Getting a health card and a family doctor in Madrid

Before you start

• Registration in the padrón of a municipality in the Community of Madrid
• Right to public health care recognised by the National Social Security Institute (INSS)
• For foreign nationals, a residence permit that is valid or being renewed (TIE or EU registration certificate)

Documents you need

• Residence card (TIE) or EU registration certificate with your NIE

  required

• Padrón volante issued in the last 90 days

  Residents of the city of Madrid can authorise the health service to check the register instead.

  optional

• Social security number or the INSS entitlement document

  The health service can check it if you authorise it.

  optional

• Family book or birth certificate for children under 14 without DNI or TIE

  optional

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Check that you are entitled

   If you work in Spain, your employer registers you with Social Security and your right to public health care follows from that. If you are not working, check with the INSS whether you qualify (for example as a family member, pensioner or under an EU or bilateral social security rule). Many residence routes, such as non-lucrative residence or student stays, rely on private insurance instead.

2. 2

   Step 2: Register in the padrón first

   The first card requires registration in a municipality of the Community of Madrid. See Registering in the Madrid padrón.

3. 3

   Step 3: Request the card at your health centre or online

   • At your health centre: find the centre for your address with the health centre finder and go to its administrative unit during opening hours. You do not need to bring the application form: staff tell you which documents apply to you.
   • Online: through the Community of Madrid's electronic office, with a digital certificate or electronic DNI.

   Bring your TIE (non-EU) or EU registration certificate, and a padrón volante issued within the last 90 days unless you live in the city of Madrid and authorise the health service to check the register. The procedure is free.

4. 4

   Step 4: Receive the card and use the virtual card

   Once the documents are validated, the card is sent to your health centre in about three to four weeks, whether you applied in person or online. If you need care before it arrives, go to your health centre, which can give you access. The Tarjeta Sanitaria Virtual app lets you show your card on your phone at public health centres and pharmacies.

5. 5

   Step 5: Choose your family doctor

   You are assigned a family doctor or paediatrician, but you can choose another at any time and without giving a reason, as long as you are registered in the Community of Madrid. Search the free choice portal by health centre or doctor's name, then change online with a digital certificate or in person at the centre's administrative unit. The change gives provisional access at once and becomes final after up to three months unless you are told otherwise. A doctor can refuse only in limited cases, for example if their list is full.

6. 6

   Step 6: Book appointments

   To book with your family doctor, nurse, midwife, dentist or social worker you need the code on your health card, your date of birth and your DNI or NIE; a passport number is not accepted. You can book:

   • online on the primary care appointment site;
   • in the free Cita Sanitaria Madrid app;
   • by phone on the numbers on the back of your card (option 2, or option 9 to speak to staff, Monday to Friday 8:00 to 21:00 except public holidays);
   • at digital kiosks or the reception desk of your health centre.
7. 7

   Step 7: See a specialist

   Your family doctor refers you. You can then book online, in the app or at a kiosk, or wait for a call from the regional appointment centre (Centro de Gestión de Citas), which says it calls within three working days if you do not book yourself. You can usually choose among the public hospitals and specialist centres that have open lists for that specialty.

8. 8

   Step 8: Know where to go out of hours

   • Life-threatening emergency: call 112. The regional emergency medical service SUMMA 112 handles out-of-hospital emergencies.
   • Urgent but not life-threatening outside health-centre hours: the Community of Madrid runs a network of 24-hour primary care urgent care points (80 across the region when the current model started in October 2022, 15 of them in the city of Madrid), and most large public hospitals have 24-hour emergency departments. Check the nearest one on the Community of Madrid's website.

Watch out

Common mistakes

• Applying before registering in the padrón or before Social Security has recognised your entitlement.
• Trying to book appointments with a passport number; the system needs a DNI or NIE.
• Bringing a padrón volante older than 90 days.

Tips

• Register your children separately; each person needs their own card.
• When your child turns 14 and gets a DNI, tell the health centre so the card can be updated.
• If you plan to choose a particular doctor, check their health centre and list on the free choice portal before you register the card.

Frequently asked questions

Editorial answers written by our team, based on the sources below.

Official links

In your plan

• Request your Madrid health card and choose a family doctorAdd to plan
• Register in the Madrid padrónAdd to plan
• Arrange health cover for your first monthsAdd to plan
• Save Spain's emergency and helpline numbersAdd to plan

Sources

Written and checked by HomiStart editorial against the official sources below. Next scheduled check: 6 Apr 2027.