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Getting Vaccinated in Portugal

Researched and written with AI tools from official sources. How we make our guides

How free vaccines work in Portugal: the national schedule, catching up after a move, adult boosters, your digital record, and the flu and COVID campaign.

The Portugal Brief 6 min read

Getting Vaccinated in Portugal

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

  • You have just moved to Portugal and want yourself or your children on the national vaccine schedule.
  • You are an adult and want to check your tetanus boosters or other catch-up vaccines.
  • You are 60 or over, pregnant, or have a chronic condition and want a free flu vaccine.

Not for you if: you are expecting a baby and want the full picture of pregnancy care and birth. Read Having a Baby in Portugal instead.

Updated October 2026. The 2026 to 2027 flu and COVID campaign started on 30 September 2026 and runs to 31 March 2027. Free flu vaccines now include children aged 2 to 4.

Vaccines on Portugal's National Vaccination Programme (Programa Nacional de Vacinação, PNV) are free. The programme is open to everyone present in Portugal who needs a vaccine, whatever their nationality. Nurses give the vaccines at SNS health centres (centros de saúde). If you arrive with a different or incomplete record, the nurse draws up a catch-up plan. Every earlier dose counts. Seasonal flu and COVID vaccines are free for priority groups, and some can be given at a pharmacy.

How the national programme works

The PNV started in 1965. The Directorate-General of Health (DGS) runs it and updates the schedule. Its basic principles are that it is universal, free for the person vaccinated, and open to all people in Portugal who have a reason to be vaccinated.

There is one recommended schedule for everyone, from birth through old age. The vaccines on it are free at SNS health centres. Vaccines outside the programme, such as most travel vaccines, are bought at a pharmacy with a prescription.

The schedule for children

This is the general schedule. Combined vaccines mean a baby often gets several in one injection.

AgeVaccines
At birthHepatitis B
2 monthsHepatitis B, Hib, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (DTPa), polio, pneumococcal, meningococcal B
4 monthsHib, DTPa, polio, pneumococcal, meningococcal B
6 monthsHepatitis B, Hib, DTPa, polio
12 monthsPneumococcal, meningococcal B, meningococcal ACWY, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)
18 monthsHib, DTPa, polio
5 yearsDTPa, polio, MMR second dose
10 yearsHPV (two doses, six months apart, for girls and boys born in 2009 or later), tetanus and diphtheria (Td)

Babies born between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027 can also get a free antibody against RSV, a common respiratory virus. It is given in maternity units, health centres, and hospitals.

The schedule changes from time to time. In 2025, the meningococcal C vaccine was replaced by one that covers groups A, C, W, and Y. Always check the current version on the DGS website or with your nurse.

If you have just moved here

  1. Register with your health centre. It is not strictly required, but it keeps your record in one place. See Registering with the SNS in Portugal.
  2. Gather your records. Bring any vaccine card or certificate from your home country, for you and each child.
  3. Book a nursing appointment. The nurse compares your history with the Portuguese schedule.
  4. Follow the catch-up plan. The DGS rule is that you only get the doses needed to complete the schedule for your age. Every earlier dose counts, even if it was given late.

Catch-up plans cover people with no record, with missing doses, or with a schedule that differs from Portugal's.

Vaccines for adults

Adults are on the programme too. The main ones are:

  • Tetanus and diphtheria (Td). Boosters at 25, 45, and 65, then every 10 years. If you have never had a full course, or do not know, you get three doses.
  • Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). One dose if you were born in 1970 or later, never had measles, and were never vaccinated or do not know. Health workers in close contact with patients get two doses.
  • HPV. Catch-up doses for women aged 18 to 26 who missed the schedule, and for men born in 2000, 2001, or 2002. More age groups of men will be added in later years.
  • Pneumococcal, hepatitis A and B, and others. Recommended for specific risk groups. Your doctor decides.

In pregnancy

Pregnant women get one dose of a tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough vaccine (Tdpa) in every pregnancy. It is given between 20 and 36 weeks, ideally by 32 weeks. It protects the newborn in the first weeks of life. Flu and COVID vaccines are also recommended in pregnancy during the seasonal campaign.

The flu and COVID campaign

The 2026 to 2027 campaign runs from 30 September 2026 to 31 March 2027.

The flu vaccine is free for:

  • everyone aged 60 or over
  • children aged 6 months to 4 years
  • pregnant women
  • people aged 5 to 59 with certain chronic conditions, such as heart, lung, kidney, liver, or metabolic disease, or a weakened immune system
  • residents of care homes, people receiving home care, prisoners, and homeless people
  • health workers, firefighters who transport patients, pharmacy staff, and some other workers

The COVID vaccine is free for people aged 70 or over, people at high risk of severe disease, and residents of care homes and similar settings.

Where to go. All eligible groups can be vaccinated at SNS health centres and hospitals. Participating pharmacies give the free flu vaccine to people aged 60 to 84 and to adults aged 18 to 59 with a chronic condition. If you are 85 or over, go to your health centre. The two vaccines can be given at the same visit.

If you are not in a free group, you can still buy a flu vaccine at a pharmacy with a doctor's prescription.

Your vaccination record

Your record used to be a paper booklet, the boletim de vacinas. Keep any paper record you have.

Today every vaccine given in Portugal is recorded on a national platform. You can see your full history online in the citizen area of the Electronic Health Record and download your digital vaccination record. It is also in the official health app, MySNS Carteira. Use this record when a school, employer, or university asks for proof.

Travel vaccines

Vaccines for travel outside Europe are usually not on the PNV. You normally need a prescription and pay for them. A different or faster schedule for a trip also needs a doctor's prescription. See your family doctor well before you travel, because some vaccines need several doses.

Where to get help

  • Your health centre nurse: for the PNV, catch-up plans, and adult boosters.
  • SNS 24 on 808 24 24 24: for health advice. See our Healthcare in Portugal guide for how the line works.
  • A pharmacy: for seasonal flu and COVID vaccines if you are in the pharmacy groups, and for paid vaccines with a prescription. See using a pharmacy.

This guide is general information, not medical advice. For your own vaccination plan, speak to your health centre or doctor.

Sources

This guide is written from official sources and, where relevant, organisations' own websites.

Last verified October 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.

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