Short answer
Pick the checklist for the process you're going through, print it or save it as a PDF, and tick off each item as you gather it. Always put the current checklist from the consulate or office deciding your case alongside it, because their list is the one that counts.
For a visa application
- Non-Lucrative Visa health insurance checklist: insurer, policy and certificate checks before you submit.
- Digital Nomad Visa healthcare checklist: Social Security route or private policy, and the evidence for each.
- Student and family routes: see student visa insurance and family routes.
For public healthcare
- S1 registration checklist: what to have ready for the INSS and your regional health service.
- Spanish health card checklist: documents for registering at your health centre.
Before you buy a policy
- Prepare to compare policies: the facts and questions to send every insurer or broker so the quotes are comparable.