The TSI Health Card in Catalonia: How to Get It in Barcelona

Covers: Catalonia (a regional service). Other regions have their own rules.

This guide is for internationals who have just moved to Barcelona or elsewhere in Catalonia and need access to public health care. After reading it, you will know who is entitled, which steps come first, how to apply for your first card online or in person, and which documents to prepare.

• Who is entitled to public health care in Catalonia
• Step one: the padró
• Step two: your INSS status
• Applying online or at the CAP
• The documents
• FAQ

Who is entitled to public health care in Catalonia

In Catalonia, public health care is run by the regional health service, CatSalut. According to CatSalut, all residents of Catalonia are guaranteed health care under the Catalan Law 9/2017. To receive care paid for by CatSalut, you must be accredited as insured or as a beneficiary by the Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social (INSS, the national Social Security institute), which recognises this status across the National Health System.

The card that gives you access is the Targeta Sanitària Individual (TSI, individual health card). Barcelona City Council explains that it is needed to have a family doctor, make appointments, use public health centres and hospitals, and get subsidised medicines, whether or not you have private insurance. Each family member needs their own card, regardless of age. You can apply if you have established residence in a Catalan municipality and you are either insured or the beneficiary of an insured person.

Foreign nationals outside those two groups can still apply if they have been registered in a municipality of Catalonia for a continuous period of at least three months immediately before applying, and can prove an income lower than the minimum insertion income. People in a special situation do not have to prove income: pregnant women, minors, people seeking international protection, victims of human trafficking, and others. CatSalut then assigns a specific level of coverage, which sets the services you are guaranteed. CatSalut also lists a conveni especial (special agreement) for people who access public care by paying a fee; the pages do not give the amount.

Step one: the padró

CatSalut’s page on obtaining a first TSI states that everyone must meet one basic requirement: being registered on the padró (the municipal register of residents; empadronamiento in Spanish) in a municipality of Catalonia. The padró is run by each city council, not by the region. In general you register at your council’s registry offices with documents proving your identity and your address, although the procedure varies from case to case.

Step two: your INSS status

If you have an employment contract, receive a pension or receive a Social Security benefit, you are registered with the INSS and your right to health care is already accredited. You do not need to apply to the INSS first: you go straight to CatSalut. According to Barcelona City Council, this right is recognised automatically the day after you join the Social Security system. Members of MUFACE, MUGEJU and ISFAS can also apply directly.

Family members are different. The inclusion of an insured person’s beneficiaries must be processed with the INSS beforehand. For a newborn, the parent or guardian must register the baby with the INSS as their beneficiary. This can be done from the hospital if you give consent, and the baby can be registered on the padró at the same time. For general information, the INSS can be reached on 91 542 11 76 and 901 16 65 65.

Foreign nationals who are neither insured nor beneficiaries need an INSS document proving that status. They then apply through the procedure Barcelona City Council calls Access to second-level CatSalut. People who previously held a Catalan TSI and return to live in Catalonia must apply again as if for the first time.

Applying online or at the CAP

You can apply online through the CatSalut website or in person at a centre d’atenció primària (CAP, primary care centre). Barcelona City Council says a duly accredited representative can act for you, but the first application must be signed by the applicant.

Online. Sending the form authorises CatSalut to check your data with other authorities, such as the padró and the INSS. If the outcome is positive, you receive a provisional receipt by email with your codi d’identificació personal (CIP, personal identification code). You can use it at public health centres and services until the card arrives. Where a prior check is needed, the application stays pending and is resolved in the following days.

At the CAP. You apply at the CAP for your address or the one you have chosen. No appointment is needed, but you can book one through the 061 Salut Respon line. You fill in the application form and either authorise an online check of your data or bring the documents listed below.

Whichever way you apply, the card is sent free by ordinary post. Barcelona City Council says it arrives within two to three weeks. You can ask for it to go to your home or to the CAP. Once it arrives, you must request a family doctor at the CAP.

The documents

If you are insured or a beneficiary, Barcelona City Council lists:

• The completed and signed application form.
• An identity document: DNI, NIE or passport.
• A padró certificate issued less than three months earlier. Some councils allow online checks; if yours does not, you must bring the original.
• A photocopy of the holder’s membership document for the INSS, MUFACE, MUGEJU or ISFAS.

If you are a foreign national without insured or beneficiary status:

• The INSS document proving you are neither insured nor a beneficiary.
• Your NIE or passport.
• A family register or birth certificate, if necessary.
• A certificate or sworn declaration that your income is below the minimum insertion income (not needed for people in special situations).

If you apply on someone else’s behalf, CatSalut asks for proof of legal representation. This can be a birth certificate, a photocopy of the family book or another document that proves it.

FAQ

Does the TSI cost anything?

No. Barcelona City Council states that the application is completely free, and CatSalut posts the card at no cost. A replacement card costs €10.

Does the TSI expire?

In general it has no expiry date. The exception is second-level CatSalut Access coverage for foreign nationals who are not insured, not beneficiaries and have no mandatory cover through other means. Those cards must be renewed every year at the holder’s request.

Can I see a doctor before the card arrives?

If your online application is approved, the provisional receipt with your CIP gives access to public centres and services until the physical card arrives. Barcelona City Council adds that care is guaranteed even without the card, but people not registered in the system may have to pay for the care they receive.

Who can help in English?

Within Catalonia, you can call 061 (CatSalut Respon). From abroad, Barcelona City Council gives 933 038 158, where help is also available in English.

Sources: catsalut.gencat.cat · barcelona.cat · catsalut.gencat.cat

Last verified: 7 November 2026 against the pages linked above. Rules and fees change; the responsible authority always has the final word.

This is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. For your own situation, ask the office that handles your case (the Oficina de Extranjería, your ayuntamiento, the Seguridad Social or the Agencia Tributaria), a lawyer (abogado) or a gestor administrativo.