How it works

The first step is a conversation, not a form. You schedule a free call at a time you pick, by video or phone. We talk about how the Cross Border Directive works for you, what it costs, when you pay and how long it takes. You need no documents, and it commits you to nothing. A family member can book it and join it on your behalf.

After the conversation we e-mail you a link to the Consent Form. You fill it in when you are ready, or not at all.

The Consent Form lives in a secure tool hosted in the European Union, not on this website. It asks who you are, which treatment you need and which waiting list you are on, whether you are entitled to public care in Ireland, a few practical questions, the name of your GP, and whether a family member may help you. You give us your consent to hold your health information and your authority to deal with hospitals and the HSE for you. The form tells you that the hospital pays us.

Only you can sign it, electronically; a family member can help you but cannot sign for you. It takes about fifteen minutes and commits you to nothing. You can withdraw at any time, at no cost.

We check your form the same working day and send you a confirmation with your case number. If you have not spoken with us before, we ask you to schedule a free call. Within one to two working days we tell you whether you are eligible. If you do not, we say so plainly and delete what you gave us.

If you do, we tell you which documents we need, usually your referral letter and recent scans or reports, and send you a secure link to upload them. Documents never travel by e-mail or chat. If you do not have a referral letter yet, we explain what to ask your GP for and what the letter must say.

We look up the Irish public rate for your treatment. Then we describe your case, without your name, to private hospitals in Spain and ask for a fixed price, the earliest dates, the surgeon, whether the first consultation can be by video, and the payment terms. We choose the best match.

You receive one written proposal within five working days of a complete file. It states the hospital and the surgeon, the price and what it includes, the Irish public rate and the expected refund, what is not paid back, the dates, when and how you pay the hospital, and the hospital's cancellation terms. We go through it with you in an online meeting.

We send your full records to the hospital, which reviews them. If the hospital changes its price or finds that the treatment should not go ahead, we tell you at once and you may withdraw at no cost.

You have your outpatient consultation with the consultant who will treat you. For a day case it can be by video before you travel, where the hospital offers it. For an operation with an overnight stay the HSE requires a consultation in person, which can take place at the hospital before you are admitted. We tell you which applies to you.

The hospital confirms your date in writing. Only then do you book your flights and your hotel. We suggest a hotel near the hospital and earn nothing on it. Before you travel we send you a one-page trip sheet: addresses, contacts, times, what to bring and which documents to bring home.

You travel on the dates in your proposal. The hospital's English-speaking liaison is your first contact in Spain, and we are easy to reach. You pay the hospital directly, from your own account, on the terms in your proposal. We call you the day after your operation.

The hospital gives you an itemised invoice in its own name, a receipt in your name, a discharge report, and its part of the claim form. Before you fly home we check with you that every document is there.

Within five working days of your return we fill in the claim form, put the pack together and send it to the HSE. You sign the declaration; that is your only task. The refund is paid to you, into your own account, and to nobody else.

The HSE pays the refund in 45 days, on average (2024); we cannot promise an amount or a date. We follow the claim up until it is decided. If it is refused or less than expected, we draft your appeal, which you sign and send within three months.

Once you are home, your GP takes over, as if you had the procedure in Ireland. You bring the hospital's discharge report in English, which we ask the hospital for and check with you before you fly home. Your GP can refer you for any follow-up care you need in the public health system, and you are entitled to the same follow-up as if you had been treated in Ireland.

Follow-up such as physiotherapy is arranged in the usual way and may involve a wait, so speak to your GP about it before you travel. If something is urgent, go to an emergency department. If you need to reach the hospital in Spain afterwards, we help you do that.