Sick Leave in Portugal: Medical Certificate, Self-Declaration, Pay
When you can self-declare on SNS 24, when you need a doctor's certificate, how much Social Security pays and the rules for caring for a sick child.
Category: Health
How Portugal’s public health service works for residents: SNS registration, SNS 24, emergencies, pharmacies and health alerts.
Flu and COVID-19 Vaccines in Portugal: Who Is Eligible This Winter
The 2026 to 2027 campaign brings free flu shots for small children and moves COVID-19 vaccination to age 70. Who qualifies, which pharmacies can vaccinate you and how to book.
How Foreign Residents Get an SNS User Number and a Family Doctor
The número de utente is easy to get; registering with a health centre and getting a family doctor is where residence papers and local vacancies come in.
SNS 24 Helpline (808 24 24 24): When to Call Instead of the ER
Portugal wants people to phone before they walk into a hospital emergency room. How the SNS 24 line and app work, what a referral changes and when to dial 112 instead.
Emergency Numbers in Portugal: 112, SNS 24 and Other Lines
Save these before you need them. Which number to dial for an emergency, a health question, a poisoning or a crime report, and how warnings reach your phone in Lisbon.
Lisbon Hospital Emergency Rooms: Which One to Go To and When
Lisbon has several big public emergency departments, each tied to a local health unit, plus separate ERs for children and childbirth. Calling SNS 24 first decides where you go and whether you pay.
On-Duty Pharmacies in Lisbon: How to Find One Open at Night
The green cross is dark, it is 11 pm and a child has a fever. How the night-shift system works, what you can buy without a prescription and how electronic prescriptions and SNS discounts are applied.