Social security number

Yes, it is.

1 Register yourself, your husband and your children at your local town hall. This process is called empradronamiento. You will need passports or other formal identity documents to do this. You may also need a gas, electricity, water or fixed telephone line bill with one of your names and address on it.
2 Ensure you are given a piece of paper confirming that you are all registered as living at your address.
3 Ask the people at the town hall what the next step is to get a social security number for yourself, and or your husband or your children.

It will be easiest to get a social security number first for your husband if he is the only member of your family working. If that is the case, you will need to have some sort of proof that he is working, for example a letter from his employers and or a PAYE slip. When you apply for a social security card for him, you can have yourself and your children covered by his social security as beneficiaries, and thus have your own social security cards. This whole process, quite separate from empadronamiento, can be done at any local social security office.

As an alternative to the above, there is (or used to be)  a reciprocal agreement, I think it may be related to form E111, which allows for British nationals to be covered for health care when they are in Spain, by virtue of a reciprocal health agreement with the British NHS. But this may be for visitors from the UK only, and not for people settled or working here.

Either way, your husband's UK-based company should be willing and able to help you with all of these processes.

Thanks for reply. Yes, we have registered at the town hall and I even have my NIE! Sorry, I didn't explain very well. My husband works for his own company which is based in the UK. i.e. he is an employee of his company. He could pay social services here but we don't really know how to organize it.

I have been to the social services office in Bisbal, they told be to go to Girona. I phoned Girona and they told me I had to work to have a number. Perhaps I can become an employee of my husbands company. But still not sure how to organize it!

We do have reciprocal healthcare but it is only for emergencies and doesn't cover the children for their vaccinations. Also, school have told me that my son has to have healthcare here.

It's all a bit of a minefield!

orlenakerek wrote:

Thanks for reply. Yes, we have registered at the town hall and I even have my NIE! Sorry, I didn't explain very well. My husband works for his own company which is based in the UK. i.e. he is an employee of his company. He could pay social services here but we don't really know how to organize it. I have been to the social services office in Bisbal, they told be to go to Girona. I phoned Girona and they told me I had to work to have a number.

I still believe that the first step is to get your husband a social security number and card. This can be done at a local social security office ie a Tesoreria de Seguridad Social, or its Catalan equivalent. If the company is your husband's, then he will also have a NIE, and is presumably registered as self-employed ie working for himself as an autónomo.

orlenakerek wrote:

I have been to the social services office in Bisbal, they told be to go to Girona. I phoned Girona and they told me I had to work to have a number.

The social services office or Tesoreria most likely to help you should be in the municipality in which you live and are registered in. The town hall should be able to supply you with the address of the relevant and most convenient address for this. It may be the case that you have to work to have a number, but I believe not; if you are registered as living at an address, you are entitled to health cover. I repeat though that if you can get a number for your husband, you and your children, because he is working, will be entitled to social security cover through him as beneficiaries.

orlenakerek wrote:

Perhaps I can become an employee of my husbands company. But still not sure how to organize it!

This may also be possible, but it is both a hassle at this stage, and of secondary importance to getting a social security card for your husband.

orlenakerek wrote:

We do have reciprocal healthcare but it is only for emergencies and doesn't cover the children for their vaccinations. Also, school have told me that my son has to have healthcare here.

If the school is insisting that your son must have healthcare here, and I am sure they are right, then they may also be able to give you some advice as to the process. I daresay there are other parents in your situation with children at the same school. The parents too could be a source of accurate, more up to date and practical information than I am able to give you.

Thank you for your help. My husband isn't autonomo here which is why it is so difficult. He's employed by his own company i.e. he pays taxes in the UK. At the moment, he doesn't want to move his company (for complicated reasons.)

Anyhow, I think you are right. I need to go back to the social services office, this time in Girona.

I have spoken to parents but not with any helpful outcome!

As they say here 'poco a poco'!

orlenakerek wrote:

Thank you for your help. My husband isn't autonomo here which is why it is so difficult. He's employed by his own company i.e. he pays taxes in the UK. At the moment, he doesn't want to move his company (for complicated reasons.)

Anyhow, I think you are right. I need to go back to the social services office, this time in Girona.

I have spoken to parents but not with any helpful outcome!

As they say here 'poco a poco'!

If you and your husband are living here, even if he is employed by a UK company, then he "should" be paying his income tax here, since fiscal residence is defined by where one lives 183 days of the year. It should not be necessary to move his company here, unless he is the sole employee and the financial management of the company is directed entirely from Spain.

On the other hand, even if he is resident in the UK, he is entitled to social security cover, I believe, as a consequence of being empadronado here.

All the information you have given me should be discussed with the people in the social security office. They are generally helpful if rather bureaucratic and slow-moving.