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Getting a European Health Insurance Card in Portugal

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

How to get the free European Health Insurance Card in Portugal, what it covers abroad, the provisional certificate, and the limits for non-EU citizens.

The Portugal Brief 6 min read

Getting a European Health Insurance Card in Portugal

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

  • You live in Portugal, are covered by Segurança Social or the SNS, and plan a trip within Europe.
  • You need a card for each member of your family, including children.
  • You are travelling soon and your card has not arrived, or you lost it abroad.

Not for you if: you are moving to Portugal and need to sort out healthcare here. Read Healthcare in Portugal instead.

The European Health Insurance Card (Cartão Europeu de Seguro de Doença, CESD) gives you access to state healthcare during a temporary stay in another EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom. Segurança Social issues it free. You apply online or at a service desk. The card arrives by post in 5 to 7 working days and is valid for three years. If you travel within 10 days, you can ask for a provisional certificate that works in the same way.

What the card does

The card proves to a public hospital or health centre abroad that you are covered in Portugal. You get medically necessary care on the same terms as people who live in that country. If locals pay a fee for a visit, you pay it too.

"Medically necessary" means care that cannot wait until you get home. It includes:

  • care for an illness or accident during your trip
  • treatment for a chronic condition, such as diabetes, asthma, or cancer, that becomes necessary while you are away
  • pregnancy check-ups and care, including an unplanned birth

If you need dialysis, oxygen, or chemotherapy during a trip, arrange it with the unit abroad before you leave.

What the card does not cover

  • Private healthcare. Only the state system accepts the card.
  • Planned treatment. If the purpose of your trip is to get treatment, the card does not apply.
  • Rescue and repatriation. It does not pay for mountain rescue, an air ambulance, or a flight home.
  • Lost or stolen property.

The EU says plainly that the card is not an alternative to travel insurance. For repatriation and private care, you need a travel insurance policy as well.

If you are not an EU citizen

This is the rule many people miss. If you hold a non-EU passport, you cannot use the Portuguese card for treatment in Denmark, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom. You can use it in the other EU countries. Refugees and family members of EU citizens have some exceptions.

If this applies to you, buy travel insurance for trips to those six countries.

Who can get the card

According to the official service page, you can ask for a card if you are:

  • a worker covered by a Segurança Social scheme, a person not working, a retiree, a pensioner, or a family member of any of these
  • a member of a public or private health scheme
  • an SNS user with no link to Segurança Social or to a health scheme

The card is personal. Each person in your family needs their own, including children. There is no family card.

If you are a public sector worker in the ADSE health scheme, you also apply to Segurança Social. The ADSE has not issued the card since 2020. See Joining ADSE, the Public Sector Health Scheme in Portugal.

What you need

  • the cardholder's social security number (NISS)
  • the cardholder's SNS user number
  • the personal details of any dependants you are applying for
  • to apply online: a way to log in, such as the Digital Mobile Key (Chave Móvel Digital), your Citizen Card, or your NISS and Segurança Social password
  • at a desk: the application form, which you can download or get at the counter

If you do not have these numbers yet, see Registering with the SNS in Portugal and our social security guide.

How to apply online

  1. Log in to Segurança Social Direta.
  2. Click "Doença", then "Assistência médica no estrangeiro".
  3. Click "Cartão Europeu de Seguro de Doença", then "continuar para ações".
  4. Click "Consultar e pedir Cartão Europeu de Seguro de Doença".
  5. Fill in the form and submit it.

The card is posted to your address in 5 to 7 working days. Children and young people can also apply in their own name, by registering in Segurança Social Direta with their NISS.

You can also apply in person at a Segurança Social service desk, or at a Citizen Shop (Loja de Cidadão) or Citizen Space (Espaço Cidadão) that offers the service. It is free either way.

The provisional certificate

If you travel within 10 days and your card has not arrived, ask for a provisional replacement certificate (Certificado Provisório de Substituição, CPS). It replaces the card for three months and gives you the same rights.

  • If you apply online, Segurança Social emails the certificate to you as a PDF.
  • You can also ask at a Segurança Social service desk.
  • If you lose or forget your card during a trip and need care, you can ask Segurança Social to send the certificate straight to the hospital or health centre where you are.

If your card is lost or stolen, tell Segurança Social as soon as possible.

Renewing the card

The card lasts three years, and the expiry date is printed on it. It does not renew by itself. To renew, you make a new request with the same details. If you renew before the old card expires, give its number.

You can renew in Segurança Social Direta, in the Segurança Social app, or at a service desk. Renewal is free, and the new card also arrives in 5 to 7 working days. Check the date before every trip.

Using the card abroad

  1. Go to a public hospital, health centre, or doctor who works with the state system.
  2. Show your card or provisional certificate, with your passport or ID card.
  3. Pay any fee that local patients pay.

If you are asked to pay the full cost, keep every receipt and medical report. You can claim a refund either from the health system of the country you visited, while you are there, or from Segurança Social when you return.

Planned treatment abroad

The card is for unplanned care only. If you want to travel for treatment, you have two routes under EU rules:

  • Ask for authorisation before you go. If it is granted, you receive an S2 form and the cost is covered directly.
  • Pay for the treatment yourself and claim a refund later. You get back what the same treatment would cost in Portugal, and only if you are entitled to it here.

Speak to your family doctor or hospital before you book anything.

This guide is general information, not medical or legal advice. Check the official pages before you travel.

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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