Sick notes and confirmation notes in Spain
Independent, non-governmental site
Enter the date of the sick note and the length the doctor estimates: you get the latest date of each review up to day 365.
Your confirmation notes
2 reviews
31 to 60 days: review within 7 days, then every 28.
| First review, at the latest | 5 November 2026 |
| RD 625/2014 group | 3 |
These are latest dates: the doctor may see you sooner. The copies are for you; the employer gets the data from the INSS (RD 625/2014 art. 7).
| Review | Latest date |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5 November 2026 |
| 2 | 3 December 2026 |
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · Rules and agreements read in the BOE on 29 October 2026
The doctor who signs you off estimates how long the leave will last, and that estimate sets the pace of the reviews. If they expect less than 5 days, they sign the leave and the discharge at the same visit. Between 5 and 30 days, the first review comes within 7 days and later ones every 14. Between 31 and 60 days, the first is also within 7 and then every 28. At 61 days or more, the first can wait 14 days and later ones are spaced up to 35 apart. For a note dated 2 November 2026 with 45 estimated days, the first confirmation is due by 9 November 2026 at the latest. These are maximum gaps: the doctor may see you sooner. You get a copy of every note, and your employer receives the administrative data straight from the INSS, without the diagnosis.
The four length groups
Article 2.3 of Royal Decree 625/2014 sorts sick leave into four groups based on the length the doctor estimates when signing the first note. That length is also part of the data the INSS receives, together with the date of the next review.
| Estimated length | First review | Later ones |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 days | Leave and discharge at the same visit | None |
| 5 to 30 days | Within 7 days | Every 14 days at most |
| 31 to 60 days | Within 7 days | Every 28 days at most |
| 61 days or more | Within 14 days | Every 35 days at most |
With a note dated 2 November 2026 and 45 estimated days, the reviews fall at the latest on 9 November 2026, 7 December 2026. If the doctor estimates 90 days, the first is due by 16 November 2026 and there are 3 reviews before day 90. When the diagnosis changes, a confirmation note is issued with a new estimated length and the schedule restarts from there.
Very short leave
In the under-5-day group, the doctor writes the discharge date on the same note: it can be the same day or any of the next three. If you have not recovered by then, you can ask to be seen again and the doctor may sign a confirmation note. Bear in mind that for an ordinary illness those first three days are unpaid unless your collective agreement tops them up, as covered in the first days of leave.
The pay dates of the same leave
Your leave calendar
28 October 2027
| Last expected day | 27 December 2026 |
| INSS or mutua from | 13 November 2026 |
| You move to 75% on | 18 November 2026 |
| Day 365: the INSS takes over | 28 October 2027 |
Who receives what
Under article 7 of the same royal decree, the doctor gives you a copy of the sick note, of each confirmation and of the discharge. The health service, or the mutua if the cause is work-related, sends the data to the INSS by the next working day, and the INSS passes it to the employer. The employer has 3 working days to send its share of the data, such as the contribution base, through the RED system. A discharge note means you return to work the next day: what to do if you disagree is in medical discharge. Once 365 days are reached, notes are no longer issued at the health centre and the INSS takes control, as article 170 of the General Social Security Act explains.