Healthcare in Portugal for foreign residents in 2026: the SNS, fees, insurance and prescriptions

Once your record holds a valid Portuguese residence permit, your tax number and your address, the national health service (SNS) covers the cost of your care. You get a user number (número de utente) at your first public health visit, then register at your local health center. Primary care has no user fees; since June 2022, fees apply only in hospital emergency departments, and not after an SNS referral or an admission. Until the permit is on your record, you pay for most care, so keep private insurance through that gap.

This guide is for people moving to Porto from the US, Israel, mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan. See also D7 vs D8 visa and Americans moving to Portugal.

Who can use the SNS

Any foreign national who needs care has the right to be seen at a health center or hospital. The SNS covers the costs when your user number is linked to an identity document, a Portuguese tax number (NIF), a full address in Portugal and a valid residence permit.

The Health Regulatory Authority (ERS) explains it: a valid residence permit gives you an "updated record", and the SNS takes on the costs. Without one, the record stays "in progress" for up to 180 days, then becomes "incomplete", and you pay, except for a defined list that includes maternal care, care for children living in Portugal and national-program vaccines. Children under 18 need neither a residence permit nor a NIF.

Your user number and the health center

The user number is assigned the first time you go to a public unit, such as a health center or hospital, and you can ask for it there without needing care. You give your name, sex, date of birth, nationality and country of birth.

To register, go to the health center (centro de saúde) for your area of residence. A foreign national brings the residence permit, a permanent address in Portugal, a civil identification number, the NIF and proof of any health benefits.

Getting a family doctor

Registration makes you eligible for a family health team. The ERS says a family doctor is assigned according to vacancies at your local health unit, with priority for families with a pregnant woman, a chronic illness or children up to 12. We found no official waiting-time figure for Porto, so we do not quote one.

Without a family doctor you keep the right to care at your health center. A registered patient with no family doctor can book a "recurso/reforço" appointment in the SNS 24 portal, app or phone line, when the health center offers slots there.

SNS 24 and 112

• 112 is the European emergency number. It works around the clock and the call is free.
• SNS 24, 808 24 24 24, gives triage, advice and referral, 24 hours a day, at the price of a landline call.

What you pay in 2026: user fees

Decree-Law 37/2022 changed the user-fee law from June 1, 2022: care paid by the SNS carries user fees only in hospital emergency services. The consolidated text lists no later change. The fee is waived after a prior SNS referral, from your health center, SNS 24 or the INEM emergency service, and when the emergency visit ends in hospital admission. Those exempt from all fees include pregnant women, minors, people with a disability of 60% or more and low-income households as defined by law.

The amounts are set by government order each year; we could not confirm the 2026 figures on an official page, so we leave them out.

Medicines are paid at the pharmacy. For each prescribed medicine, the SNS 24 portal and app show the most you pay; the SNS pays the rest.

Pharmacies and electronic prescriptions

Prescriptions in Portugal are paperless (Receita Sem Papel) and arrive by text message, email or a printed treatment guide; they also appear in the SNS 24 app. At the pharmacy you show the prescription number with its access code, your Citizen Card with that code, or your SNS user number. With the user number, a new code goes to the mobile number in your SNS record.

Most prescriptions are valid for 12 months, some short treatments for 30 days. The pharmacist must tell you which equivalent medicine costs least. Repeat prescriptions for long-term medication can be requested in the SNS 24 app or from your health center. Questions about a medicine go to your doctor or pharmacist.

Private healthcare and insurance for your visa

Insurance comes up twice. For a residence visa (D7 vs D8), the consulate asks for travel insurance covering medical expenses, urgent care and repatriation. For the residence permit, AIMA asks for health insurance or proof of SNS coverage.

Private providers bill you or your insurer. The ERS regulates public and private providers and takes complaints online. We do not recommend insurers or quote premiums; before you sign, read the exclusions and the rules on pre-existing conditions.

EU citizens, visitors and home-country cover

EU visitors use the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) at public hospitals and health centers. Residents registered with the SNS and Social Security can request a free Portuguese EHIC for trips elsewhere in the EU.

Visitors insured outside the EU cannot use the EHIC, and the ERS confirms that care without a residence permit has costs. For Americans, Medicare's own page says it "usually doesn't cover health care while you're traveling outside the U.S." If a public scheme in Israel, Japan, mainland China, Taiwan or Hong Kong covers you, ask it what happens when you move abroad.

First steps after arriving

1. Have your NIF ready; the SNS needs it on your record.
2. Keep your visa insurance active until your residence permit is on your SNS record.
3. Find the health center for your new address, or ask SNS 24.
4. Get your user number at your first visit to a public unit.
5. With your residence permit card, register at the health center and ask for a family doctor.
6. Give a Portuguese mobile number and email so prescription codes reach you.
7. Save 112 and 808 24 24 24. Outside an emergency, call SNS 24 before going to hospital: a referral waives the fee.

What Urbanis does

Urbanis is a licensed real estate agency in Porto (AMI 24596). We find the rental or home to buy and coordinate the relocation around it. Once you have the address, we find the health center that serves it and check which documents it asks for. We do not give medical advice or recommend doctors or insurers. Our team works in Portuguese, English, Spanish and Hebrew. Talk to the relocation team.

Frequently asked questions

Can foreigners use public healthcare in Portugal?

Yes. Anyone who needs care can be seen. The SNS covers costs once your record has an ID, NIF, Portuguese address and valid residence permit.

Source: gov.pt, Migrants: healthcare in Portugal

Is healthcare free for residents?

Primary care has no user fees. Fees apply only in hospital emergency departments, waived after an SNS referral or an admission. Medicines are partly paid at the pharmacy.

Source: Diário da República, Decree-Law 37/2022

Do I need health insurance for a D7 or D8 visa?

Yes: travel insurance covering medical expenses, urgent care and repatriation. AIMA later asks for health insurance or proof of SNS coverage.

Source: MNE visa portal, residency documentation

How do I get a family doctor?

Register at your health center. Doctors are assigned by vacancies, with priority for pregnancy, chronic illness and children up to 12.

Source: ERS, national user register and primary care

How do I pick up an electronic prescription?

Show the prescription number and access code, your Citizen Card and the code, or your SNS user number.

Source: SNS 24, Prescriptions

How this guide was made: it was prepared with the help of AI tools, and every fact in it was checked against the sources listed below. Urbanis is responsible for its content. David Demenashe, founder of Urbanis, reviewed this guide. Found an error? Write to geral@urbanispt.com.

This article is general information, not medical, legal or insurance advice. Last verified: October 29, 2026.