The TSI health card in the Balearics: how to get it

In the Balearics, the public health card is not called the "SIP" (that is the Valencia region's name) but the Targeta Sanitaria Individual (TSI). It gives you access to a family doctor and the public hospital, and it also exists in a digital version. To get it, you must be empadronado (registered at the town hall) and have opened your health rights, either through Social Security if you pay in, or through the S1 form (for UK State Pensioners) or the Convenio Especial. You then apply at your neighbourhood health centre. The body that runs all of this is IB-Salut, the health service of the Balearic Government.

The card is called the TSI, not the SIP

One small adjustment on arrival: every autonomous community has its own card name. In Valencia it is the SIP; in the Balearics it is the TSI (Targeta Sanitaria Individual), issued by IB-Salut. Since 2025 it also exists as a virtual version (TSV), on your phone, alongside the physical card. It is what identifies you at the health centre desk, at the pharmacy and in A&E.

One important point: holding the TSI does not create your right to care, it proves it. The right itself comes from your situation (you pay in, you are a pensioner covered by another EU country, your visa requires private cover, and so on). For the wider logic of the system, read our guide to how healthcare works in the Balearics.

The path, in three steps

1. Open a right to care: either by paying in (as an employee or autonomo, via your Social Security number), or through another route (the S1 form for UK State Pensioners, the Convenio Especial, or the private insurance your visa requires).
2. Apply for the TSI at your local health centre, once you are empadronado.
3. Get assigned a health centre and a family doctor based on your address. You can change it later if you want.

Before any of this you need your NIE and your empadronamiento: those are the two documents that unlock the rest.

You pay in: the simple route

As an employee or an autonomo, your Social Security affiliation opens your rights directly. You get your affiliation number, then apply for your TSI at your health centre. This is the smoothest situation, and it does not depend on the island: the scheme is national, only the counter is local.

You are not (yet) paying in: your options

• UK State Pensioner: request the S1 form from the relevant UK authority (ideally before you leave), then have it registered with Social Security in Spain. That is what opens your rights while you are not paying in here. The S1 is not a card itself: once registered, you apply for your TSI like everyone else.
• EHIC / GHIC: these only cover temporary stays, not settling for the long term. To establish yourself, you need another route.
• Non-lucrative or digital nomad visa holder: your visa already required full private health insurance to be granted, so you rely on that private cover rather than the TSI for most of your care, though you can still be empadronado and, later, access the Convenio Especial if you become eligible.
• Convenio Especial: a paid public option for anyone empadronado for at least one year with no other cover. In the Balearics, IB-Salut lists it at 60 euros a month under 65 and 157 euros a month from 65. Note that it does not cover pharmacy medicines or orthopaedic devices.

Where to apply for your TSI, in practice

The first application is made in person, at your reference health centre. To book, call Infosalut Connecta on 971 220 000 (a cita previa is also available Monday to Saturday, 7am to 9pm). Bring:

• the official application form;
• your NIE and your passport or ID card (EU citizens);
• your empadronamiento certificate. Worth knowing: in Palma and the Menorca municipalities, the town hall transmits the empadronamiento directly, sparing you the paper certificate;
• a recent colour passport-style photo, plain background, bare head.

The maximum processing time quoted is one month. Once your card is active, you manage appointments and part of your file through the EspaiSalut app (iOS/Android), which replaced the old Portal del Paciente.

Which public hospital, depending on your island?

Each island has its reference public hospital. Here is where you will be assigned depending on where you live, according to IB-Salut.

In total, the archipelago is divided into 61 basic health zones across 7 health sectors: this is the grid that determines which health centre and family doctor you are assigned to.

And if you live in Formentera or on a small island?

For everyday needs, you are covered: Formentera has its own health centre (paired with a small hospital), and each island has its own. The difference is for serious or highly specialised cases: from Formentera, these are transferred to Can Misses (Ibiza), or on to Son Espases (Palma), the reference hospital for the whole archipelago. Insularity does not degrade basic care, it lengthens the route to the specialist facility, with transfer by sea or air if needed.

For a medical emergency, two numbers: 061 (health emergencies, run by IB-Salut, 24/7) and 112 (general emergencies).

Frequently asked questions

Is the Balearic health card the TSI or the SIP?

It is the TSI (Targeta Sanitaria Individual), issued by IB-Salut. "SIP" is the card's name in the Valencia region: it is not used in the Balearics.

How long to get my TSI on arrival?

There is no single deadline: it depends on how fast you chain empadronamiento, opening your rights and applying. Once the file is submitted at the health centre, processing is quoted at one month maximum.

How much does the Convenio Especial cost in the Balearics?

60 euros a month under 65 and 157 euros a month from 65 (IB-Salut rates). You must be empadronado for at least one year, and it does not cover pharmacy medicines.

If I live in Formentera, do I get worse care?

For everyday needs, no: the island has its own health centre. Specialist or serious care is transferred to Ibiza or Palma, with evacuation by sea or air if needed.

Fees and processing times change; always confirm current requirements with IB-Salut before you apply. Information verified in August 2026. The Daily Baleares is an AI-assisted publication with human review.