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How does health insurance work in Portugal?
Portugal is a country that offers full medical coverage to its citizens. Social protection and health insurance in Portugal are an integral part of the Portuguese health care system, ensuring residents have access to affordable and eligible medical services..
The Portuguese enjoy free or government-subsidized public health insurance for all those who have Portuguese nationality or have lived there for more than three months, thus considered “permanent residents”.
Health plans and insurance in Portugal
Non-residents can also be insured against certain risks by purchasing a private insurance policy from a local insurer approved by the Ministry of Finance (Ministerio da Fazenda).
Portugal's public scheme has four main categories:
- General Health Insurance
- Specialized Diets
- Additional Insurance
- Health Mutuals
When this is not enough, patients have to pay for certain medical costs themselves, such as consultations with specialists.
In addition, there are different types of complementary insurance available on the market: dental mutual, optical mutual... These insurance policies often provide additional reimbursement for expenses related to specific treatments such as the orthodontist, purchase of glasses / corrective lenses … They also help to encourage the use of a qualified medical service.
More about portuguese health system
Choose your health insurance
Portugal is a country that offers a variety of general health insurance coverage. The Portuguese have the choice between several schemes, including the General Health Insurance, the National Social Insurance Fund and private and complementary insurance.
General health insurance
The General Health Insurance is the Portuguese public system for ensuring the country's public health and providing citizens with affordable medical care when needed. It works on a contributory basis where each worker contributes a certain amount per month according to his annual gross salary. When a person takes out AMG, they can access hospital services and medical consultations without having to pay anything.
The payment will have already been made on its contribution via taxes paid directly to the government.
Learn more about taxes in Portugal
National social insurance fund
The National Social Insurance Fund also allows Portuguese residents with eligible rights (such as pensioners, compensated unemployed and other specific categories) to receive various types of benefits (daily allowance during a period of leave for medical reasons, family allowances …) These benefits will not be available with an AMG so they must be requested separately from a CNSS.
Complementary insurance
Finally, some Portuguese opt for private supplementary insurance rather than resorting exclusively the General Health Insurance or National Social Insurance.
This option not only makes it possible to obtain quality care but also to benefit from additional assistance such as rapid relief or a medical transport service...
Health insurance for expatriates traveling to Portugal
Expats in Portugal need health insurance to cover their medical and hospital costs. Health care can be very expensive, especially if it is not eligible for SNS (Sistema Nacional de Saúde), which is the Portuguese public insurance.
However, there are private options available to foreign residents registered with the SEF (Serviço Estrangeiro e Fronteiras). These insurances offer complete protection against health-related expenses such as regular medical examinations or more expensive specialized treatment such as cardiac or orthopedic surgery.
There are many different options when it comes to insurance companies. Be sure to compare the multiple solutions before making your final decision.
Your insurance must be able to include not only the usual medical services such as visits to the general practitioner or specialists. It must also cover certain specific treatments that may require significant expenses without being covered by Portuguese social security.
Health insurance for vacationers
Travelers to Portugal have the option of purchasing health insurance to cover their health and medical expenses while they travel. This protection can be very useful if you fall ill or have an accident, as it covers the costs associated with necessary medical care while you are away from home.
There are several types of insurance available on the Portuguese market which offer different protections according to your budget and your needs:
- Annual Travel Insurance: these insurance policies provide full coverage throughout the annual calendar for each country visited by the user up to a certain maximum amount defined by the contract;
- Sporadic Health Insurance: These insurances generally offer adaptable short-term plans (from 1 day to 3 months) in order to meet the immediate needs linked to occasional travel.
- Local/International coverage: Local companies often offer flexible options that also allow partial or total coverage of hospital costs incurred during a stay. Similarly, some international insurers offer various products intended exclusively for both tourists and permanent resident expatriates.
Finally, it is important to be aware that many public hospitals do not directly accept international credit cards or other forms of non-local payments, so ensuring your own medical security remains essential.
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