SNS Access for Non-Resident Foreigners: Parliament Passes First Vote

Parliament has taken the first step towards limiting free access to the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde, SNS) for foreigners who do not live in Portugal or who are here without legal status. On 16 October 2026 it approved, in a first vote, a bill from PSD and CDS-PP and one from Chega. Nothing has changed yet: the bills now go to the Health Committee and are not law. Here is what was voted and what it could mean for you.

Update — 16 October 2026: first vote passed

Update (16 October 2026): Parliament approved two bills on SNS access for non-resident foreigners in a first vote (votação na generalidade) on Friday, 16 October, Lusa reported via ECO and Observador. The bills were debated on Thursday, 15 October, as listed on Parliament’s official plenary agenda, and both now go to Parliament’s 9th Committee (Health) for detailed work.

• PSD/CDS-PP bill (Projeto de Lei 786/XVII): foreigners who are not resident in Portugal, or who are staying irregularly, would have to pay for SNS care or show health insurance. The law would set up ways to find who must pay and to collect, including a guarantee or payment in advance where needed. Urgent care stays available, with proof and documents shown afterwards. Votes: PSD, CDS-PP and Chega in favour; PS, IL, Livre, PCP, BE, PAN and JPP against.
• Chega bill (Projeto de Lei 638/XVII): non-EU citizens who are not resident, stateless people, asylum applicants whose claim has not yet been accepted and migrants without legal status would use the SNS by paying for it, plus emergencies, with proof of cover shown later. Votes: PSD, Chega, CDS-PP and JPP in favour; all others against.
• Rejected: a second Chega bill on user fees (it wanted non-residents to pay in full at discharge, and non-resident or irregular pregnant women to pay user fees), a BE bill to end user fees, and a Livre recommendation to let foreigners with a valid permit, or a permit being renewed, register at health centres.
• Approved recommendations (not binding): PS asks the Government for a study of non-residents’ SNS use and billing within 90 days; IL asks for payment, or a deposit, before care when the patient must pay.

What happens next: the Health Committee works on the details, and the two texts can be merged or changed. Then come a final vote, the President’s signature and publication in the Diário da República. Until then, today’s SNS rules apply. The two approved bills treat asylum applicants differently, so check this article again before relying on either text.

Background: the PSD/CDS-PP bill (25 September)

On 25 September 2026, PSD and CDS-PP submitted a bill (Projeto de Lei n.º 786/XVII/2) to change the Basic Law on Health (Lei de Bases da Saúde), as reported by SOL and by the news agency Lusa (published by RTP and DN) on 26 September.

According to those reports, the bill proposes that:

• SNS users would be Portuguese citizens plus foreigners who are legally staying or residing in Portugal, including EU nationals, citizens of non-EU countries, stateless people and people who have applied for international protection (asylum).
• Foreigners without legal status, or who do not live in Portugal, would have to pay for their care, or show proof that someone else covers it (for example, an insurer), and give the documents the SNS needs to identify and contact them.
• A future law would set out how to collect these payments, including, where needed, a guarantee or payment in advance.
• Emergency, urgent and life-saving care would still be given, but the patient would have to present proof of cover and documents afterwards.

The two parties presented a similar bill in the last legislature. It passed a first vote with support from Chega, but lapsed when early elections were called. To justify it, they quote a report from the health inspectorate (IGAS) of November 2024. The report says about 330,000 non-resident foreigners were seen in SNS emergency departments between 2021 and September 2024, and that more than 140,000 of them had no insurance or international agreement to cover the cost. SOL notes that the claim that people travel to Portugal to get free treatment is the parties’ own position.

Separately, Lusa reported on 23 September (via SAPO) that Parliament will debate a Chega bill on user fees (taxas moderadoras) for immigrants in the SNS on 15 October. The details of that bill were not given in the report.

What this means for immigrants

• If you have a valid residence permit, the text as reported keeps you inside the SNS, on the same basis as Portuguese citizens.
• If you are in Portugal without legal status, you would be the group most affected: outside emergencies, you could be asked to pay or show insurance.
• Family visiting from abroad are non-residents and would need their own health cover. Observador reported on 18 September that, according to IGAS, Portugal has no health-care agreements with countries such as India, Nepal, Pakistan or Bangladesh.
• Asylum applicants: the PSD/CDS-PP text as reported in September keeps them as SNS users, but the Chega bill also approved on 16 October would make those whose claim is not yet accepted pay. Which version wins will be decided in committee.
• Still not clear: the reports do not explain how people with a pending AIMA application or renewal would be treated. We will update this article when the committee text makes this clear.

What you should do

• Register with the SNS and get your número de utente if you live here legally and have not done it yet. See our guide: How to register with the SNS.
• Keep proof of your legal status with you: your residence card or, if it has expired, your AIMA renewal receipt. See residence permit renewal.
• Buy travel health insurance for relatives who come to visit.
• In an emergency, do not wait: call 112 or go to the hospital. The proposal keeps emergency care. For advice, call SNS 24 on 808 24 24 24.

Key dates

• 25 September 2026: PSD and CDS-PP submit the bill to Parliament.
• 15–16 October 2026: Parliament debates the bills (15 October) and approves the PSD/CDS-PP bill and one Chega bill in a first vote on 16 October; both go to the Health Committee. The Chega user-fees bill is rejected.
• Next: detailed work in the Health Committee, then a final vote, the President’s signature and publication. No dates have been set. We will update this article.

Sources

• ECO/Lusa – Right-wing parties approve PSD/CDS-PP and Chega bills on non-residents’ SNS access (16 October 2026)
• Observador/Lusa – PSD blocks Chega bill on full payment by non-residents (16 October 2026)
• SOL – PSD and CDS-PP want to charge non-resident foreigners for SNS access (26 September 2026)
• RTP/Lusa – PSD and CDS-PP again propose restricting SNS access for non-residents (26 September 2026)
• DN/Lusa – Same story (26 September 2026)
• SAPO/Lusa – Parliament’s agenda, including the 15 October debate (23 September 2026)
• Observador – IGAS recommendations on non-resident patients (18 September 2026)

Official sources

• Assembleia da República – Plenary agenda for the 15 October 2026 debate (PDF)
• Assembleia da República – Legislative initiatives
• SNS 24 – Official health service portal

Featured image: Photo: Joseolgon, “Hospital de Braga 2”, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hospital_de_Braga_2.jpg (cropped to 1200×675)

This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules change often; check with the official body before acting. Last updated: 16 October 2026.