Settling in Spain
Your new life.Your bearings in Valencia.
A school for your children. Care for your family. The practical information you need to prepare your move.
Valencia, Spain
Finding the right school
International and French-language programmes, in Valencia and its surroundings.
Selection · 19 schools shown
Lycée français international de Valence
Paterna · Surrounding area
FrenchFrench curriculum
From pre-school to upper secondary
AEFE-accredited — directly managed school (établissement en gestion directe)
About this school
AEFE directory: Calle Orenga 20, 46980 Paterna; fifteen levels accredited. The Ministry register (code 46014352) gives Calle Orenga 48-2. Official website not consulted.
British School of Valencia
Valence — El Pla del Real · City
EnglishBritish curriculum
From pre-school to upper secondary
Authorised foreign school in Spain (Ministry of Education register of schools, code 46021381); NABSS member
About this school
Register: av. Peris y Valero 55-59, 46006; the record is linked by the register to this address. Levels based on the courses listed in the Ministry register (school record); website address taken from the register, website not consulted. The “Nexus” campus (separate entry) hosts the bachillerato.
British School of Valencia — Nexus
Valence — Ruzafa / Quatre Carreres · City
EnglishBritish curriculum
Upper secondary only
Authorised foreign school in Spain (Ministry of Education register of schools, code 46037704); NABSS member
About this school
Register: av. Peris i Valero 99, 46006. Levels based on the courses listed in the Ministry register (school record): bachillerato only; website address taken from the register, website not consulted.
Colegio Alemán de Valencia (Deutsche Schule Valencia)
Valence — Pla del Real (Jaume Roig) · City
GermanGerman curriculum
From pre-school to upper secondary
Authorised foreign school in Spain (Ministry of Education register of schools, code 46011090)
About this school
Register: c. Jaime Roig 14-16, 46010. Levels based on the courses listed in the Ministry register (school record); website address taken from the register, website not consulted; languages other than German not verified.
Imagine Montessori School — Valence
Valence — Benicalap · City
EnglishOther curriculum
Pre-school only
Authorised foreign school in Spain (Ministry of Education register of schools, code 46036062)
About this school
Register: c. Meliana 5, 46019. Levels based on the courses listed in the Ministry register (school record): pre-school (infantil). Programme nationality not stated; website address taken from the register, website not consulted. Another site in Paterna (separate entry).
American School of Valencia
Puçol · Surrounding area
EnglishAmerican curriculum
From pre-school to upper secondary
Authorised foreign school in Spain (Ministry of Education register of schools, code 46016610)
About this school
Listed in the register under the company name “Hispano-Norteamericano, SA”; website given: asvalencia.org. Register: av. Sierra Calderona 29, 46530. Levels based on the courses listed in the Ministry register (school record); website address taken from the register, website not consulted.
British College La Cañada
Paterna — La Cañada · Surrounding area
EnglishBritish curriculum
From pre-school to upper secondary
Authorised foreign school in Spain (Ministry of Education register of schools, code 46032585); NABSS member
About this school
Register: c. 299 n° 25, 46182. Levels based on the courses listed in the Ministry register (school record); website address taken from the register, website not consulted.
Cambridge House British Infant School
Rocafort · Surrounding area
EnglishBritish curriculum
Pre-school only
Authorised foreign school in Spain (Ministry of Education register of schools, code 46037777)
About this school
Register: c. Vicent Andrés Estellés 5, 46111. Levels based on the courses listed in the Ministry register (school record): pre-school (infantil) only; website address taken from the register, website not consulted.
Cambridge House British International School
Rocafort · Surrounding area
EnglishBritish curriculum
From pre-school to upper secondary
Authorised foreign school in Spain (Ministry of Education register of schools, code 46025933); NABSS member
About this school
Register: c. Profesorado Español 1, 46111. Levels based on the courses listed in the Ministry register (school record); website address taken from the register, website not consulted. A nursery school of the same group (separate entry) is registered at another address in Rocafort.
Caxton College
Puçol · Surrounding area
EnglishBritish curriculum
From pre-school to upper secondary
Authorised foreign school in Spain (Ministry of Education register of schools, code 46019532); NABSS member
About this school
Register: c. Mas de León 9, 46530. Levels based on the courses listed in the Ministry register (school record); website address taken from the register, website not consulted.
El Plantío International School of Valencia
Paterna — La Cañada (El Plantío) · Surrounding area
EnglishBritish curriculum
From pre-school to upper secondary
Authorised foreign school in Spain (Ministry of Education register of schools, code 46017778); NABSS member
About this school
Register: c. 233 n° 36, 46182. Levels based on the courses listed in the Ministry register (school record); website address taken from the register, website not consulted.
English School Los Olivos — infantile et primaire
Godella · Surrounding area
EnglishBritish curriculum
From pre-school to primary
Authorised foreign school in Spain (Ministry of Education register of schools, code 46018072); NABSS member
About this school
Register: av. Pino Panera 25, 46110. Levels based on the courses listed in the Ministry register (school record); website address taken from the register, website not consulted.
English School Los Olivos — secondaire
Godella · Surrounding area
EnglishBritish curriculum
From lower secondary to upper secondary
Authorised foreign school in Spain (Ministry of Education register of schools, code 46024928); NABSS member
About this school
Register: c. Los Almendros 13, 46110. Levels based on the courses listed in the Ministry register (school record); website address taken from the register, website not consulted.
Escuela Internacional Waldorf Valencia
El Puig de Santa Maria · Surrounding area
Other languageOther curriculum
From pre-school to lower secondary
Authorised foreign school in Spain (Ministry of Education register of schools, code 46036980)
About this school
Register: camí Cebolla 5, 46540. Levels based on the courses listed in the Ministry register (school record). Foreign Waldorf-education programme, nationality and language of instruction not verified; website address taken from the register, website not consulted.
Escuela La Travesía
Paterna — La Cañada · Surrounding area
EnglishOther curriculum
From pre-school to primary
Authorised foreign school in Spain (Ministry of Education register of schools, code 46036815)
About this school
Register: c. 577 n° 23, 46182. Levels based on the courses listed in the Ministry register (school record). Programme nationality and language not stated; website address taken from the register, website not consulted.
Imagine Montessori School — Paterna
Paterna · Surrounding area
EnglishOther curriculum
From pre-school to upper secondary
Authorised foreign school in Spain (Ministry of Education register of schools, code 46036979)
About this school
Register: c. Melissa 46, 46980. Levels based on the courses listed in the Ministry register (school record). Programme nationality not stated; website address taken from the register, website not consulted.
Mammolina Montessori International School
Paterna — La Cañada · Surrounding area
EnglishOther curriculum
From pre-school to primary
Authorised foreign school in Spain (Ministry of Education register of schools, code 46037261)
About this school
Register: c. 608 n° 9, 46980. Levels based on the courses listed in the Ministry register (school record). Programme nationality not stated; website address taken from the register, website not consulted.
Shackleton International School
Burjassot · Surrounding area
EnglishOther curriculum
From pre-school to upper secondary
Authorised foreign school in Spain (Ministry of Education register of schools, code 46037248)
About this school
Register: c. Benieu 9, 46100. Levels based on the courses listed in the Ministry register (school record). Programme nationality not stated; website address taken from the register, website not consulted.
Valencia Montessori School
Tavernes Blanques · Surrounding area
EnglishOther curriculum
From pre-school to primary
Authorised foreign school in Spain (Ministry of Education register of schools, code 46036918)
About this school
Register: av. Rei en Jaume 32. Levels based on the courses listed in the Ministry register (school record). Programme nationality not stated; website address taken from the register, website not consulted.
Check available places and admission requirements directly with each school.
Where this list comes from
Schools taken from the register of the Spanish Ministry of Education (authorised foreign schools, province of Valencia; address, website and registered courses read from each school's record), from the AEFE directory for the Lycée français, and cross-checked against the NABSS member list. Scope: Valencia and the municipalities of the metropolitan area where expatriate families usually live (Paterna and La Cañada, Godella, Rocafort, Burjassot, Tavernes Blanques, Puçol, El Puig; no foreign school is registered in Bétera). Excluded: municipalities further away (see notes), vocational and arts training centres listed in the same register, as well as Spanish schools that offer an international programme (International Baccalaureate) without being registered as foreign schools, as the IB database could not be consulted.
Compiled from the registers cited; it does not claim to be complete.
- Ministère de l'Éducation — Registro estatal de centros docentes no universitarios, type « Centro Docente Privado Extranjero en España »
- AEFE — Rechercher un établissement (établissements homologués, Espagne)
- NABSS — British schools in Valencia
List updated on Oct 15, 2026.
Your guide to healthcare
Understand your cover and prepare the first steps.
Mandatory health insurance
Depends on status
Whether insurance is mandatory depends on your status. Employees and self-employed workers registered with the Seguridad Social are covered by the public system and do not need to take out private insurance.
Access to the public system
Under conditions
Entitlement to public healthcare is recognised by the National Social Security Institute (INSS) for people registered and in alta (actively enrolled) with the Seguridad Social (employees, autónomos), pensioners and benefit recipients, their dependants…
What is your situation?
Show the information that applies to you.
Your cover · General rules
Mandatory health insurance
Whether insurance is mandatory depends on your status. Employees and self-employed workers registered with the Seguridad Social are covered by the public system and do not need to take out private insurance.
Read the details
Whether insurance is mandatory depends on your status. Employees and self-employed workers registered with the Seguridad Social are covered by the public system and do not need to take out private insurance. Health insurance is, however, required to obtain or renew certain permits: non-lucrative temporary residence (public insurance or private insurance taken out with an insurer authorised to operate in Spain, to be maintained for the full duration of the permit under RD 1155/2024), stay for study purposes (insurance with an insurer authorised in Spain, with benefits similar to the common basket of the National Health System, valid for the full duration of the stay) and the permits under Law 14/2013, including residence for international remote work (public or private insurance with an insurer authorised in Spain). Residence for investors (“Golden Visa”) has been abolished: the corresponding articles of Law 14/2013 were emptied of their content by Organic Law 1/2025, with effect from April 2025. European Union citizens who do not work must, in order to register on the register of Union citizens, show sufficient resources and health insurance covering all risks in Spain (RD 240/2007), a requirement that public cover from another Member State can satisfy (S1 form).
Access to public healthcare
Entitlement to public healthcare is recognised by the National Social Security Institute (INSS) for people registered and in alta (actively enrolled) with the Seguridad Social (employees, autónomos), pensioners and benefit recipients, their dependants…
Read the details
Entitlement to public healthcare is recognised by the National Social Security Institute (INSS) for people registered and in alta (actively enrolled) with the Seguridad Social (employees, autónomos), pensioners and benefit recipients, their dependants, people covered by the European regulations (S1) and foreigners legally and habitually resident who are not required to prove cover by another route (Law 16/2003, Article 3). Holders of a permit conditional on private insurance therefore rely on that insurance. Residents with no access at all to public cover can take out a convenio especial (paid voluntary enrolment, RD 576/2013) after the period of actual residence indicated, in return for a monthly contribution according to the age band indicated.
- Employee
- Employees are registered and declared (alta) with the Seguridad Social by their employer; they are therefore insured with the INSS, as are their resident dependants, and apply for the regional health card without any prior insurance step.
- Self-employed
- Self-employed workers (autónomos) register with the special scheme for self-employed workers (RETA); being in alta gives them access to public healthcare in the same way as an employee. Contribution amounts are not covered here.
- Retiree
- Holders of a Spanish contributory pension are insured. Retirees from another EU Member State (including France) register their S1 form with the INSS and then obtain the regional health card; a retiree with no public entitlement must rely on private insurance or, after the period of residence indicated, the convenio especial.
- Student
- Non-EU students must present health insurance with an insurer authorised in Spain, with benefits similar to the common basket of the National Health System, valid for the duration of the stay (RD 1155/2024, Article 35). European students use their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) during their studies or insurance covering all risks in Spain.
- Non-lucrative temporary residence
- Public or private health insurance taken out with an insurer authorised in Spain is required with the application and must be maintained for renewal; as the permit does not allow professional activity, it does not give access to public healthcare, except through the convenio especial after the period of residence indicated.
- Residence for international remote work (“digital nomad visa”)
- Law 14/2013 requires public or private insurance with an insurer authorised in Spain. Holders who contribute to the Spanish Seguridad Social (or who remain covered by that of a State linked to Spain by a regulation or agreement) access public healthcare on that basis; otherwise, private insurance remains their cover.
- Residence for investors (“Golden Visa”)
- This permit is no longer issued: Organic Law 1/2025 emptied of their content the articles of Law 14/2013 that provided for it, with effect from April 2025. The position of permits already granted, when they come up for renewal, has not been verified.
- EU citizen not in work
- For a temporary stay, the EHIC covers medically necessary care. To settle without working, registration on the register of Union citizens requires sufficient resources and insurance covering all risks in Spain (private or S1); access to the public system then comes through registered work, a pension, an S1 or, after the period of residence indicated, the convenio especial.
Your first steps
- Obtain the NIE and then, for a non-EU national, the TIE (residence card); an EU citizen registers on the central register of foreigners (registration certificate).
- Register on the municipal padrón (empadronamiento) of the municipality of residence: habitual residence is proven by the empadronamiento.
- Have the entitlement to healthcare recognised by the INSS: automatic for an employee or autónomo in alta and for a pensioner; on application for a dependant, an S1 holder or a resident with no other cover.
- Apply for the SIP health card at the health centre of the municipality of empadronamiento, once the entitlement has been recognised by the INSS; the official Conselleria page describing the procedure could not be located at the time of the review (exact documents not verified).
- The convenio especial falls under the Generalitat Valenciana (RD 576/2013); the regional enrolment page was not found at the time of the review, and the national scale is shown.
Official sources
- Ley 16/2003 de cohésion et qualité du SNS, article 3 (texte consolidé) — Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado
- Asistencia sanitaria — Titulares / Requisitos — Seguridad Social (INSS)
- Real Decreto 576/2013, convenio especial de prestación de asistencia sanitaria (texte consolidé) — Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado
- Ayudas copago Comunitat Valenciana — Conselleria de Sanitat — Generalitat Valenciana
- Copago farmacéutico — aportación de los usuarios — Conselleria de Sanitat — Generalitat Valenciana
- Real Decreto Legislativo 1/2015, article 102 — aportación farmacéutica (texte consolidé, version du 28/05/2026) — Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado
- Hoja 6 — Autorización inicial de residencia temporal no lucrativa — Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones
- Real Decreto 1155/2024, Reglamento de extranjería, article 35 (séjour pour études) — Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado
- Ley 14/2013 de soutien aux entrepreneurs, articles 62 et 63 (texte consolidé) — Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado
- Real Decreto 240/2007 (citoyens de l'UE), article 7 — Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado
- La sécurité sociale des salariés en Espagne — Maladie — CLEISS
Information updated on Oct 15, 2026.
Please note