Are you resident in Spain? Are you an EU citizen? Are you unemployed? Do you have no income or savings? Are you in danger of social exclusion? If the answer to these questions is “yes” you could be eligible for a government grant of 400€ per month.

Yes, it’s true. If you genuinely meet the above criteria and are prepared to attend the Oficina de Empleo every three months to “stamp” (sellar), after one year of stamping you get a payment of 400€ per month for a year. Then you have a year with no payments, when you continue to stamp, followed by another year of payments and so on. The scheme lasts for six years in total, one year on and one year off.

An added bonus is that once you have a social security number, your right to free health care is activated and you can apply for a tarjeta sanitaria (health card).

So, sign on at the Oficina de Empleo, get a justificante (receipt or chit) from Seguridad Social and then go to your local Clínica or Health Centre and apply for your card. In the meantime they’ll give you a temporary printout so that you can prove you’re covered if you need to go to the doctor or the hospital.

© Paul Whitelock

For further information, see How to get a Spanish Health Card

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