Joining Voluntary Social Insurance in Portugal

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

• You are a foreign resident who has lived in Portugal for more than one year and you do not pay into a compulsory scheme.
• You are not working, work remotely for a foreign employer that pays nothing here, or are living on savings before pension age.
• You want your years in Portugal to keep counting towards a Portuguese pension.

Not for you if: you are an employee or self-employed in Portugal, because you already pay compulsory contributions. Read Understanding Portugal's Social Security System instead.

Voluntary social insurance (seguro social voluntário) lets people who are not in a compulsory social security scheme pay contributions by choice. Foreign residents can join after more than one year living in Portugal. You choose an income band from €537.13 to €4,297.04 a month. Most members pay 26.9% of it, so the cheapest option is €144.49 a month in 2026. It covers invalidity, old age, and death only. An old-age pension needs 12 years of contributions. Approval takes up to 30 days.

What voluntary social insurance is

It is an optional scheme run by Segurança Social, the social security service. It is for people aged 18 or over who are fit to work but are not covered by any compulsory scheme. You pay contributions yourself, so time keeps counting towards some benefits.

You cannot be in this scheme and a compulsory scheme at the same time. If you start a job or register as self-employed, the voluntary membership must end.

Who can join

These groups can join:

• foreign citizens and stateless people who have lived in Portugal for more than one year;
• Portuguese citizens who are not working but are fit to work;
• Portuguese citizens working abroad who are not covered by a social security agreement with Portugal;
• research grant holders (bolseiros de investigação) not covered by another compulsory scheme;
• principal informal carers (cuidadores informais principais);
• volunteer firefighters and social volunteers who work unpaid for charities;
• high-performance athletes, professional trainees, agents of Portuguese cooperation, and some seafarers.

There is no deadline. You can apply whenever you want, because the scheme is optional.

If you are a foreign or stateless applicant, you must sign a declaration on honour. It says you are not in a compulsory social security scheme, or that the scheme you are in does not count for the Portuguese system.

What it covers

For foreign residents, and most other groups, the scheme covers only:

• invalidity (invalidez), meaning a disability pension;
• old age (velhice), meaning a retirement pension;
• death (morte), meaning a survivor's pension and a death grant for your family.

It does not cover unemployment, sickness pay, or parental pay for these groups. Some groups get more. Research grant holders and some seafarers are also covered for sickness, parental pay, and occupational diseases.

You can add cover for occupational diseases (doenças profissionais) by paying an extra 0.5%.

Minimum contribution periods

You must have paid for a minimum time before you can claim:

Your payments must be up to date on the date the benefit is granted. If they are not, payment of the benefit is suspended. In the voluntary scheme, a disability pension is only available for absolute disability, meaning you cannot do any work. See Claiming a Disability Pension in Portugal and Applying for the State Old-Age Pension in Portugal.

What it costs

You choose an income band (escalão). Your monthly contribution is that band multiplied by your rate. The bands are set as multiples of the social support index (IAS), which is €537.13 in 2026. For more on the index, see What Is the IAS, Portugal's Social Support Index?

The monthly cost column is our own calculation from Segurança Social's bands and rate. Segurança Social shows the exact amount when you pay.

Contribution rates in 2026

• 26.9%: foreign and stateless residents, Portuguese citizens not working, Portuguese citizens working abroad without an agreement, high-performance athletes, and cooperation agents.
• 29.6%: research grant holders and some seafarers.
• 27.4%: volunteer firefighters and social volunteers.
• 21.4%: principal informal carers.

If you are on the 26.9% rate and add occupational disease cover, you pay 27.4%.

Changing your band

• Moving down is always allowed.
• Moving up is allowed if you have paid in the same band for at least 12 months in a row. You must also be under the age limit, which is 64 in 2026 and rises by six months a year until it reaches 65 in 2028. Under this rule, the highest band you can move up to is band 5.
• Special cases. Some people who paid higher contributions in a compulsory scheme for 12 months can choose a higher band. Ask Segurança Social whether this applies to you.

Some groups have a fixed band. Volunteer firefighters pay on band 1, research grant holders on band 1 or higher, and cooperation agents on band 5.

How to apply

1. Get a medical certificate. You need a certificate of fitness to work from an SNS doctor. If you are not registered with the SNS yet, see Registering with the SNS in Portugal.
2. Fill in form RV 1007 (Requerimento de Seguro Social Voluntário). It is on the Segurança Social website under forms.
3. Hand it in. If you live in Portugal, apply at the Segurança Social district centre (Centro Distrital) you choose. Volunteers, firefighters, and research grant holders use specific offices. Portuguese citizens abroad can apply by email.
4. Wait for the decision. Approval can take up to 30 days. If approved, you get a letter telling you to start paying from the following month. You also get a social security number (NISS) if you do not have one.

Documents

• A valid identity document, such as a passport or residence permit, and a copy.
• The medical certificate of fitness to work from an SNS doctor.
• For foreign and stateless applicants, the signed declaration on honour.
• Form RV 1007.

If there are doubts about your fitness to work, Segurança Social can send you for a medical assessment.

Your membership starts on the first day of the month after you apply, if approved. Registration with Segurança Social is for life. Even if you stop paying, you stay registered.

Paying each month

Pay by the 20th of the month after the month the contribution covers. For example, pay October's contribution by 20 November. If you pay late, you pay interest.

You can pay:

• at a Multibanco cash machine, with a reference from Segurança Social Direta;
• by direct debit, set up in Segurança Social Direta;
• by MB WAY or home banking;
• at a Segurança Social treasury office (cash up to €150, card, or bank cheque).

Direct debit only collects the monthly amount. If it fails for three months in a row, the direct debit is cancelled. Pay any arrears and interest another way.

How membership ends

Your membership ends when:

• you ask to leave;
• you become covered by a compulsory scheme, for example by starting a job;
• you do not pay for more than a year.

If you start work, tell Segurança Social, preferably at your local office. Any voluntary contributions you pay while in a compulsory scheme are refunded and do not count.

If you stop paying, you lose your membership. You can keep it if you start paying again within one year of your last payment, and pay the arrears with interest.

Is it worth it?

It depends on your plans. Think about these points:

• It is a long commitment. An old-age pension needs 12 years of contributions.
• It buys pensions, not much else. There is no sickness or unemployment cover for foreign residents.
• You must have lived here more than a year before you can join.
• Other countries' periods may count. If you have worked in another EU country, or one with an agreement with Portugal, those periods may be added to your Portuguese record for a pension. See How Your Years Working Abroad Count Toward a Pension in Portugal.

Ask Segurança Social for an estimate of your record before you decide.

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Check the official source, or ask Segurança Social, before you act.

Sources

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

• Social Security Institute, practical guide to registering, changing, and ending voluntary social insurance (1004, version 5.45, 30 April 2026): https://www.seg-social.pt/ptss/pssd/documento/cmc1xp5v400dbkl2y26sb509e?dswid=8615 (who can join, foreign residents after more than one year, no deadline, form RV 1007, where to apply, documents, SNS medical certificate, declaration on honour, up to 30 days, start next month, NISS, lifelong registration, cover by group, minimum periods of 72, 144, 72, and 36 months, contributions up to date, bands of 1 to 8 times IAS, rates of 26.9%, 29.6%, 27.4%, and 21.4%, extra 0.5%, band changes and age limit table, payment by the 20th, payment methods, direct debit cancelled after three months, end of membership, refund in a compulsory scheme, one year to resume; legal basis Código dos Regimes Contributivos, Lei n.º 110/2009, articles 169 and following, and Portaria n.º 480-A/2025/1), checked 2 October 2026
• Diário da República, Portaria n.º 480-A/2025/1, of 30 December: https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/portaria/480-a-2025-993056222 (IAS of €537.13 for 2026), carried from verified guide W2C-14
• Social Security Institute, practical guide to the disability pension (version 4.57, 21 May 2026): https://www.seg-social.pt/ptss/pssd/documento/cmc1zu99c00lykl2y7f0avytg (absolute disability only for voluntary scheme members, 72 months), carried from verified guide W2A-19, checked 1 October 2026

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