The Spanish government has approved a law ensuring access to healthcare for migrants residing in the country, including undocumented immigrants. This law also covers individuals who came to Spain through family reunification, asylum seekers, and beneficiaries of temporary protection. The new measure will take effect in a few weeks once published in the official journal.
This move comes after universal healthcare access in Spain was restricted in 2012 by a law introduced by the conservative People’s Party. “We want to ban this health exclusion […] introduced in 2012” and “close this wound,” said the Minister of Health, Mónica García.
Previously, in 2018, deputies voted for a decree allowing undocumented immigrants to seek treatment “under the same conditions as people with Spanish nationality.” However, this decree was never fully implemented across all regions of Spain.
Until now, irregular migrants had to request and obtain approval from social services, proving their desire to reside in Spain before consulting a medical practitioner, which could take weeks or months in certain areas.
With the new law, migrants will simply have to present a signed declaration to their health worker, after which “they will never be refused health care,” said the minister. A third-party payment may still exist in certain cases.
Spain is one of the main entry points for migrants seeking to reach Europe, with nearly 20,000 arrivals by sea and land since the beginning of 2024, compared to just under 7,000 during the same period last year. An estimated 500,000 people are undocumented in Spain today, including “families with children who cannot access health or education,” according to Lamine Sarr, a former undocumented migrant and representative of the Regularizacion Ya movement.
The movement has collected 700,000 signatures demanding the regularization of undocumented immigrants in Spain, brought before the Parliament on April 9. Supporters argue that the bill addresses an administrative failure that prevents migrants from accessing fundamental rights and public services, including healthcare. “We are part of society and we carry out essential work, but we cannot rent an apartment, sign a contract, or have a health card,” declared the group of migrants behind the initiative.