Healthcare in Mallorca: how it works for residents and visitors

Healthcare in Mallorca is good, and the public system is the backbone of it. IB-Salut, the Balearic health service, runs the island's health centres, out-of-hours clinics, ambulance service and four general public hospitals. Residents use it through a health card linked to a family doctor; visitors from the EU and the UK use it through the EHIC or GHIC. Alongside it, a large private sector serves people with private insurance.

Who runs public healthcare in Mallorca, and how is it organised?

IB-Salut, part of Spain's national health system, runs public healthcare across the Balearic Islands. On Mallorca it divides the island into four health sectors, each with one general hospital and a network of health centres (centres de salut) where family doctors and nurses work.

The health centre is the front door. You book your family doctor there, and hospital specialists are reached by referral from primary care, not by booking directly. Son Espases is the reference hospital for the whole of the Balearic Islands, taking the most complex cases from all four islands.

Which public hospitals serve Mallorca, and where are they?

There are four general public hospitals, one per health sector. The switchboard numbers below are IB-Salut's own; for an emergency, always call 112 or 061 instead.

Smaller public hospitals, including the Hospital General and Hospital Joan March, are run as part of the Son Espases and Son Llàtzer groups. Our emergency and useful numbers guide lists who to call for what.

How do residents get a public health card in Mallorca?

First you need entitlement to public healthcare, then you apply for the card (the targeta sanitària individual, or TSI). The card does not create the right to care; it records a right you already have.

Step one: entitlement

• Working or self-employed in Spain: paying Spanish social security gives you and your registered dependants access on the same basis as Spanish workers.
• Pensioners with an S1: an S1 from your home country (UK state pensioners can apply) is registered with the INSS, Spain's social security institute, which issues a social security number.
• Convenio especial: a public pay-in scheme for people who neither work nor have permanent residence. You must have been on the padrón (the town hall register) for at least a year, and you pay a monthly fee.
• Permanent residence: after five years of legal residence, you can register for state healthcare, unless another country already pays for your care, for example through an S1.

Step two: the health card

Apply at the health centre for your address or at IB-Salut's health card service in Palma, or online with a digital certificate or Cl@ve. Bring the application form, a recent colour photo (26 by 32 mm, as for a Spanish ID card) and, in some municipalities, a padrón certificate. The address you give must match your padrón record. Once you have the card, you are assigned a family doctor at your health centre.

Residents pay a share of the price of prescribed medicines, set by income and circumstances; IB-Salut explains the rates. Non-EU citizens applying for non-lucrative residence must show public or private health insurance with an insurer authorised in Spain. Our relocation partners can help you choose the route that fits your situation.

How do appointments and out-of-hours care work in Mallorca?

Book your family doctor online or by phone, and use the out-of-hours network when your health centre is closed. IB-Salut asks patients to book ahead except in urgent cases.

• Appointments: through the Cita Prèvia GOIB app, the IB-Salut patient portal, or INFOSALUT CONNECTA on 971 220 000.
• Out of hours in Palma and Inca: the SUAP urgent care centres (S'Escorxador, Escola Graduada and Teresa Piqué in Palma; Es Blanquer in Inca) open Monday to Thursday from 20:00 to 08:00, from 15:00 on Fridays, and around the clock at weekends and on public holidays.
• Out of hours elsewhere: the PACs (punts d'atenció continuada) cover the rest of the island; IB-Salut publishes the current list.
• Hospital emergency departments: for serious problems that cannot wait.
• 061: IB-Salut's urgent medical service, which coordinates ambulances and home visits. Call it, or 112, for anything life-threatening.

Can EU and UK visitors use public healthcare in Mallorca?

Yes, for treatment that cannot wait until you get home. EU visitors show the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) and get the same rights as people insured in Spain. UK visitors use the UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), which is free and valid in Spain; an existing UK EHIC stays valid until it expires.

Both cards work only in the public system: IB-Salut health centres, SUAP and PAC clinics, and the public hospitals. They do not cover private clinics, rescue, repatriation or planned treatment, and the UK government is clear that the GHIC does not replace travel insurance. Visitors from outside the EU and UK should travel with insurance that covers medical care.

How do you find an open pharmacy in Mallorca at night?

Every area has a duty pharmacy (farmàcia de guàrdia) open outside normal hours on a rota. The Balearic government approves the duty calendar each year, and the Col·legi Oficial de Farmacèutics de les Illes Balears (COFIB) publishes the current list on its website. Pharmacies are marked with a green cross, and a closed pharmacy usually shows the nearest duty pharmacy on its door.

Where can you get healthcare in English in Mallorca?

The 112 emergency line takes calls in English and German as well as Spanish and Catalan. In the public system, consultations run in Spanish or Catalan and you cannot count on English, so bring a Spanish speaker or a translation app for anything complex.

The private sector in Palma and the southwest works routinely in English, German and other languages, and is usually paid through private insurance. The UK Foreign Office publishes a list of English-speaking medical facilities in Spain, organised by region, without endorsing any of them. For preventative care rather than emergencies, these two partners of ours work with international clients:

Fix, Move, Perform Better · (Preventative) health

THE MOVEMENT

Physiotherapy, osteopathy and sports massage in Puerto Portals and central Palma, with a team speaking English, Spanish, German, French, Italian and Catalan.

See on our guide →

Skin In Expert Hands · (Preventative) health

Dr. Monika Brück Aesthetics

A dermatologist on Camí dels Reis in Palma; see her site for services.

See on our guide →

For more on staying well on the island, from recovery to screening, see our preventative health partners and our longevity guide.

What should you keep at hand for medical visits in Mallorca?

1. Your health card, EHIC or GHIC, plus your passport or NIE.
2. Your private or travel insurance policy number and its 24-hour assistance line.
3. A list of your regular medicines by their generic names, with doses.
4. The address of your nearest health centre, PAC or SUAP, saved before you need it.
5. 112 and 061 stored in every phone in the family.