Canadian Medical Travel Coordination
Quick Facts
Last updated: June 2026
Visa for Canadians
No Schengen visa is required for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. An ETIAS travel authorisation is expected to become mandatory in late 2026; it is not required yet. Source: Government of Canada travel advisory for Spain
Official language and hospital languages
Spanish (Castilian), with co-official regional languages such as Catalan, Galician, and Basque in some regions. Leading private hospitals provide English and multilingual support for international patients.
Currency
Euro (EUR). Major credit and debit cards are widely accepted.
Entry/Exit System (EES)
Live since October 2025. On arrival, non-EU travellers register a facial image and fingerprints at the border. No advance action is required.
Flights from Canada to Spain
The main hospital city is Madrid, served by Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD). Madrid has year-round direct flights from Montreal and seasonal direct flights from Toronto.
from Toronto (YYZ)
to Madrid (MAD)
Direct: Seasonal direct
Flight time: About 8 hours
Round-trip: Off-peak CAD 500 to 850 / peak CAD 1,100 to 2,200
from Vancouver (YVR)
to Madrid (MAD)
Direct: No, one connection
Flight time: About 13 to 16 hours
Round-trip: Off-peak CAD 700 to 1,100 / peak CAD 1,300 to 1,800
from Calgary (YYC)
to Madrid (MAD)
to Madrid (MAD)
Direct: No, one connection
Flight time: About 14 to 16 hours
Round-trip: Off-peak CAD 750 to 1,200 / peak CAD 1,400 to 2,000
from Montreal (YUL)
to Madrid (MAD)
Direct: Direct, year-round
Flight time: About 7.5 hours
Round-trip: Off-peak CAD 450 to 750 / peak CAD 900 to 1,300
Fares are indicative round-trip economy ranges and shift with the season and how far ahead you book. The lowest fares usually fall between November and March, outside the Christmas and New Year period. July and August are the most expensive across all four cities.
Where to Stay
We help you base your stay close to your treating hospital, so travel to appointments stays short and recovery stays calm. For timing, spring (April to June) and early autumn (September to October) are the most comfortable months in Madrid for recovery and gentle walking. Midsummer (July and August) can be very hot inland, frequently above 35 degrees, so it is the window most patients prefer to avoid.
3-star hotels
Average nightly
CAD 145 to 270
​
Per week, 7 nights
CAD 1,015 to 1,890
4-star hotels
Average nightly
CAD 210 to 385
​
Per week, 7 nights
CAD 1,470 to 2,695
5-star hotels
Average nightly
CAD 350 to 800
​
Per week, 7 nights
CAD 2,450 to 5,600
Safety and Travel
Spain carries a Government of Canada advisory level of “Exercise a high degree of caution,” due to the threat of terrorism. This is the same baseline level Canada applies to most of Western Europe, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, so it is not specific to Spain. For a medical traveller, the realistic day-to-day concern is petty crime, such as pickpocketing and bag snatching, concentrated in crowded tourist and transit areas in Madrid and Barcelona.
Violent crime is rare. Madrid, Barcelona, and Malaga run a dedicated Foreign Tourist Assistance Service with English-language support. Keep your passport and valuables secure, stay aware in busy stations and tourist sites, and your visit should be straightforward. For the current advisory, see the Government of Canada travel advisory for Spain
Featured Treatments in Spain
Spain is the most active country in Europe for assisted reproduction. According to European registry data, Spanish clinics perform roughly 15 percent of all in vitro fertilization in Europe and about half of the continent's egg-donation cycles.
Assisted Reproduction and Egg Donation
​Spain leads Europe in IVF and is the continent's foremost destination for egg donation. A large donor pool means there is generally no waitlist for donor eggs, and Spanish law allows treatment for single women and same-sex couples, with donation handled anonymously. This combination of experience, donor availability, and clear legislation is what sets Spain apart for international fertility patients.
​Advanced Cancer Care and Proton Therapy​
Spain operates proton beam therapy, a precise form of radiotherapy that spares more healthy tissue around a tumour. Spain's first proton centre opened in Madrid in 2019, placing it among a small group of European countries offering this technology. Proton therapy is not yet available clinically anywhere in Canada, which is the only G7 country without a domestic proton facility.
Costs and Canadian Wait Times
The figures below are indicative ranges for Spain, shown in Canadian dollars. They give a sense of scale; your exact treatment plan determines the final number. For procedures that Canadian public health insurance covers, the last column shows the national median wait reported by the Fraser Institute in 2025. Fertility care follows a different path, so its column explains the Canadian situation rather than a single wait time.
IVF with own eggs
Spain: CAD 6,400 to 13,100
Canada, private: Private cost in Canada: about 10,000 to 20,000 per cycle, medication not included (a further 3,000 to 8,000). Public funding varies by province; Ontario, for example, funds one cycle per lifetime, medication excluded, with long waitlists for funded cycles.
IVF with donor eggs
Spain: CAD 6,400 to 15,200
Canada, private: Private cost in Canada: about 25,000 to 45,000 per cycle. Paying egg donors is prohibited, so donors are scarce; matching can take several months to over a year, and most donor eggs are imported from abroad.
Hip replacement
Spain: CAD 11,000 to 26,000
Canada, public wait: Orthopaedic surgery: 48.6 weeks (Fraser Institute 2025 national median)
Knee replacement
Spain: CAD 14,000 to 26,000
Canada, public wait: Orthopaedic surgery: 48.6 weeks (Fraser Institute 2025 national median)
Gastric sleeve (bariatric surgery)
Spain: CAD 11,000 to 19,000
Canada, public wait: Bariatric surgery in Canada averages about three years
Cataract surgery (per eye)
Spain: CAD 2,900 to 7,200
Canada, public wait: Ophthalmology: 31.8 weeks (Fraser Institute 2025 national median)
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Final quotes are confirmed per case.
Leading Internationally Accredited Hospitals in Spain
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Centro Médico Teknon, Barcelona, JCI accredited
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Hospital Universitari Dexeus, Barcelona, JCI accredited
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Hospital Universitario Quirónsalud Madrid, Madrid, JCI accredited
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Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona and Madrid, JCI accredited
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Hospital Universitario del Vinalopó, Elche, JCI accredited
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This list is informational. Hospital selection for each patient depends on diagnosis, complexity, and treatment plan.
Frequently asked questions
For general questions about Canadian health insurance coverage abroad, complication insurance, follow-up care after returning to Canada, and trip planning, see our General FAQ
Plan Your Treatment in Spain with Maple Med Global
As a Toronto-based Canadian coordinator, we handle the details from your first question to your return home: matching you with an accredited hospital and the right specialist, arranging your quote, and supporting you and your companion throughout. If you are considering treatment in Spain, share your diagnosis with us and we will prepare a quote built around your case.
Or call/text us at +1 (647) 492-2777
Explore Other Destinations
Comparing your options? Explore more of our medical travel destinations to find the right fit for your treatment.