Healthcare in Portugal
How to get into the public system (SNS), when you need private insurance, and what happens to your health cover in Israel.
✓ Checked against the sources: October 2026⚠️ This isn't medical advice. It's general information checked against official sources.
The public system: first steps
- Get a tax number (NIF) and a residence document: a residence permit, or for EU citizens a registration certificate from the town hall.
- Register at the health centre (centro de saúde) in your area. If you don't have a patient number (número de utente) yet, you get one when you register.
- The health centre assigns you a family doctor. For advice by phone there is the SNS 24 line (808 24 24 24), and in an emergency you call 112.
Source: gov.pt: Migrantes, cuidados de saúde em Portugal · SNS 24
🔒 2 more sections in this guide
- 💳 Private health insurance
- 🇮🇱 Your Israeli health cover while abroad
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