Complaining about an Insurer or Insurance Agent in Portugal

Last verified: September 2026.

Who this is for

• You hold car, home, health, or life insurance, and the insurer refused, cut, or delayed a claim.
• A bank or insurance agent sold you a policy, and you think you were badly advised.
• Someone else caused you damage or injury, and their insurer will not pay you.

Not for you if: your complaint is about a shop or other business, not insurance. Read "Filing a Consumer Complaint in Portugal (Livro de Reclamações)".

If an insurer refuses a claim or ignores you, complain to the insurer in writing first. It must answer within 20 working days, and complaining is free. If it does not answer, or you disagree, go to its customer ombudsman and to the ASF, the insurance supervisor.

The ASF can check whether the insurer broke the rules. It cannot decide your claim or set your compensation. For that you need arbitration or a court. In a consumer dispute worth up to €5,000, the insurer must accept arbitration if you ask for it.

Step 1: complain to the insurer or the agent

Every insurer must have a complaints service (gestor de reclamações). The rules say it must work independently inside the company, deal with you fairly, and charge you nothing.

1. Write to the insurer's complaints service. The ASF consumer portal lists the complaints contact for each insurer.
2. Say what happened, what you want, and include your policy or claim number. Keep a copy.
3. Wait for the answer. The insurer must give you a full answer, with its reasons, within 20 working days.

If the insurer knows it cannot meet the deadline, it must tell you when you complain. It must give you an estimated date and keep you informed.

You can also write in the insurer's or agent's complaints book (Livro de Reclamações), on paper at the office or online. An agent or broker must hand you the book at once, free, when you ask for it. A complaint in the online book must be answered within 15 working days.

Step 2: the customer ombudsman (provedor do cliente)

Every insurer must also appoint a customer ombudsman. You can go to the ombudsman if:

• the insurer did not answer your complaint within 20 working days (30 working days for a complex case); or
• the insurer answered, and you disagree with the answer.

You can use the ombudsman if you are the policyholder, the insured person, a beneficiary, or a third party harmed by someone the insurer covers.

The ombudsman must look at your complaint within 30 days (45 days for a complex case). You get the result in writing, with the reasons and the legal and contract rules that apply. The ombudsman can make recommendations to the insurer. The insurer then has 20 working days to say whether it accepts them, and the ombudsman passes that answer on to you.

Step 3: complain to the ASF

The ASF (Autoridade de Supervisão de Seguros e Fundos de Pensões) supervises insurers, pension funds, and everyone who sells insurance. You can complain to it about an insurer, an agent, a broker, or a bank that sold you a policy.

To complain, use the complaint form on the ASF consumer portal. It first asks a few questions about your situation.

For help before you complain:

• By phone: call the information line on 217 983 983, on working days from 09:00 to 16:00.
• In person: by appointment only. Book it through the same phone line.
• By email: write to the consumer contact, [email protected].

What the ASF can and cannot do

The ASF can explain your rights and answer questions. If it finds that a company broke the law or a rule, it can sanction that company.

The ASF cannot impose a solution in your individual case. For example, it cannot decide who was at fault after an accident, or how much compensation you should get. If you and the insurer still disagree about what your contract means or what it should pay, a court or an alternative dispute body must decide.

Getting a decision: arbitration and the courts

You have three routes to a binding decision.

1. CIMPAS, the insurance arbitration centre. It deals with disputes about taking out, carrying out, or ending an insurance contract, against an insurer or a seller such as an agent or broker. In a consumer dispute worth up to €5,000, the insurer must accept arbitration there. Above that, or if you are not acting as a consumer, the insurer must agree to it. For car insurance, CIMPAS can hear accident cases where nobody died or was left with a permanent disability. If more than four vehicles were involved, it can only hear the case if the other side does not object.
2. A general consumer arbitration centre. The ASF consumer portal links to the list.
3. A court or a peace court (Julgado de Paz). Peace courts only hear cases worth up to €15,000. Read "Resolving a Dispute through the Peace Courts (Julgados de Paz)".

CIMPAS has offices in Lisbon (Avenida Fontes Pereira de Melo 11, 9th floor left, phone 213 827 700) and Porto (Rua do Infante D. Henrique 73, 1st floor, phone 226 069 910).

If the problem is the person who sold you the policy

Anyone who sells insurance in Portugal, including a bank, must be registered with the ASF. The ASF keeps a public register, so you can check a seller's status before you buy or when you complain.

Before you sign, the seller must find out what you need and offer a contract that fits it. They must give you clear information in advance. They must also tell you what kind of pay they get for selling you the contract. For car, home, health, and other non-life insurance, you should get a standard product information document.

If a seller did not do these things, complain to the seller first and then to the ASF, as above.

Sources

This guide is written from official Portuguese and EU sources and, for prices and contact details, the providers' own websites.

• ASF, Portal do Consumidor, Gestor de reclamações (insurers' complaints service) (Portuguese only; 20 working days, free, estimated date if late)
• ASF, Portal do Consumidor, Provedor do cliente das empresas de seguros (Portuguese only; who may use it, 30 or 45 days, 20 working days for the insurer's reply)
• ASF, Portal do Consumidor, Apresentar uma reclamação (Portuguese only; online form, information line, hours, appointments, email)
• ASF, Portal do Consumidor, Meios de resolução de litígios (Portuguese only; limits of the ASF's role, CIMPAS, €5,000 rule, peace courts up to €15,000, CIMPAS addresses)
• ASF, Relatório sobre a Atividade da Mediação de Seguros 2025 (Portuguese only; registration and public register, sellers' information duties, complaints book duties, 15 working days)

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