health insurance documentation does not meet their checklist, your application may be returned to you at that point. Second, the BLS appointment is a deadline, not just an administrative step. If you do not have your health insurance certificate ready in the correct format by your appointment date, your application stalls.
Scotland-based applicants typically deal with the Spanish Consulate in Edinburgh rather than London. Northern Ireland applicants generally go through BLS London. If you are unsure which consulate or BLS centre covers your area, we recommend checking the official Spanish government website (exteriores.gob.es) or contacting BLS International directly — as processing arrangements can change.
The Spanish Consulate General in London serves as the primary consular office for Spanish visa matters in England and Wales. Most long-stay visa applicants do not attend the consulate directly — document submission is handled through BLS International.
From quote to certificate
Here is how the process works from your first contact with us through to your BLS appointment.
Call us on our UK number (0203 925 8884), WhatsApp, email or use the online quote form. Tell us your visa type, planned move date, and when your BLS appointment is. We will take it from there.
We will ask a small number of health and personal questions, then identify the policies from our panel of DGSFP-registered insurers that best match your situation and budget. We explain the options in plain English.
Once you choose a policy, we confirm the details, arrange payment, and get the policy in place with the insurer. We also specify that the certificate is required for visa submission purposes, so the insurer prepares it in the correct format.
The insurer issues your certificate. We review it to ensure it contains the right information and forward it to you. You add it to your BLS application document pack.
Submit your complete application at BLS. Your health insurance certificate is in the correct format. If BLS has any queries, contact us immediately — we are available seven days a week to help.
Document requirements
BLS International checks your health insurance certificate against the requirements specified by the Spanish consulate. Getting the certificate right is as important as having the right policy. Here is what it must show.
The certificate must state your full name and date of birth exactly as they appear on the passport you are submitting. It must state the policy start and end dates, which should cover at least the first year of your visa. It must confirm that the policy has no copayments — this is a specific term that BLS reviewers look for. It must confirm that coverage applies to the whole of Spain (todo el territorio nacional), and it must identify the insurer clearly with their Spanish registration details.
Beyond the core information, the certificate should confirm the scope of cover — that it includes primary care, specialist consultations, hospitalisation and emergency care, rather than emergency-only treatment. Many UK applicants are surprised by how specific this document needs to be. A simple insurance schedule or an online account statement is not sufficient. The certificate must be a formal letter or document prepared specifically for this purpose.
A common mistake
This is the question we hear most often from UK applicants: "I already have private health insurance — can't I just use that?" In the vast majority of cases, the answer is no. Understanding why helps you avoid a potentially costly and time-consuming mistake.
UK private health insurers — including well-known names like UK-based health insurers, UK-based health insurers, and UK-based health insurers — are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in the United Kingdom. They are not registered with the DGSFP (Spain's insurance regulator). This is the fundamental barrier: Spanish consulates require insurance from a DGSFP-registered provider, and UK-FCA-regulated insurers simply do not qualify, regardless of the quality of the coverage they offer.
Some applicants also try to use international health insurance plans — policies marketed as covering expats worldwide. Many of these are also not DGSFP-registered, meaning they face the same problem. A minority of large international insurers do have DGSFP-registered operations in Spain, but you would need to verify this specifically and obtain the certificate in the correct format.
The NHS is also not a substitute. NHS entitlement is tied to UK residency. Once you move to Spain on a long-stay visa, your NHS access changes. In any case, the NHS has never been accepted as valid health insurance for Spanish visa purposes — it is a public health service, not a private insurance policy.
FCA-regulated, not DGSFP-registered. Will not be accepted by the Spanish consulate or BLS International for a visa application.
A public health service, not private insurance. Not accepted by any Spanish consulate for any visa application purpose.
Emergency and travel cover — not comprehensive health insurance. Even annual travel policies do not meet the Spanish consulate's standard.
A policy from a DGSFP-registered Spanish insurer, no copayments, full Spain-wide cover, no waiting periods, correct certificate. We arrange exactly this.
What our clients say
We had a BLS appointment booked and thought our existing UK health insurance policy would cover us. When we actually read the requirements properly, we realised it was going to be refused. We called 247 Expat, they sorted us out within 48 hours and we had the right certificate with us at the appointment. Absolute lifesavers.
NLV applicants through BLS London · Now living in Valencia
As a freelancer applying for the DNV, I found the insurance requirements genuinely confusing. 247 Expat explained exactly what I needed in about 10 minutes over the phone, arranged a great policy, and the certificate was in my inbox the next morning. Faultless.
Digital Nomad Visa applicant via BLS London · Now based in Seville
Avoid these errors
As explained above, UK-regulated health insurers are not DGSFP-registered and their policies will not be accepted by BLS International. This mistake is made by well-prepared applicants who simply do not know that the Spanish registration requirement exists. It is easily avoided by coming to us first.
BLS appointments in London can be in high demand, particularly during peak application periods. Some applicants book an appointment first and then scramble to arrange insurance. Since the certificate takes one to three working days, leaving this until the last moment risks missing your appointment slot. Arrange insurance as soon as your appointment is confirmed.
If you are applying with a spouse, partner, or dependent children, each individual applicant typically needs their own certificate. A certificate in one person's name only is not sufficient for a joint application. We can arrange individual or joint policies to cover all members of your application.
Your visa will need renewing — typically after one year for the initial NLV, then after a further two years. At each renewal, you will need a valid health insurance certificate. Many applicants are surprised by this at their first renewal. We track renewal dates and help you avoid any gap in cover.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions from UK applicants going through BLS International or the Spanish Consulate in London.
No. The NHS covers residents in the United Kingdom and is not recognised as valid health insurance for Spanish visa applications. The Spanish consulate requires a private health insurance policy issued by a DGSFP-registered insurer in Spain, providing comprehensive cover across Spain with no copayments. NHS access in the UK is entirely separate and irrelevant to Spanish residency requirements.
Almost certainly not, unless your current UK insurer has a DGSFP-registered entity operating in Spain. Most major UK private health insurers — including those offering international plans — are not registered with the DGSFP. This means their policies, regardless of how comprehensive they are, do not satisfy the Spanish consulate's requirements. You will need a policy from a Spanish-regulated insurer. Contact us and we will arrange the right cover quickly.
Once your policy is confirmed, most certificates are issued within one to three working days. Contact us as soon as you know your BLS appointment date to ensure there is sufficient time to arrange your policy and receive the certificate. In urgent situations — if your BLS appointment is imminent — speak to our team directly on 0203 925 8884 or via WhatsApp and we will do our best to expedite.
Most long-stay visa applicants in England, Wales and Northern Ireland now submit documents through BLS International rather than attending the Spanish Consulate General directly. Scotland-based applicants typically use the Spanish Consulate in Edinburgh. Check the official Spanish consulate website (exteriores.gob.es) for current guidance on which service point covers your region, as processing arrangements can change over time.
The Spanish Consulate General in London and BLS International process all major long-stay visa types for UK residents, including the Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV), the Digital Nomad Visa (DNV), Student Visas, Arraigo applications, and Family Reunification visas. We arrange health insurance for all of these visa types.
Yes. Each applicant named on a visa application typically needs their own health insurance certificate. If you and your spouse or partner are applying together, you will each need either a separate policy or a joint policy that specifically names both of you and provides individual cover for each person. We can arrange both options — contact us to discuss your specific situation.
If BLS rejects your documentation, they will explain what is missing or incorrect. Contact our team immediately — call us on 0203 925 8884 or WhatsApp us. We will review the situation and, if needed, arrange a replacement policy and certificate quickly. Common reasons for BLS rejection include non-DGSFP insurers, copayments within the policy, or incorrect certificate wording. We can resolve all of these.
Call our UK number, WhatsApp us, or get a quote online. We will arrange a policy that meets BLS and consulate requirements and issue your certificate fast — usually within 1 to 3 working days.
Related pages
Complete guide to health insurance for the Non-Lucrative Visa — the most common route for British applicants moving to Spain post-Brexit.
Health insurance requirements for Spain's Digital Nomad Visa — ideal for UK remote workers wanting to live and work from Spain legally.
The complete guide to visa health insurance for Spain — all visa types, requirements, certificate process and everything you need to know.
