Health care information
Considering constitutional principals of equality and of non-discrimination, Portuguese law establishes that all foreign citizens legally living in Portugal have the same rights and duties as national beneficiaries, as far as health care and medicamental assistance are concerned.
Foreign citizens should ask for their “Cartão de Utente” of the “Serviço Nacional de Saúde (SNS)” (National Public Health Care System’s user card) in the “Centro de Saúde” of their residential area. On that occasion, foreign citizens will be asked to present either the residence permit or the work visa, depending on the situation.
The payment for medical assistance through the SNS services is guaranteed for all foreign citizens who contribute for the Portuguese security system.
According to the present legislation, although health care services are tendentiously free, a tax should be paid for each service or medical appointment.
There are some situations where this tax is not paid: that is the case of children under 12, teenagers assisted in the attendance centre for teenagers, pregnant women, mothers in the 8 first weeks after labour, unemployed enrolled the “Centros de Emprego”, etc…