Healthcare

The Serviço Nacional de Saúde (SNS) provides free or near-free healthcare to all legal residents of Portugal. Since copayments were abolished in 2022, primary care, specialist referrals, and emergency care have become genuinely free for registered patients. As an expat with legal residency (or even pending residency, with some documentation), you're entitled to the same SNS access as any Portuguese citizen.

Registering with the SNS is straightforward once you have your residence permit. Visit your nearest health center (centro de saúde) and ask for a health user card (cartão de utente). In some areas — particularly Lisbon suburbs — GP shortages mean it may take several months to be assigned a permanent family doctor, though the MySNS app helps navigate this.

Most expats take out private health insurance alongside their SNS registration. The key benefit is bypassing SNS waiting lists for specialist appointments and diagnostics. Private insurance also covers dental and vision care that the SNS doesn't prioritize, and ensures access to English-speaking doctors at private hospitals. Premiums are dramatically lower than comparable US or UK private plans.

Portugal has both world-class private hospitals with international patient services and large public teaching hospitals. In Lisbon and Porto, several private hospital groups — CUF, Hospital da Luz, Lusíadas — operate modern facilities with English-speaking staff and international insurance billing.

Dental and vision care fall largely outside SNS coverage and are handled privately. However, Portugal's private dental prices are significantly cheaper than the US or UK, and the quality at established clinics is excellent. Most private health insurance plans can be extended to include dental and vision coverage.