Wishing all our clients a very Happy New Year and the best for 2020!!
Another year goes by and changes are ahead soon with regards to Brexit. I hope in our next Newsletter in February I will be able to update you on any changes that may affect us all living in Spain. In the meantime we will carry on as normal. I have already mentioned in a previous newsletter that Liberty Seguros have confirmed that they will still be able to offer cover for UK plates after Brexit however the car has to be on Spanish soil to cover (we can sometimes in exceptional circumstances incept cover from the UK for existing clients, but we have to refer these cases.
Thought it would be useful to note the National Bank Holidays in Spain for 2020, on these dates our office will be closed.
NATIONAL BANK HOLIDAYS FOR SPAIN 2020
| Date | Day | Holiday | Autonomous Communities |
| 01-Jan | Wed | New Year’s Day | National |
| 06-Jan | Mon | Epiphany | National |
| 10-Apr | Fri | Good Friday | National |
| 01-May | Fri | Labour Day | National |
| 15-Aug | Sat | Assumption of Mary | National |
| 12-Oct | Mon | Fiesta Nacional de España | National |
| 01-Nov | Sun | All Saints’ Day | National except Ceuta, |
| Melilla & Navarre | |||
| 02-Nov | Mon | All Saints’ Day Holiday | Andalusia, Aragon, Castile |
| and Leon, Extremadura | |||
| & Madrid | |||
| 06-Dec | Sun | Constitution Day | National |
FLEXIBLE HOME INSURANCE – NEW POLICY DUE TO BE OFFERED SOON
In order to fulfil EU Regulations companies offering Home Insurance have to be able to offer Flexible cover for Home Insurance, meaning that instead of offering an all inclusive policy, customers will be able to pick and choose covers as they require, so in essence they can exclude some covers which they feel are not relevant to their situation if they wish. Further information will follow in due course as soon as I receive it. It may be that clients will want to be requoted on the new policy.
UK AND SPANISH EHIC CARD – APPLICATION CAN BE DONE ONLINE
If as a Spanish Resident you travel outside of Spain you can apply for the Spanish version of the EHIC Card giving access to emergency medical treatment in Europe, likewise UK Residents can apply online for a UK EHIC Card for access to emergency medical treatment here in Spain.
The EHIC is called a Tarjeta Sanitaria Europea (TSE) in Spain. It allows legal residents of Spain to benefit from emergency medical treatment and care when temporarily in a member country. … The EHIC (TSE) is for use when visiting a member state other than the country of residence where the card has been issued.
How do you apply for a European Health Insurance Card?
You should apply for the card from the country where you’re registered as a resident. If this is the UK, you’ll have to apply through the NHS; if it’s Ireland, you can do it through the HSE.
https://w6.seg-social.es/solTse/jsp/Entrada.jsp (WEBSITE TO APPLY FOR SPANISH EHIC CARD ONLINE)
If you are an ex-pat resident in Spain (i.e. you have a residence permit), you can apply for the card if you have a permanent or long-term employment contract. In Spanish, it is known as the Tarjeta Sanitaria Europea or TSE. You can apply for it online via the link above.
Will the EHIC be valid after Brexit?
After Britain leaves the EU, there will be a transition period up to the end of December 2020, during which time the European Health Card will still grant all the same benefits as before. After this time, it is unclear whether the EHIC will continue to be valid for UK citizens in Europe; there has been a provisional agreement that UK residents could still receive the same medical care while abroad in the EU, but this part of the negotiations has not yet been finalised and formally ratified.
What health issues does the European Health Insurance Card cover?
- Firstly, it is important to realise that the EHIC card is not a substitute for travel insurance. It doesn’t cover private healthcare or costs such as the return flight to your country of origin or the loss or theft of your belongings.
- It does not cover your expenses if you travel for the express purpose of receiving medical treatment, only problems that may arise during your trip.
- If you receive medical help while abroad but you’re not on a holiday, but rather changing your country of residence, you don’t need the European Health Card to receive medical assistance; you must register with the EU form S1
- It does not cover repatriation (transfer to the country of origin).
The card is meant to cover urgent medical assistance for illnesses or accidents, but it also covers the aggravation of chronic diseases, such as asthma, heart disease, cancer, etc. If you travel while pregnant, the EHIC/TSE covers the necessary treatments, including giving birth while abroad in the EU. However, if you plan to give birth in another country, you must apply for authorisation to do so. (information taken from Idealista/news)
For further information about Healthcare in Spain and how Brexit may affect you please visit the website https://www.gov.uk/guidance/healthcare-in-spain. The site gives very useful information and well worth a visit.
EXTRA ORDINARY DAMAGE AND NATURAL PHENOMENA – COVERED RISKS IN SPAIN
Damage coverage for vehicles with English Plates insured in Spain are not covered by the Consortium (the Government scheme for extra ordinary phenomena) in fact UK policies do not pay any fee to the Consortium, it is only available for Spanish Registered vehicles. These risks however are covered (with the corresponding excess) under the insurance policy. Please note that English Plates are ONLY covered for metrological damage if the cover taken out includes fire and theft and/or fully comprehensive. There is no cover for metrological damage if you have just the basic 3rd party insurance on UK plates.
INSURANCE FOR VANS/LORRIES?
Please be aware that we are getting more and more enquiries for vans and motorhomes which are over our remit to offer cover. We are unable to cover any vehicle over 3.5 ton. We have a chance to possibly insure Spanish plates vans or motorhomes over this weight but not English.
Unfortunately there is no agreement with the DVLA in the UK for Liberty to insure any vehicle above 3.5 ton. Also Breakdown cover is difficult to provide when a vehicle is too heavy and/or too large.
SELLING YOUR SPANISH CAR?
It is so important if you sell your Spanish car that you do it legally and make sure the car is taken out of your name into the new owner.
We have found several problems where clients have allowed the new owner to take over their insurance (as most policies we offer are for any driver over a certain age as long as the policyholder gives permission to drive), however in the event of an accident this can cause major problems.
Recently this has happened to client of ours that let the new owner drive under his insurance but unfortunately has had an accident.
Firstly we were not informed that the car had been sold… secondly we had no contact details of the new owner so when he called us to open a claim we had no knowledge he existed. Unfortunately the previous owner has returned to the UK and we have no forwarding details. This provides us with many problems. Please also note that if a fine is accrued on the said vehicle, the onus would still be on the legal owner to pay it!
It is for this reason that when clients ask for a policy to be cancelled, we need confirmation that they are no longer the owner (by way of a Provisional Justificante) as the insurer has an obligation to pay out if an accident occurs whilst the vehicle is in the policyholders name, therefore we can only cancel a policy mid term if we receive either :-
- A Compraventa (Bill of sale) in which case we can cancel the policy but cannot effect a refund, however the credit can be kept on the client file for up to a year to be used against any new policy, or
- With the Provisional Justificante (legal document from a Gestor) we can cancel with refund to client.
Applying for Spanish Residency?
If you need to apply for your Residency in Spain you will need Full Private Health Insurance without excess (co payments). Application for Health insurance generally can take up to 2 weeks for the process to be completed. We have several clients and new clients who book their appointment for Residency then ask us for a quote. If we only have a few days notice it really isn’t possible. Health Insurance isn’t instant it takes the form of either a completed application form which then has to be assessed or a telephone assessment depending upon which company we use. Either way the process for a healthy person without pre-existing medical conditions can take up to 2 weeks. If there are medical conditions and the company needs copies of medical reports, the process can take much longer. It is far better to take out the Health Insurance and when the Certificate is provided then make the appointment.
TOP TIP – DATE YEAR 2020 – IF YOU HAVE TO DATE A DOCUMENT – PUT IN FULL YEAR!!
A Police report on one of the sites has pointed out that if you have to sign a form and date it, for example with 1/1/20…… it is very easy to change the year, so when signing a document which needs to be dated make sure you write the whole year, i.e. 1/1/2020 so that it cannot be changed!
Framire Residencial, Local 6, Calle Alcornoque, Elviria, Marbella, 29604
0034 952 830 843 / 951 080 118 /mob 635 592 610