Pregnancy and giving birth in Spain as a non-resident

Updated: October 2026

Having a baby in Spain is very common among expats, but if you are not yet a resident the practical side can feel unclear. This guide is for visitors, newcomers waiting for their paperwork and anyone planning to give birth in Spain. You will learn how antenatal care is paid for, what to expect in hospital, how to register the birth and what nationality your baby will have.

Who pays for pregnancy care?

How your care is covered depends on your status, not on where you give birth. Broadly there are four situations:

• Registered in the Spanish system: if you work in Spain, are a family member of someone who does, or hold a residence permit with public health access, your antenatal care and birth are covered by the public system. See our guide to healthcare for foreign residents.
• EU visitors with an EHIC: according to the European Commission, the European Health Insurance Card covers necessary care during a temporary stay, explicitly including pregnancy and childbirth, on the same terms as locals in the public system. It does not cover a trip made specifically to give birth, and it never covers private hospitals.
• Non-EU visitors and people without coverage: you will normally need private health insurance with maternity cover or pay yourself.
• Living in Spain while papers are pending: regional health services can grant access to people who live in Spain but are not yet fully registered, under certain conditions. Ask at your local health centre (centro de salud) and bring your padrón certificate.

Emergency care in pregnancy is always given at public hospitals, whatever your status. If you have no coverage you may receive a bill afterwards.

Antenatal care in the public and private systems

Public system

In the public system, pregnancy care starts at your health centre. A family doctor confirms the pregnancy and you are then followed mainly by a midwife (matrona), with regular check-ups, blood tests and usually three main ultrasound scans at hospital. Antenatal classes (educación maternal) are offered free in most areas. Births take place in public hospitals, where the obstetric team is led by midwives for normal deliveries.

Private system

Privately you choose your own obstetrician (ginecólogo), who usually sees you monthly and does a scan at most visits. Many private hospitals on the coast offer English-speaking staff and package prices for the birth. Prices vary a lot between hospitals and depend on whether you have a natural birth or a caesarean, so always ask for a written quote that includes the hospital stay, anaesthetist and paediatrician.

Watch the waiting period: most private health policies apply a waiting period (carencia) before maternity is covered, often close to the length of a full pregnancy. If you are already pregnant when you take out a policy, the birth is usually not covered. Check this carefully, and read our guide to insurance in Spain before you sign.

Giving birth: what to expect

• Birth plan: public hospitals accept a birth plan (plan de parto). Discuss pain relief, including epidural, with your midwife in advance.
• Hospital stay: after an uncomplicated vaginal birth the stay is usually short, often one to two days; longer after a caesarean.
• Bring: passport or NIE/TIE, health or insurance card, your pregnancy records (cartilla de embarazo) and any scan reports, translated if they are from abroad.
• Newborn checks: the baby gets a heel-prick screening test and first check-ups before you go home; follow-up then continues with a paediatrician.

On the Costa del Sol the main public maternity units are at the Materno Infantil in Málaga and the Hospital Universitario Costa del Sol in Marbella. See our overview of hospitals in Spain for more.

Registering the birth at the Registro Civil

Every birth in Spain must be registered in the Spanish civil registry (Registro Civil), even if both parents are foreign and plan to leave. According to the official guidance on administracion.gob.es, the process works like this:

1. In most hospitals, the parents fill in and sign the official form before leaving, and the hospital sends it electronically with the medical certificate to the Registro Civil within 72 hours.
2. If the hospital does not do this, the parents must declare the birth themselves at the Registro Civil within 10 days, which can be extended to 30 days with good reason.
3. You state the baby’s name and the order of the surnames. Spanish registration gives the child two surnames by default, but the parents’ own national rules can also matter, so check with your consulate.
4. Once registered, request a birth certificate (certificado de nacimiento). You will need it for a passport, residence paperwork and benefits.

What nationality will the baby have?

Being born in Spain does not automatically make a child Spanish. Under the Spanish Civil Code (article 17), a child is Spanish from birth if a parent is Spanish, or if born in Spain to foreign parents when neither parent’s country passes its nationality on to the child (to avoid statelessness). In most cases the baby takes the parents’ nationality, so the next step is to register the birth with your own consulate and apply for a passport.

Being born in Spain still helps later: under article 22, people born on Spanish territory can apply for Spanish nationality by residence after just one year of legal residence, instead of the usual ten. The baby will also need its own residence document if the family lives in Spain; see our guide to becoming a resident in Spain.

Useful links

• administracion.gob.es: registering a birth in the Spanish Registro Civil
• European Commission: what the EHIC covers
• Salud Andalucía app (Servicio Andaluz de Salud)
• Healthcare in Spain for foreign residents
• Understanding insurance in Spain

FAQ: giving birth in Spain

Disclaimer: This article is general information only and is not medical or legal advice. Rules and procedures can change – always check with your doctor or midwife, the Registro Civil and your consulate before you act.