The emergency number in Portugal is 112. You can call this number for free from any phone.
No hospital or health center in Portugal will refuse to provide you with free emergency healthcare regardless of your legalisation status.
If you need medical support that is not a life-threatening situation, before going to an hospital you should call a free, 24/7 line that will have on the other side a doctor or nurse that will help you and, if needed, direct you to a medical facility.
The public 24/7 health line is called “Saúde 24” and you can reach it by dialling 808 24 24 24
The Public Healthcare System in Portugal aims to be free.
That means that anyone registered in our healthcare system can access an Hospital or Public Health Centre and will have to, at most, pay a moderating fee of below 20€.
To access the Healthcare System you will have to register with the National Healthcare System (SNS, “Serviço Nacional de Saúde”) and receive your ID Number, called NU (”Número de Utente”). That should be taken care of for you once you registered with SEF.
Once you have chosen where to live, you should also go to the local Public Health Centre and register you and your family as living in the area, so you may be assigned a Family Doctor and be included in the National Vaccination Plan.
You can also get free health insurance for 6 months, an offer by PortInsurance: