Do I need private insurance while I wait for a health number?
Image: Teleporto.
I applied for a número de utente and I still cannot book anything. A broker is pushing a one-year health policy. Is the public system usable before the number exists?
1 answer
- Accepted answer
Emergency care does not wait for paperwork. Call 112 for an emergency, and use SNS 24, 808 24 24 24, when you are unsure. That map is in When you are ill in Porto. A family doctor and routine bookings sit behind the health number. How to ask for it is in A family doctor in Porto. Having asked is not the same as having a named doctor this month.
Many residence visas ask for private insurance until you are in the public system. Buy a policy whose certificate the consulate or AIMA can read, for the dates they ask, from an insurer you can look up. A one-year contract you do not understand is a product, not a requirement. Read the exclusions for pre-existing conditions before you sign.
Checked 24 October 2026. This is not legal, tax or immigration advice. If an official page disagrees, follow that page.