English-speaking family doctor (médico de família) in Porto?
Image: Teleporto.
We are registered at our local centro de saúde but still have no family doctor assigned. Any tips for finding one who speaks English, public or private?
1 answer
The número de utente is the number of the national health service. With it, the health centre of your address can book a family doctor, vaccinations and ordinary appointments. It is not a promise of an English-speaking doctor.
The simplest route, if you qualify, is the combined request: NIF, NISS and utente together, at a participating Espaço Cidadão. You need a Portuguese address, and you must have asked for or hold a residence permit, be an EU citizen, or have international protection. The official page was updated on 17 September 2026.
If you already have a NIF and do not fit that desk, go to the centro de saúde of the address on your residence document. Take your passport, NIF, and proof of address. The centre, not a Facebook group, decides the paperwork that week.
Ask there whether any clinician speaks English. If you need a consultation in English this week, private clinics in Boavista and Foz often offer it, at their own prices.
Official page: gov.pt, NIF, NISS e utente.