confused about health insurance for people over 75

As EU citizens, you and your 78-year-old father have the legal right to live anywhere in Spain. For stays longer than three months, your father needs comprehensive health coverage—which he can secure via an S1 form (if he receives a state pension from another EU country), private health insurance, or by registering into the Spanish public system through residency.

1. Empadronamiento: Register your address at your local Madrid municipal office (Ayuntamiento) to get your census certificate.

1. EU Registration (Green NIE): Apply for the Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la Unión at a designated National Police/Immigration office in Madrid within three months of arrival.

1. Take your Green NIE and padrón to your local public health center (centro de salud) to obtain your individual health card (tarjeta sanitaria).