If you're in Spain and need to get yourself a medical certificate proving you're in good health for your student visa, other visa, travel purposes, university, or any other reason, this post is for you!
If you're from the U.S. you probably would think about going to a clinic or your main doctor to get a medical certificate proving you are in good health --- however in Spain, it doesn't quite work that way.
It might seem like a weird system at the beginning, but then you realize it's actually a lot more relaxed and simple than you originally thought.
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Where do I need to go for the medical certificate?
In Spain, there are specific organizations that handle medical certificates -- for visas, driving licenses, travel purposes, sailing licenses, etc. This makes it super easy to find an appointment as they are really short time slots and they have many throughout the day.
You could do a quick search on Google to find those in your region: look up "certificados médicos" and then your city (e.g. "certificados médicos Barcelona") .
If you're in Barcelona, I went to a place called CERTIMEDIC where they charged me 60€ and had me in and out in about 20 minutes (I also made the appointment an hour before they opened-- as in, extremely last minute!)
What do I have to do?
There are a few steps you need to take in order to get that beautiful yellow paper stamped and in your hands:
- Find your medical certificate center and make an appointment
- Take your passport (with your visa)
- Check-in / sign a few forms
- Complete a few tests
- Go to a tobacco shop (estánco) and buy a medical certificate (I have NO idea why they sell these...SIDENOTE: they also sell stamps!)
- Go back to the medical center and wait while they fill out your form
What are the tests like?
The tests follow a very simple check-up procedure. They:
- Measure your height and weight
- Check your eyes with a light and your vision with a chart on the wall
- Check your blood pressure
- Ask a few lifestyle questions
- Conduct a hearing test
That's all you need to prove you're in good health for your visa application/extension.
**NOTE: If you're getting a certificate for something more complex or technical, then you might have to take some tests that weren't mentioned here.
I hope this information helps! Feel free to leave a comment or email me if you have any further questions, or need help with something!
