Flight only insurance

We have annual travel insurance covers up to 61 days in any one visit costs us £90 for the year we are age 59 and 60

Pkpk wrote:We have annual travel insurance covers up to 61 days in any one visit costs us £90 for the year we are age 59 and 60

Yes we currently have the same with our EHIC Plus insurance, the problem arises when we want to spend longer than 61 days at any one time. Although our insurance can be extended to 90 days on request (and payment of additional premium), we dont want to have to pop back to the UK every 90 days just to ensure we comply with the insurance. Surely other people must have a similar dilemma.

Many thanks for replying though.

Staysure will do a single trip travel policy for up to 183 days. Costs will depend on your profile of course but we paid c. £150ish for a 6 month policy ( for one person over 65). They might do more than 6 months but I think you start to run into difficult territory on account of the residency issue, ie the question of where you are actually resident as They factor this in to their quotes/ whether or how they cover you. No harm in ringing them up to ask... If you go for residency now to beat the Brexit deadline you have best chance of obtaining healthcare and keeping it via the S1, but you are effectively making an official permanent move to Spain by doing this. No reason why not if your circumstances suit, eg you could live in Spain and holiday for 3 months in UK . You should double check your entitlement then for the 3 months in the UK though, I thought I read somewhere that it is complicated, you aren't entitled to a Spanish ehic card . Someone on this forum must be in that position, ie lives in Spain and how do they cover health on trips to the UK? I daresay for emergencies it would not be a problem but for routine treatments it might be, if you no longer formally live in UK.

As to the question of flight only insurance, it hardly seems worth it...

Shiva that is most helpful, thank you. A policy for up to 180 days would be ideal initially so I will check with Staysure.

I realise that anything over that, we would need to apply for residency which we intend to do next autumn/winter. We would be making Spain our main place of residence, but plan to still return to the UK for the summer months. There is the problem of health cover for the months we are back in the UK - I didnt realise we wouldnt get a Spanish EHIC-type card. It would only be emergency cover we would need in the UK as routine treatments we should have covered by the Spanish health system once we are resident. As you say there must be other forumites who are in a similar position.

I am still undecided as to whether flight-only insurance is worth it or not though.

If you have a UK passport as a British Citizen you are covered by the NHS on holiday trips back to UK as a Pensioner but you will need your EHIC from Newcastle
Pension Service

Does anyone know who does travel insurance for 90 days twice a year on an annual policy travelling to Spain only, no cruises etc, my wife & I are both 72

Rodt wrote:Does anyone know who does travel insurance for 90 days twice a year on an annual policy travelling to Spain only, no cruises etc, my wife & I are both 72

We have ours with EHIC Plus Expand which covers up to 90 days a time on an annual policy.
https://www.ehicexpand.com/main/step1

jpeg wrote:If you have a UK passport as a British Citizen you are covered by the NHS on holiday trips back to UK as a Pensioner but you will need your EHIC from Newcastle
Pension Service

So as long as we are British Citizens it doesnt matter that we arent resident, we still get NHS cover if back there for a few months, is that correct? We have EHIC cards.

TonTri wrote:Shiva that is most helpful, thank you. A policy for up to 180 days would be ideal initially so I will check with Staysure.

I realise that anything over that, we would need to apply for residency which we intend to do next autumn/winter. We would be making Spain our main place of residence, but plan to still return to the UK for the summer months. There is the problem of health cover for the months we are back in the UK - I didnt realise we wouldnt get a Spanish EHIC-type card. It would only be emergency cover we would need in the UK as routine treatments we should have covered by the Spanish health system once we are resident. As you say there must be other forumites who are in a similar position.

I am still undecided as to whether flight-only insurance is worth it or not though.

British pensioners who are resident in the EU get NHS on visits to UK by dint of their S1. You don't get a Spanish EHIC equivalent because Spain does not pay for your healthcare, the UK does therefore they are responsible for issuing the EHIC which will be valid outside Spain (UK does not require the EHIC).


From NHS England changes made in 2015:
UK pensioners living abroad who have registered a valid UK S1 form with the relevant authorities in their country of residence, and have their healthcare paid for by the UK, are now entitled to return to England to receive free NHS hospital treatment, just like someone who is ordinarily resident in England.
(GP appointments and emergency treatment have always been free)
When you apply for your S1 you will be asked if you require an EHIC as well and both will be sent to your address in Spain.
You also need to apply for residency (signing on the EU foreigners register) if you intend to remain in Spain for longer than 3 months and not after 6 months is up.
If you are only going to visit for over 3 months but less than 6 months in one year then the same form is completed but the non-resident box is ticked at the bottom of the form and you will receive a non-resident certificate instead of a green card for residency. (non-resident card valid 2 years, resident card valid for life).