Libbie Stevens, Spanish Visa Advisor @ Wilmer Health | 22nd April 2025 | hello@wilmerhealth.com
If you’re planning a move to Spain — whether it’s to retire, study, or invest — you’ll likely need to tick off a few key documents for your visa application. One of them is a Visa Medical Certificate of Good Health.
Your first thought might be to contact your NHS GP for this. Makes sense, right? But here’s the thing: your GP may not be the best person to issue this certificate.
The good news is that there are other quicker and more reliable options out there — ones that are actually designed for Spanish visa applications like this. Let’s take a look at why your GP may not be best suited to provide this service and what your alternatives are.
Most UK GP practices consider visa medical certificates to be private work, which means they’re not covered by the NHS. As a result, many practices simply choose not to offer them at all — and even if they do, it’s usually at the doctor’s discretion and may come with a private fee.
But more importantly, most NHS GPs are not registered with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). This is a crucial detail — because unless the doctor’s signature is on file with the FCDO, your certificate cannot be legalised with an apostille, which means the Spanish consulate will reject it. That leads to delays, last-minute stress, and potentially having to restart the process entirely.
Even when a GP agrees to provide the certificate, there are strict requirements it must meet to be accepted by the Spanish authorities — including:
Add to that the usual appointment delays for non-urgent issues, and you can see why many applicants choose a specialist private provider instead.
Online providers make it much easaier to get your medical certificate for a Spanish visa quickly and without stress.
These providers handle the entire process online, offering significantly faster turnaround times compared to going through your GP. Plus, there’s no need for phone calls or chasing appointments — everything is handled smoothly and efficiently.
Yes, as long as the certificate meets the official requirements, it will be accepted. These include following the specific wording required by the Spanish consulate and the certificate being accompanied by an apostille.
We offer a simple, fully online solution for anyone needing a Spanish Visa Medical Certificate— with no GP visits required. It’s designed specifically for long-stay visas, including the non-lucrative visa, student visa, digital nomad visa and others.
All our certificates are issued by UK-based, GMC-registered doctors who are also registered with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
Fill in a quick online form about your health and medical history.
A GMC- and FCDO-registered doctor will review your form and issue a certificate that meets all the criteria set by the Spanish consulate.
You’ll receive both a digital copy by email and a wet-ink signed original by post — complete with an official stamp and Spanish translation (included at no extra cost).
At Wilmer Health, we can also legalise your certificate through the FCDO apostille service. This saves you the hassle of handling the apostille process, and we deliver your submission-ready certificate straight to your door.
When applying for a Spanish visa medical certificate, you don’t have to rely solely on your NHS GP. Trusted online providers like Wilmer Health offer a streamlined, 100% online service specifically designed to handle this process for you.
It’s important to choose a provider that understands the Spanish consulate’s requirements and delivers certificates that meet all official criteria.
Get started with Wilmer Health today and let us take care of arranging your medical certificate for a Spanish visa!
Same-day medical certificates and doctor’s letters, all from the comfort of your home — quick, easy, and hassle-free.
hello@wilmerhealth.com
All certificate requests submitted before 9pm (BST) are issued the same day.
