Only half of foreigners in Portugal have health care paid by the state

Of the 1.8 million foreigners living in Portugal, only 882,000 have updated registration with health centers, which allows them to benefit from health care paid by the state.

Only about 882,000 foreigners are currently registered in primary health care with updated registration with the National Health Service (NHS), which represents approximately half of the 1.6 million foreign citizens Estimated as residents in Portugal by the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) in 2024.

The data, revealed by the central administration of the health system (ACSS), raise concerns about the Universal access to health and the impact of the new registration rules on the system.

According to ACSS, there are 1.8 million foreign citizens with national NHS user, but only those who have updated registration benefit from financial coverage by the state, reports the.

The national user number is often attributed after a first contact with the system, but does not guarantee continued access neither the assumption of costs for public services. About 52 886 registered foreigners did not complete the mandatory data, which may lead to suspension of access if they do not regularize the situation within 180 days.

Since April 1, the new rules for registration in the National Registry of Utress (RNU) and health centers impose the completion of mandatory information such as home, date of birth and identification document. Humans Before Borders (HBB) organization warns that these requirements can function as administrative barriers that compromise the right to health.

Among the main affected are newly arrived children to the countryyoung people in the process of regularization and seasonal workers, who may be without access to basic care such as vaccination or child surveillance. The collective also denounces delays in AIMA’s administrative processes and the requirement of residence data that many cannot provide in time, which leaves them in a precarious situation in the face of the health system.

ACSS ensures that access to urgent and vital care remains safeguarded, even for people in irregular situation, as provided for in current legislation.