P11E - Medical Card
Category : Paperwork
P11E - Medical Card
Social Security Number (NISS - Número de Identificação Segurança Social)
Employed/Self-employed:
All employees and self-employed people are required to be registered with a social security scheme. There are some specific schemes, but most people will register with the national social security scheme operated by the National Social Security (Segurança Social).
Foreign Residents should apply for a NISS as soon as they take up employment.
When you have obtained your NISS, you can take it to the local Health Centre (Centro de Saúde) and apply for the State healthcare number (Nº de Utente/SNS), see further below.
Pensioners EU and UK:
Among the EU countries and the UK there is an agreement for people who are retired and receiving a State pension, they will be covered under the State healthcare system in any EU country where they may be Resident. Pensioners with retirement, invalidity or another type of State pension from an EU country/UK or other country with social security agreements with Portugal are obliged to obtain a document, form S1 (former E121) from the country of origin, which confirms that they are in receipt of a state pension and are covered by health insurance. The S1 form is very simply obtained by applying to your pension provider. When you have received your S1 you must take it to the Social Security office along with your passport (and a copy), fiscal number (and a copy) and Residency Certificate/Card (and a copy) and apply for a NISS. You can also apply for a NISS online, see below.
When you have obtained your NISS, you can take it to the local Health Centre (Centro de Saúde) and apply for the State healthcare number (Nº de Utente/SNS), see further below.
You can apply for your NISS online if you have a contract of employment or self-employment registration or an S1:
You can apply online by filling in this form and attach a scanned copy of your valid Residency document and contract of employment or self-employment registration or the S1.
You will then receive an email confirming the NISS was issued and with information on how you may collect the respective document in person at a Social Security office. When you pick up the document, you will be asked to show following documents:
Passport
Fiscal number (NIF)
Employment contract/self-employed registration
S1
State healthcare number (Nº de Utente/SNS):
The State healthcare number is issued by the health centre (Centro de Saúde).
They will issue an A4 paper certificate, which gives you the right to treatment by the Portuguese State healthcare and, in certain circumstances, to discounts on medicines. Without this certificate you may need to demonstrate that you have private medical insurance cover before a hospital will provide treatment.
To apply for the Nº de Utente/SNS you will need to present the following documents:
Passport
Residency Card or Residency Certificate
Social Security number (NISS)
Portuguese fiscal number (NIF)
Generally, you will be registered on the computerised system immediately and issued with the Nº de Utente/SNS, however at some Centro de Saúde you will be asked to place the application by email. The A4 certificate will then also be sent to you by email. This process can however take a few weeks or more, depending on how quickly the Centro de Saúde can reply.
Non-Active and Non-Pensioners:
Foreign Residents, holders of a Residency Certificate or a Residency Card, who are NOT receiving a State pension and NOT working or self-employed in Portugal, are also entitled to have a Nº de Utente.
This is specified in the health authority manual:
“Manual de acolhimento no acesso ao sistema de saude de cidadãos estrangeiros”.
An inscription in the Portuguese Social Security is not required, you can simply apply for the Nº de Utente at
your local Centro de Saúde. You will need to present following documents:
Passport
Residency Card or Residency Certificate
Portuguese fiscal number (NIF)
Generally, you will be registered on the computerised system immediately and issued with the Nº de Utente, however at some Centro de Saúde you will be asked to place the application for the Nº de Utente by email. The A4 certificate will then be sent to you by email. This process can however take a few weeks or more, depending on how quickly the Centro de Saúde can reply.
European Health Insurance Card
In Portuguese the card is called: Cartão Europeu Seguro Doença (CESD)
This card will cover you in any of the European Union member states and in the U.K. for emergency health treatment and is a substitute for the former E111. To apply for the card at your local Segurança Social office, you need to bring following:
Social Security Number (NISS)
- Residency Card/Certificate
ID (Passport)
Portuguese fiscal number (NIF)
Nº de Utente/SNS
It is also possible to apply for the CESD online on the Segurança Social Direta portal.
If you do not already have a password (palavra-passe), you will need to request that first by making a registration (Efetuar Registo). Once the password is set up and you are logged in to your personal page on the portal, you can apply for the CESD there.
In theory the cards should be sent to you within 5 days, but in reality it could be around 10 days or more. If you are travelling and urgently need the card, you can be issued with a provisional certificate when you are at the Social Security office.
The EU/UK citizens who are pensioners and Residents in Portugal, and presented an S1 form to the Segurança Social in Portugal, must ask their pension offices or social security office from their home country to issue this card, it is the country that pays your pension that issues the European Health Insurance Card for you.
People who have a NISS but are non-active (not employed/self-employed) and have never paid Segurança Social contributions in Portugal are NOT entitled to the CESD issued by Portugal.
SNS 24 Portal
After receiving your Nº de Utente/SNS, you can use the SNS (National Health Service) portal to make appointments, download prescriptions, request a renewal of prescription, consult your clinical data or the results of the examinations and the vaccination report.
You can login to Área do Cidadão (citizen's area) of the SNS Portal please make sure that you have your Nº de Utente/SNS, and a Portuguese mobile phone number.
On the first page you choose: Número de Utente de Saúde and a Pop-up screen will appear:
In the 1st line you fill in your Nº de Utente (the registration number that you received at the local Centro de Saúde/Health centre)
In the 2nd line your date of birth (Day/Month/Year)
In the 3rd line your Portuguese mobile number and press ACEDER
You will receive an SMS with an access code on your mobile and you need to fill this in within 2 minutes!
It is possible it gives you a failure message, but press enter again, and it might work the 2nd time.
Click AUTENTICAR.
If you did not receive an SMS, you can press Reenviar Código de acesso
On the next page you will see the following:
Balcão SNS 24
At the moment there are several SNS 24 Helpdesks in the North, Centre and Lisbon area of Portugal.
The objective of these spaces is to facilitate and promote access to digital and telehealth services between citizens and health professionals of the National Health Service (SNS).
The services available at the SNS 24 Helpdesk along with a full list of locations.
