Choosing Private Health Insurance in Portugal

Last verified: September 2026.

Who this is for

• You live in Portugal, or are moving here, and want faster access to private doctors and hospitals.
• You are applying for a D7 or D8 visa and need to know what insurance the consulate asks for.
• You already have a policy and want to understand waiting periods, renewals, or the tax relief.

Not for you if: you only want to join the public health service. Read "Registering with the SNS in Portugal" instead.

Private health insurance (seguro de saúde) in Portugal is optional for residents. It sits on top of the public health service, the SNS, and buys you faster access to private clinics and hospitals. An individual policy for an adult under 50 typically costs a few hundred euros a year, and more as you get older. Most policies make you wait 30 days to a year before some cover starts. You can deduct 15% of your premiums from your income tax, within a €1,000 household limit.

Do you need private health insurance?

For most residents, private insurance is a choice, not a requirement. Once you are a legal resident, you can register with the SNS and use public care. The SNS covers emergencies, family doctors, hospital treatment, maternity care, and chronic illness. Our guide "Healthcare in Portugal" explains how the two systems fit together.

People usually buy private cover for three reasons:

• Speed. The SNS can make you wait weeks or months for a non-urgent specialist, scan, or operation.
• Choice. You pick the doctor or clinic, and many private clinics have English-speaking staff.
• A gap in cover. You are not yet registered with the SNS, or you are still waiting for a family doctor.

Keep your SNS registration even if you buy a policy. You need your SNS user number (número de utente) for prescriptions, referrals, and public emergency care.

What insurance you need for a D7 or D8 visa

If you are applying for a residence visa, such as the D7 or the D8, the consulate asks for travel insurance. The rule is that it must cover the medical costs of your stay, including urgent care and repatriation for medical reasons.

What to check before you buy a visa policy:

1. It is valid in Portugal for the whole of your planned first stay.
2. It covers urgent medical care, hospital care, and medical repatriation.
3. It shows your name, the dates of cover, and the amount of cover.

The consulate's Schengen visa page sets a minimum of €30,000 of cover. The residence visa page does not state an amount, but many applicants use €30,000 as the benchmark. Check with your consulate or visa centre if you are unsure.

You may not need to buy a policy at all if you are covered by a health agreement between Portugal and your country. The consulate names Brazil's PB4 certificate and the UK's S1 form as examples.

Once you have your residence permit, register with the SNS. After that, private insurance becomes optional. See "Getting the D7 Retirement and Passive Income Visa for Portugal" and "Getting the D8 Digital Nomad Visa for Portugal" for the rest of each application.

Health insurance or a health plan: know which you are buying

Before you compare prices, check what kind of product you are looking at. Portugal sells two things that look alike.

• Health insurance (seguro de saúde) is an insurance contract with an insurance company. The insurer pays part of your medical bills, up to the limits in your contract. The insurance regulator, ASF, supervises it, and you have formal ways to complain.
• A health plan (plano de saúde) is a discount card. You pay a fixed fee and get lower prices at certain clinics. There is no insurance, no reimbursement, and no cover for big bills. ASF does not supervise health plans.

ASF says many complaints it receives come from people who thought a health plan was insurance. It has asked insurers to stop using the word "plan" for insurance products. If a product has no waiting periods and very low fees, it is probably a discount card. Look for the words "seguro de saúde" and the insurer's name on the contract.

Who sells health insurance in Portugal

About 25 insurers sell health insurance in Portugal. Three groups hold roughly 70% of the market, according to ASF data:

• Fidelidade, which sells health insurance under the Multicare brand.
• Ageas, which sells health insurance under the Médis brand.
• Generali Tranquilidade, whose policies use the AdvanceCare network and card.

AdvanceCare is not an insurer. It manages the network of clinics and the claims for the insurer that sold you the policy. Your contract is with that insurer.

Other options include policies sold by banks and international expat policies from insurers based elsewhere in Europe. Banks often sell another insurer's policy under their own name, so check which insurer carries the risk. The Brief does not recommend any insurer. To check that an insurer is authorised to sell in Portugal, use the list of authorised entities on the ASF website.

What a policy covers

Every policy has a list of covers, each with its own yearly limit. The most common are:

• Hospital care (hospitalização). Surgery, overnight stays, and intensive care. This is the cover that protects you from large bills.
• Outpatient care (ambulatório). Consultations, tests, scans, and physiotherapy.
• Dental care (estomatologia). Often an optional extra, with a low yearly limit.
• Childbirth (parto). Usually an optional extra with a long waiting period.
• Glasses and eye care. Often a small yearly allowance.
• Care abroad. Usually limited, and often excludes your home country.
• Medicines. Some policies repay part of what you pay at the pharmacy.

The regulator's "standard conditions" option

ASF has asked insurers to offer one option that follows a common set of "standard conditions" (condições padrão). The idea is that you can compare prices like for like. The standard option includes:

• Hospital care up to €30,000 a year.
• Outpatient care up to €1,000 a year.
• One preventive check-up a year, with screening tests by age.
• Cancer and some heart conditions up to €300,000.

Under the standard conditions, the insurer cannot end your cover only because of your age. The insurer can still set a maximum age for new customers. If a policy meets these conditions, its documents must say so. If an insurer offers extra cover on top, it must show you the price of the standard option separately. This is a recommendation, so not every insurer offers it. Ask for it by name.

What it costs

Premiums depend mainly on your age, the covers you choose, and the limits. These are rough yearly prices for one adult on a mid-range policy without extras:

Many insurers stop taking new customers at 65 or 70. If you are close to that age, apply before you reach it. Family policies usually cost less per person than separate policies. International expat policies cost much more, often several thousand euros a year.

On top of the premium, you pay part of each bill when you use care:

• A fixed co-payment (co-pagamento), for example €10 or €20 per consultation.
• A percentage of the bill, often 20% to 30%, with the insurer paying the rest.

If you see doctors often, these charges add up. Compare the total yearly cost, not only the premium.

How using a policy works

You can usually use your policy in one of two ways.

1. In the network (rede convencionada). You go to a clinic that has an agreement with your insurer. You show your insurance card and pay only your share. The clinic bills the insurer directly.
2. Outside the network (reembolso). You go to any doctor, pay the full bill, and send the receipts to your insurer. It repays a percentage of a set reference price, which may be less than you paid.

Networks are dense in Lisbon, Porto, and the Algarve, and thinner in rural areas. Check that your preferred hospitals and doctors are in the network before you sign. Networks can change when your policy renews.

For a real emergency, call 112 or go to the nearest public hospital. See "What to Do in a Medical Emergency in Portugal".

Waiting periods and pre-existing conditions

A waiting period (período de carência) is the time between buying a policy and being able to claim for a type of care. Each insurer sets its own. Typical waiting periods are:

• Consultations and tests: 30 to 60 days.
• Planned surgery and hospital stays: 90 to 180 days.
• Childbirth: about one year. A pregnancy that started before the policy is not covered.
• Dental treatment: 90 to 180 days, and longer for orthodontics.
• Accidents: usually covered from the first day.

A pre-existing condition is an illness you knew about when you bought the policy. The law says these are covered unless the contract excludes them. The insurer can exclude them in general or name specific conditions. The insurer can also set a waiting period for them, but no longer than one year.

When you apply, you must answer the health questions fully and truthfully. You must also mention anything important the form does not ask about. If you hide a condition on purpose, the insurer can cancel the contract and refuse related claims. Keep a copy of your application form.

If you have a long-term condition, ask each insurer three questions before you buy:

• Will you exclude my condition, and is that exclusion general or specific?
• If you cover it, how long is the waiting period?
• Will you charge a higher premium because of it?

What to read before you sign

Do not rely on the brochure. Ask for the contract documents and read them.

• General conditions (condições gerais). The rules that apply to all customers.
• Particular conditions (condições particulares). Your covers, limits, co-payments, and exclusions.
• The waiting-period table. One waiting period for each type of care.
• The pre-existing conditions clause. What is excluded and for how long.
• The renewal clause. How the insurer can change your premium each year.
• The network list. Which clinics and hospitals you can use.

If you change your mind, you can cancel a new individual policy within 30 days of receiving it, without giving a reason. Tell the insurer in writing. This right does not apply if you are covered through your employer's group policy.

Renewals, leaving, and changing insurer

Most policies last one year and renew automatically. The insurer can change the premium at each renewal.

To stop your policy renewing, write to the insurer at least 30 days before the renewal date. The insurer must give you the same notice if it decides not to renew.

If your policy ends, you keep some protection. For an illness that started while you were covered, the old insurer must keep paying for covered care for up to two years. It pays until the yearly limit from your last year runs out. You must tell the insurer about the illness within 30 days of the policy ending. This protection does not apply if a new policy covers the same risk.

If you have cover through your employer, it usually ends when you leave the job. Many insurers let you move to an individual policy without starting the waiting periods again. Ask about this before you leave, as there is usually a short deadline.

If you work for the Portuguese state, you may be able to join ADSE, the public sector health scheme, instead of or as well as private cover. See "Joining ADSE, the Public Sector Health Scheme in Portugal".

Claiming the IRS health deduction

If you pay tax in Portugal, you can deduct 15% of your health costs from your income tax. The limit is €1,000 per household per year. Health insurance premiums count, as long as the policy covers only health risks for you or your dependants.

How it works:

1. Give your NIF when you buy the policy and when you pay for care.
2. Your insurer reports your premiums to the tax authority.
3. Check your other health invoices on the e-Fatura portal and confirm they are marked as health.
4. The deduction appears in your annual IRS return.

Two points catch people out. First, you cannot deduct the part of a bill your insurer repaid, only the part you paid yourself. Second, a health plan (discount card) is not insurance, so its fee is not an insurance premium for this deduction. See "Validating Your Invoices on e-Fatura in Portugal" for the deadlines.

If you have a problem with your insurer

1. Complain to the insurer in writing first. Every insurer must have a complaints process.
2. If you are not satisfied, contact the insurer's customer ombudsman (provedor do cliente).
3. You can also complain to ASF through its consumer portal, or use the official complaints book (Livro de Reclamações), which is also available online.

Health plans do not have these formal channels, which is one more reason to know what you are buying.

Sources

• ASF consumer portal, "Distinção entre Seguros de saúde e Planos de saúde": https://www.consumidor.asf.com.pt/pt/w/distin%C3%A7%C3%A3o-entre-seguros-de-sa%C3%BAde-e-planos-de-sa%C3%BAde (health plans versus insurance, ASF supervision, complaint channels)
• ASF, list of insurers following its health plan recommendations (Recomendação n.º 1/2025): https://www.asf.com.pt/pt/w/ni_planovsseguro (recommendation not to use "plan" for insurance)
• ASF, FAQ on the standard conditions for health insurance (Circular n.º 6/2025, de 3 de junho): https://www.asf.com.pt/documents/d/site-asf/faq_condicoes-padrao (standard covers, limits, age rule, price disclosure)
• ASF, Regime Jurídico do Contrato de Seguro (Decreto-Lei n.º 72/2008, consolidated): https://www.consumidor.asf.com.pt/documents/114053/114086/DecretoLein722008de16deAbril+(7).pdf (duty to disclose, articles 24 and 25; 30-day cancellation, article 118; 30-day non-renewal notice, article 115; pre-existing conditions and one-year waiting limit, article 216; two-year cover after the policy ends, article 217)
• Portal das Finanças, Código do IRS, artigo 78.º-C: https://info.portaldasfinancas.gov.pt/pt/informacao_fiscal/codigos_tributarios/cirs_rep/Pages/irs78c.aspx (15% deduction, €1,000 limit, premiums, reimbursed amounts excluded)
• Portal Diplomático, residence visa documents: https://vistos.mne.gov.pt/pt/vistos-nacionais/documentacao-instrutoria/residencia (travel insurance requirement, PB4 and S1 exception)
• Portal Diplomático, travel medical insurance: https://vistos.mne.gov.pt/pt/vistos-schengen/documentacao-instrutoria/seguro-medico-de-viagem-e-seguro-de-saude (€30,000 minimum for Schengen visas)
• Lei n.º 23/2007, artigo 52.º (general visa conditions, travel insurance), consolidated at https://www.pgdlisboa.pt
• ECO, citing the ASF Health Insurance Observatory, 13 December 2024: https://eco.sapo.pt/2024/12/13/fidelidade-ageas-e-tranquilidade-dominam-70-dos-seguros-de-saude-veja-o-ranking/ (number of insured people, number of insurers, market share of the largest groups; secondary source)

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