Keep your cover continuous
The renewal rules ask you to have maintained health insurance during the permit you are renewing, and to continue it (RD 1155/2024, art. 64.2.c). Keep your policy running. If you switch insurer, confirm acceptance and the new start date before ending your existing cover. Arrange the dates so there is no uninsured gap; an overlap may be necessary.
Plan ahead: renewals are filed in the two months before your permit expires, so check your insurance dates when you start preparing.
What the Renewal Office Checks
Your renewal is filed with the competent oficina de extranjería through the government’s electronic channels. Alongside the application, you show that you:
- Hold a valid non-lucrative authorisation (or are within three months of its expiry)
- Have sufficient means for the two-year renewal period — in 2026, €2,400 per month for a single applicant plus €600 per family member, or savings of €57,600 plus €14,400 per family member
- Have kept health insurance throughout your current permit, and it continues
- Have children of compulsory school age in school
- Have lived in Spain for more than 183 days in the calendar year
- Have paid the renewal fee
See how to renew your NLV for the full process and renewal pricing if you’d like us to handle it.
Renewing Your Current Policy or Switching
Keeping the same policy
Most NLV holders simply keep the policy they used for their visa. Annual policies normally continue from year to year, which keeps your cover unbroken.
Switching insurer
If you switch, confirm acceptance and the new start date before ending your existing cover. Arrange the dates so there is no uninsured gap; an overlap may be necessary. Then end the old policy with the notice its contract requires. A new policy means a new application and health declaration, so check how any existing conditions will be treated before you cancel.
How to change your NLV health insurance without a gap →
Your Certificate for Renewal
Prepare documents showing your current cover and that it continues for the period of the renewal:
- An up-to-date insurance certificate naming you, with the policy number and cover dates
- Proof of payment for the current period
- If you switched insurer, documents showing the old and new policies with no gap between them
If you bought your policy through us, we arrange your renewal certificate. About the NLV renewal certificate →
Family Members Renewing
Each family member renews their own authorisation and needs cover that has continued throughout their permit. We can quote and certify the whole household together, so everyone’s documents line up.
Public Healthcare and the Convenio Especial
Some long-term residents consider moving to Spain’s public system through the convenio especial, a paid agreement. Whether it can be used as the insurance for an NLV renewal depends on your circumstances — read changing to the convenio especial at renewal before cancelling private cover.
What Doesn’t Count as Health Insurance
EHIC and GHIC cards cover temporary stays, not residence, and travel insurance is designed for trips. Neither replaces ongoing health insurance for your renewal.
You can buy your health insurance through us — whoever handles your renewal
Renewing yourself, with another adviser, or with us? Request a quote or a renewal certificate through us. Your insurance quote will be handled by Spanish Health Insurance. You don’t need to buy our renewal service or create a dashboard account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need health insurance to renew my NLV?
Yes. To renew a non-lucrative residence authorisation you need to have kept health insurance throughout the permit you are renewing and to continue it (RD 1155/2024, article 64). Your renewal file includes documents showing the insurance for the period you want to renew.
What if my health insurance lapsed during my permit?
A gap means you cannot show insurance maintained throughout the permit, which the renewal rules ask for. Restart cover straight away and talk to us — or your adviser — before you file, so the renewal is prepared with the right documents.
Can I switch health insurance before my renewal?
Yes. Confirm acceptance and the new start date before ending your existing cover. Arrange the dates so there is no uninsured gap; an overlap may be necessary. Then end the old policy with the notice its contract requires (under Ley 50/1980, art. 22, at least one month’s written notice before the period ends for an annual policy). Switching means a new application and health declaration, so check how any existing conditions will be treated before you cancel.
Do I need a new insurance certificate for my renewal?
You need documents showing your current cover and that it continues for the period of the renewal — usually an up-to-date certificate from your insurer plus proof of payment. If you bought your policy through us, ask us for your renewal certificate.
Where do I file my NLV renewal?
Renewals are filed with the competent oficina de extranjería, through the government’s electronic channels, during the two months before your permit expires. Filing within three months after expiry is still possible but may lead to a penalty.
How much does health insurance cost at renewal?
It depends on your age, your plan and who is covered. If your current policy still meets the requirements, renewing usually means keeping it running. For a new or switched policy, request a personalised quote — we normally reply within 24 hours, often sooner.
Can I use an EHIC, GHIC or travel insurance for my renewal?
No. EHIC and GHIC cards cover temporary stays, and travel insurance is designed for trips, not residence. You need ongoing health insurance in Spain.
Do family members need their own insurance at renewal?
Yes. Each family member renews their own authorisation and needs cover that has continued throughout their permit. We can quote and certify the whole household together.
What if my insurance certificate is questioned at renewal?
If your file is incomplete, the Oficina de Extranjería will normally ask you to correct it within ten working days (Ley 39/2015, arts. 68.1 and 30.2). Reply in time with certificates showing continuous cover for the whole permit — ask us for an up-to-date certificate if you need one.
Will my premium change when I renew?
Premiums are reviewed each year and rise with age. Your insurer must tell you about any change to your contract at least two months before the current period ends (Ley 50/1980, art. 22.3).
Ready to Renew?
Keep your cover continuous and your renewal file complete. Get your health insurance quote or renewal certificate, or let us handle the whole renewal.