There is no doubt that the Administration has evolved a lot in recent years with respect to citizens being able to manage certain procedures through the Internet . Now we can carry out a good number of operations for different parts of the State Administration in many areas, and one of them is to be able to request the European Health Card , the subject that we are going to deal with right now.
Although it gave the impression that the highest levels of the different ministries were somewhat reluctant at first to implement the procedures online, the truth is that they have been working on the issue efficiently, and currently we do not have to suffer from displacements , long queues and hours waiting to perform many of the tasks with the Administration.
What is the European Health Insurance Card?/How To Apply European Health Insurance Card online
Today we are going to deal with the European Health Insurance Card, but the first thing we must be clear about is exactly what we are talking about. The TSE, as it is known in an abbreviated way, is a personal and non-transferable document that gives us the right to receive health benefits during a temporary stay in any country of the European Economic Area or Switzerland , as long as a doctor certifies it. The internal regulations of each country regarding the nature of the benefit and the duration of the planned stay must always be respected.
The States where the TSE is valid are: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg , Malta, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland.
This card will not be valid if it is shown that the trip was made solely for health treatment. For this to happen, the National Institute of Social Security (INSS) or the Social Institute of the Navy (ISM) must issue a form, prior to the final report from the Health Service.
The TSE will also not be effective if permanent residence is requested in a territory of a Member State.
In some cases, we may have to assume a fixed amount or percentage of medical expenses , in equal conditions with the insured of the State in which we are. To be more informed about this fact you can consult this address .
Who and where can you apply?/How To Apply European Health Insurance Card online
The European Health Card may be requested by all those who meet the requirements of Spanish legislation and by the Community Social Security Regulations.
Whether we want to request it or if we want to renew it, we will have different means to achieve it:
- Through the Internet at the Electronic Headquarters of the Social Security, something that we will deal with in a moment.
- At Social Security Information and Attention Centers (CAISS) by requesting an appointment.
- In the Provincial or Local Directorates of the Social Institute of the Navy (ISM) , whenever it is necessary to prove the right to export this type of benefits.
The TSE is valid for two years , indicating the expiration date on the card itself. If the European Health Insurance Card is used outside its validity period, it may mean that we are requested to pay the expenses arising from undue benefits, in accordance with the provisions of Article 76 of Regulation (EC) 883/04.
Apply for the TSE online
The way to apply for the European Health Card online is quite simple, all we have to do is the following:
- We must enter the Electronic Headquarters of the Social Security .
- Now we click on Citizens (upper left part of the screen), to, in the drop-down that appears, select Healthcare .
- Once inside we must click where it says European Health Card Application .
- At that time we will see the ways we have to request it, which are:
- Electronic certificate : using it if we have this service.
- Username and password : in this case we must have these data to access the Electronic Headquarters of the Social Security.
- Without certificate: access will be automatic, but without identifying you.
- Via SMS : so that we can enter the service they will send us an SMS, but first we must tell them what our ID is, the date of birth and the telephone number itself.
When we have an electronic certificate, as the Social Security has all our data, it will not be necessary to incorporate any additional information. That is, we will only have to click on requesting a Card, since they will send it to the address they have in their database, although it can be changed.
In the event that you do not have access to our data, they will show us a form that we must fill in with different data such as:
- Type of request we make.
- Personal data of the holder with the right to the card (name, social security affiliation number, ID and email).
- Address of the applicant.
- Address of the applicant if he lives outside of Spain .
Once we have filled it in, we only have to click on Accept and our request will be effective.
Within a period of no more than 5 days, the European Health Card will be received at the address indicated or where the Social Security has in its database. The card will be fully operational and ready to use as soon as it is needed.
Technical data to operate in the Electronic Office
The technical data that the Electronic Office provides us so that these requests come to fruition and we do not have hardware or software problems are:
- Operating Systems : Windows 7 or higher, macOS X 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.10, 10.11, 10.12 or Linux (any version with support for web browsers. In this case only the centralized certificate Cl @ ave works).
- Supported browsers : Microsoft Internet Explorer v.9 or higher, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari.
- Java Virtual Machine : to work with the Electronic Office it is essential to have the Java Virtual Machine (JRE) installed.
Now you will know better all the advantages of the European Health Card. It can be requested via the Internet from the Electronic Security Office, taking several different forms as we have seen. The only thing left to do is choose which of them is the one that best suits you and your needs.
