EUROPEAN HEALTHCARD
CARTÃO DE SAÚDE EUROPEU
| 🔗 KEY LINKS | |
| 📍 KEY LOCATIONS | Consult all information about health institutions (hospitals and health centers) |
| ☎️ KEY CONTACTS | SNS Line 24 – 808242424 Screening, counseling and referral service: 24h/day Clinical information service: 24h/day Psychological counseling service: 24h/day Administrative services: every day from 8:00 am – 10:00 pm |
WHAT IS IT?
It is a card that allows any national citizen, resident in Portugal, to benefit from medical assistance during their temporary stay in one of the 27 Member States of the European Union, in
Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) allows its holder to obtain the necessary healthcare during a stay in another Member State.
Healthcare is provided in the same way as for beneficiaries of the social security system in the country where they are located, which means that such care may not be free and that there may be charges or non-refundable reimbursements.
Important: The European Health Insurance Card does not cover situations where the person travels to another country for the purpose of receiving medical treatment
WHY WOULD I NEED IT?
You will need it if you travel to another country in the European Union or the European Economic Area and need some medical treatment.
You can apply if you are a resident in Portugal and:
are covered by a social security
those who are not active, pensioners and their family members
beneficiaries of public health subsystems
beneficiaries of private health subsystems
users of the national health service, in the event of there being no link with Social Security or with a public or private health subsystem
STEP BY STEP GUIDE
Online:
Access Segurança Social Direta (if you are not already registered on this service, you must do so and wait for the access password to be sent by email or SMS)
Before proceeding to the next step, make sure your registered address is the correct one!!
Select Menu > Doença > Cartão Europeu de Seguro de Doença > Iniciar pedido
Confirm the data
If all is correct, click Confirmar pedido > OK
Click on the Certificado Provisório button. This will download a certificate that is valid for 3 months.
The card will be sent home, to the address that is on Social Security.
In person, at a Loja do Cidadão or Social Security counter. Make sure to have your NISS proof
After the request is made, the average delivery time is 5 to 7 working days. However, this time will vary depending on the time of the year and volume of requests.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
Social Security Identification Card/proof
Public or Private Subsystem Beneficiary Card
National Health Service User Card/proof
| FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS | |
|---|---|
| How much does it cost? | Registration at the health center is free, therefore there are no costs associated with this process. |
| How long does it take? | Average processing time varies depending on the health center. However, in general, the registration process does not take long and can be completed on the same day. |
| What is the Provisional Replacement Certificate? | The Provisional Replacement Certificate is a document equivalent to the European Health Insurance Card and replaces it when the health insurance institution cannot provide the card quickly, for an upcoming and unplanned trip, or when the card is lost or forgotten, in which case the institution covering you can send a Provisional Replacement Certificate (by fax, for example) directly to the healthcare provider in the host country. |
| What happens if I’m travelling and don't have a European Health Insurance Card? | If you find yourself abroad and do not have a European Health Insurance Card, you may have to pay for the medical care you need. You can later try to get reimbursed by Social Security, but the process can be time-consuming and is not always guaranteed. The provisional certificate we mentioned earlier can also be a temporary solution. |
| When does my card expire? | The card usually has a validity period of 3 years. |
| How can I renew my card? | Renewing your European Health Insurance Card is just as simple. If your card is about to expire, or has already expired, you can renew it as follows: Online – Through Social Security Direct, just as when issuing the first card. In person or by telephone – At Social Security counters or by telephone. |
| I am considering moving to another state to receive proper medical treatment. Can I use the European Health Insurance Card for this purpose? | No. The European Health Insurance Card does not cover situations in which the insured person travels to another State in order to receive appropriate medical treatment. |
| I'm going on vacation. Can I go to a doctor of my choice? | You can only use the European Health Insurance Card if you go to a healthcare provider covered by the health insurance scheme established by the law of the host country. Before traveling, you should find out about the procedures for obtaining medical treatment in the state you are visiting. If you go to a private doctor or private clinic, you will not be able to use your European Health Insurance Card. |
| Will I have to pay for the care provided to me? | An insured person from one State who seeks medical care in another State shall pay only the user fees and/or reimbursements that nationals of the latter State pay to obtain such health care. |
| I have a chronic illness that requires me to see a doctor very regularly. I intend to go to another Member State for a temporary stay. Does the European Health Insurance Card cover my medical care in that country? | Yes. If your illness requires treatment in specialised units and/or units equipped with special equipment and/or specialised staff or if your clinical situation requires special medical monitoring and in particular the use of special techniques or equipment (for example, kidney dialysis treatments or oxygen therapy), you must organise your trip in advance by booking your treatment in advance in order to ensure that you have access to the equipment you need during your stay in the other Member State. If you have consulted your regular doctor and take with you clinical documentation and information about the treatment you need, the medical services in the country where you are temporarily staying may accept responsibility for your medical expenses and carry out any necessary checks (for example, in cases of asthma or diabetes). You are entitled, during your temporary stay in one of the covered countries, to any treatment that is considered necessary, taking into account your clinical situation and the duration of your stay. You can ask the Health Centre or health subsystem to which you are registered to work with the institution in the other Member State to arrange a prior appointment for treatment, in order to ensure access to the equipment you need during your stay. Beneficiaries with chronic renal failure can contact these institutions with the support of the Portuguese Association of Renal Failure Patients. They should not travel without prior assurance that the medical assistance they need will be provided. |
| Does the European Health Insurance Card contain medical information about the holder? | No. The purpose of the European Health Insurance Card is to facilitate access to medical care during a temporary stay in another State and to speed up the reimbursement of costs incurred. It does not contain any clinical information about the holder (e.g. blood type, medical history, etc.). |
| How much does it cost? | The European Health Insurance Card is issued free of charge to the holder. |
COMMUNITY TIPS & LEARNING
🗞️ NEWS TO BE AWARE OF?
- The Government approved two structuring legislative documents for the modernization of the National Health Service. It generalizes the Local Health Units (ULS), creating 31 new ULS, which integrate hospitals and health centers under a single management. The country will now be entirely covered by 39 ULS.
- Like many other countries in Europe and around the world, Portugal is experiencing a shortage of doctors. The SNS is understaffed at the local level and the wait for a family doctor can sometimes be quite long. Each doctor has a limited number of patients they can take on and there is often a wait-list in some municipalities that can take well over a year to get the first appointment.
When not assigned to a family doctor at the local Centro de Saúde, you can only get a minimum level of services such as pregnancy consultations, urgent family planning, acute situations, renewal of temporary disability certificates, chronic prescription renewal, and vaccinations.
HELP US STAY UP TO DATE: REPORT AN ISSUE, SUGGEST AN EDIT OR LET US KNOW IF YOU ARE AWARE OF ANY NEWS OR SCAMS THAT SHOULD BE SHARED!
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