SNS: non-residents to show an address or health insurance
On 16 October Parliament approved bills from PSD, CDS-PP and Chega on access to the National Health Service (SNS) for foreign citizens who do not live in Portugal, The Portugal News reports. The aim is to require proof of address or health insurance and to make it easier to collect payment for care. The Government says the rights of immigrants who live here legally are protected and that non-residents keep access to emergency care, paid by them or by their insurance. According to the health system's administration, about 4.4 million of the 19.3 million SNS user records lack complete identification.
Why it matters for your move
If you live in Portugal legally, nothing changes for you, but make sure your SNS registration (número de utente) shows your residence permit and current address, so you are not treated as a non-resident. If you are visiting or still moving, travel with health insurance. The final rules are not published yet; we will report when they are.
This is Re-locant.com’s own brief, written to explain what the update means for people moving to or living in Portugal. For the full original report, see the source below.