The SNS is the public health service. Here is how you get your user number, how to register at a health centre, and what the SNS needs before it covers your costs.
The national user number (número nacional de utente) is given to anyone who needs care in the public units of the SNS, the national health service.
Portuguese citizens get it automatically with the Cartão de Cidadão. It is printed on the back of the card.
Foreign citizens get it the first time they go to a public health unit, such as a health centre or a hospital. You can also ask for it at any public health unit when you don't need care.
You will be asked for:
You may also be asked for your address, your mobile number and your email.
Having a user number does not by itself mean the SNS pays for your care.
For the SNS to cover the costs, your record must also hold:
In some cases set by law, the SNS covers the costs without them.
GuideGet your NIF, the Portuguese tax numberDo you live in another European Union country and are you here for a while to study? gov.pt says that showing your European Health Insurance Card can make access to the SNS easier.
Health centres give consultations, family medicine, nursing care and local services such as nutrition, psychology, oral health and social support.
Anyone with Portuguese nationality can register. So can foreign citizens with a residence permit in Portugal.
Go to the health centre you want, preferably the one for the area where you live. If you have no user number yet, you get it when you register.
Portuguese citizens bring the Cartão de Cidadão and give their address. Foreign citizens bring:
Not sure which health centre is yours? Call SNS 24.
If you live for a while in a different municipality from your home, for school, work or another reason, and you need care, you can make a temporary registration at another health centre. It lasts up to 12 months.
Your registration at home is paused. It comes back by itself when that time ends.
Ask at the health centre where you want the temporary registration.
Guide112 or SNS 24: who to call when you are illChecked on 4 October 2026 against the official pages above.
Rules change. The official page is the one that counts.
Something out of date? Write to sakaloz.hello@gmail.com
Portugal has 2 health lines. 112 is for emergencies. SNS 24 is for health problems that are not an emergency, like a fever or a cough.
Your first weeksYou need the NIF to buy goods or services, sign contracts or open a bank account. Here is who has to ask for one, and how.
Your first weeksYou need a NISS when you start working in Portugal. With a Cartão de Cidadão you already have one. Everyone else asks online, and it is free.
Sakaloz is free. Verify once that you study in Portugal, then show one code at the counter.