Decision time
Same day
Consultation hours: 9am–7pm Mon–Fri, 12pm–6pm Sat–Sun
Complete the online form to submit your medical consultation. Our doctor reviews it the same day, and may call or email you to confirm a clinical detail before deciding. If a prescription is appropriate, it is issued through REMPe (Spain's national electronic registry for private prescriptions) and dispensable at any pharmacy in Spain.
Free initial assessment. You are only charged if a prescription is issued.
Our doctors are GMC-registered in the UK, Colegiado in Madrid (Spain), and registered with the Medical Council of Ireland, with specialty training in family medicine. Native English-speaking, with fluent Spanish.
Free initial assessment. EUR 50 is charged only when our doctor approves and issues a prescription. If we decline, you pay nothing.
Your prescription is issued as a Spanish receta privada via REMPe — accepted at every pharmacy across Spain, public or private.
Leave your email and we will be in touch as soon as your consultation can be processed — usually the same day, within our consultation hours.
The form takes five minutes. You are only charged if a prescription is issued.
No appointment to book. No waiting room. Submit when it suits you, hear back the same day within our consultation hours. Our doctor may call or email you to clarify a clinical detail before deciding — most consultations include some form of direct contact.
The scope is deliberately narrow. We do what we can do well and at speed. For everything else, we say so immediately and signpost you to better-placed care.
Evidence dated within 12 months: pack photo, prior prescription, GP letter, NHS app screenshot, or pharmacy record. Same medication, same dose only.
Requests in any of these areas are declined at no charge with signposting to alternative care.
A plain-English guide to the Spanish healthcare system for travellers, expats, and anyone who needs a doctor in Spain — whether or not we can help directly.
Yes. Any adult physically in Spain can receive a Spanish private prescription from a Spanish-registered doctor, regardless of country of residence. The prescription is issued through REMPe — Spain's national electronic registry for private prescriptions — and is valid at any pharmacy nationwide. No NIE, residency, or Spanish health card is required. You pay the pharmacy directly for the medication.
Medically necessary treatment at a Spanish public hospital or health centre, at the same cost as a Spanish resident (usually free). Does not cover repatriation, private care, or ongoing non-urgent treatment.
Any Centro de Salud or Urgencias with your GHIC/EHIC and passport.
Full access to Spanish public health facilities on the same terms as Spanish nationals. Present your EHIC at the Centro de Salud or hospital registration desk.
Any public health facility. No referral needed for Urgencias.
Depends on your policy. Most cover emergency treatment; many also cover GP-equivalent consultations. Always call your insurer before presenting at a private clinic.
Your insurer will direct you to a preferred clinic. Keep all receipts.
Full access to the Spanish public health system, identical to a Spanish national. Your tarjeta sanitaria is your proof of entitlement.
Your assigned Centro de Salud for non-urgent care. Any Urgencias for urgent care.
Emergency treatment at public Urgencias is always available. Routine public care is harder until you register. Private care is available to anyone who can pay.
Register at your local Centro de Salud with NIE, proof of address, and passport.
Any private clinic will see you on a self-pay basis. GP consultation typically EUR 50–120, private Urgencias EUR 150–300+ before treatment.
Quirónsalud, HM Hospitales, and Vithas are the main private networks with English-speaking staff.
The Spanish GP equivalent. Handles non-urgent conditions, repeat prescriptions, and referrals. Walk-in availability varies by region.
Non-urgent, ongoing, prescriptionsLocated in hospitals and some health centres. Handles urgent but not life-threatening conditions. Free with EHIC/GHIC or tarjeta sanitaria.
Urgent conditions, out-of-hoursFor serious conditions, surgery, or specialist treatment. You will usually arrive via Urgencias or be referred by a Centro de Salud.
Not for minor conditionsSearch "centro de salud [your town]" or "urgencias [your town]" on Google Maps. Private network locators: quironsalud.es/en · hmhospitales.com · vithas.es
Single number for police, fire, and medical emergencies across Spain and all EU countries. English-speaking operators. Always free.
Dedicated medical line connecting directly to a medical dispatcher. In some regions merged into 112 — 061 still connects but routes through the same centre. When in doubt, call 112.
The Holiday Doctor is not an emergency service. If there is any possibility your situation is an emergency, call 112 immediately.
EU Directive 2011/24/EU means prescriptions from any EU member state are legally valid in Spanish pharmacies. UK prescriptions are no longer automatically recognised post-Brexit but many pharmacists will dispense at their discretion.
The most useful thing is to bring the original pack with the pharmacy label. Spanish pharmacists can usually identify the medication and its equivalent.
Spanish pharmacies cannot dispense controlled drugs on a foreign prescription. Contact your prescriber before travelling for a covering supply or letter.
Public emergency and medically necessary treatment is free or at the same co-payment rate as Spanish residents.
If charged incorrectly, keep receipts and apply to the NHS Business Services Authority (UK) on return.
Most policies require you to pay upfront and claim back. Call your insurer before attending a private facility.
Keep all receipts, prescriptions, and medical reports. Most insurers require original documents.
Medications on a private prescription are paid in full. Generic equivalents (genéricos) are significantly cheaper and therapeutically equivalent.
Ask for the genérico — pharmacists are required to offer it if one exists.
If your medication is in scope, we can issue a receta privada the same day after a brief consultation — valid at any pharmacy through REMPe.
The Holiday Doctor is run by Dr Adam Abbs, a doctor registered in the UK, Spain, and Ireland, with specialty training in family medicine. A native English speaker from the UK, he is also fluent in Spanish, and has practised across all three jurisdictions.
Adam authored the Remote Consultations Handbook, accredited by the Royal College of General Practitioners in 2020, and is a member of the World Organisation of Family Doctors' Working Party on e-Health. He is the sole prescriber for The Holiday Doctor at launch; consultations may, in time, be reviewed by other UK- and Spain-registered doctors in the team.
The Holiday Doctor is a trading name of Doctor Abbs SL, registered in Madrid.
"I was worried about the cost, but everything was clear and upfront. My travel insurance reimbursed me quickly."
Mark — UK
"The doctor was very professional and kind. It was an efficient process. We travelled from the US and our doctor made our trip less stressful."
Mary Ann — USA
"The doctor was very helpful, giving me full details on how to control the problem."
Anonymous — UK
The full guide to public, private, and online routes — and what REMPe is.
Read →What REMPe is, how it works, and how you collect medication at a Spanish pharmacy.
Read →What to pack, what to declare, and how to avoid problems en route.
Read →First steps, when it's urgent, and how to get a same-day replacement.
Read →Olive and grass pollen seasons, what helps, and when to escalate.
Read →The form takes five minutes. We review the same day within consultation hours. You are only charged if a prescription is issued.
Start a consultationLast clinical review: 15 May 2026