Hey all.

I’m in the process of applying for a visa to work in Spain. With respect to the medical certification, my doctor’s office got back to me and said that they require the official WHO definition of “threat to public health” before they will be willing to certify that I am not such a threat. Apparently they looked around, but couldn’t find such a definition. So now I’m tasked with finding this information out and providing my doctor’s office with something official.

I can’t find this definition either. The WHO and IHR (2005) documents I’ve found thus far don’t say “And you’re a threat if….”  Moreover, they seem to suggest that threats are something that can change based on new diseases, outbreaks, etc. Such a stance makes perfectly good sense to me. Remember SARS and H1N1? Things happen, times change, drug-resistant microbes appear, what is a risk today might not be a risk tomorrow and vice versa. Yet, my doctor insists on a checklist of conditions. Which brings me to the following:

On the SpainExpat visa page, it says:

Original medical certificate typed on doctor?s stationary verifying that the applicant is free from the following quarantine diseases: yellow fever, cholera, and the plague. The certificate must also certify that the applicant is free of drug addictions and mental illness, with a translation into Spanish .

That looks an awful lot like a list. 😉 Unfortunately “SpainExpat said so” isn’t likely to cut it. So where exactly did that list come from? And if you can provide me with an official link or citation that I can pass along to my doctor, it would be beyond awesome.

Thanks in advance!!

Jeez… Don’t you just love jobsworths?

Seems to me your doc is protecting his ass big-time.

The official W.H.O. International Health Regulations are to be found here;

http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2008/9789241580410_eng.pdf

The official format of the medical declaration can be found in the relevant section of this page on the Spanish Embassy(Boston) website

http://www.maec.es/subwebs/Consulados/Boston/en/MenuPpal/scBoston/visas/Paginas/Visas.aspx

Relevant quote from the Embassy website reads thus;

Medical Certificate: Original translated into Spanish and one copy will be needed (contact a legal translator). This Certificate must be signed in the hand of the doctor (M.D. of D.O.) in a letter-head paper in the following format: “This medical certificate attests that Mr. /Mrs.  ............................ does not suffer from any illness that would pose a threat to public health according to the International Health Regulations of 2005”. This certificate must be issued in the place of residence, and is valid for 3 months counting from the date it has been issued.

A checklist is clearly not required; he is just playing hardball because he can… self righteous pompous ass! I’d be looking to find another Doc!

Hope this response helps a little. Maybe someone else can add to it…

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Thanks!! Last night another friend of mine emailed me that same document and pointed out Annex 2. Hopefully that will be sufficient for them.

And yes, I provided that very quote from the Boston Consulate in my original request. I figured my doctor would use common sense and at the most give me an exam and order blood work. I bet that is what the Spanish government is expecting him to do. *shrugs*

I will say that my doctor is normally awesome and not self righteous at all. But over the years, I’ve seen indications that he is an ass coverer extraordinaire. I guess I should have seen this one coming….

Anyhoo, thank you again very much!!