Almost everyone moving to Portugal on a residency visa ends up needing two kinds of insurance:
- Travel insurance for the visa application at the consulate or VFS, and
- Health insurance for the AIMA appointment once you’re here.
It isn’t just the D7 and the Digital Nomad Visa. The D1, D2, D3, study, and family reunification visas all ask for it too.
What most people do, and what I’d do: buy a travel policy that covers whatever your consulate or VFS office asks for and that can be canceled early. Then take out Portuguese health insurance shortly before your AIMA appointment, or earlier if you want “waiting periods” to start running sooner.
At a glance
What you’ll need
Visa application:
✔ Travel insurance with medical cover and repatriation
✔ At least 120 days on paper; many US offices want 12 months
AIMA appointment:
✔ Portuguese health insurance is the safest choice
Over 70 or pre-existing conditions:
✔ MGEN is usually the only realistic option
Where Do You Want to Start?
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The full guide
Which visas need insurance, how long it has to last, what it must cover, and what AIMA accepts.
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Just show me travel insurance
Examples of the policies people use for the visa application.
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Just show me health insurance
The main Portuguese insurers, MGEN for over-70s, and our broker.
The short version
Two Stages, Two Kinds of Insurance
Getting residency in Portugal is a two-step process, and each step asks for a different kind of insurance.
Stage 1: Your visa application
- Where: the consulate or VFS office in your home country
- What they ask for: travel insurance covering medical expenses, urgent care, and repatriation
- What most people use: a long-stay travel medical policy
Stage 2: Your residence permit
- Where: your AIMA appointment in Portugal
- What they ask for: health insurance, or proof you’re covered by the SNS
- What most people use: Portuguese private health insurance
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Why people get confused
The two products overlap. Some health insurance policies can be used at the visa stage. A travel policy can, on paper, be used at AIMA. In practice, each is much safer at its own stage.
After Your Residence Card: SNS Only, or SNS + Private Health Insurance
Once your residence card arrives, the insurance question stops being about paperwork. You can register at your local health center and get a número de utente, which gives you access to the SNS, Portugal’s national health service. From then on, you have two options:
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SNS only
Cancel the private policy and rely on the public system. It’s cheap, and emergency care is good, but waits for specialists and non-urgent surgery can be long.
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SNS plus private insurance
What most people I speak to do. Private insurance for faster specialist appointments, a choice of private hospitals, and English-speaking doctors; the SNS for emergencies and anything expensive.
Stage 1 options
Travel Insurance: A Few Examples
Disclosure: some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through them, Portugalist may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
No insurer is officially approved for Portuguese residency visas, and none of these is guaranteed to be accepted. What matters is whether the certificate shows what your office asks for, so treat these as examples of the kinds of policy people use and check the certificate against the checklist below before you pay.
| Policy | What it is | Key points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SafetyWing | Long-stay travel medical policy | Up to 364 days · $0 deductible · evacuation and repatriation · downloadable visa letter · no pre-existing conditions | Check SafetyWing |
| Feather | Expat health insurance that doubles as visa evidence | Repatriation · visa documentation · continues after you arrive · cancel monthly · no pre-existing conditions | Check Feather |
| Insurte VFS’s partner | Visa travel insurance linked from the VFS booking process | Built for visa applications · convenient, but rarely the cheapest · buying through VFS isn’t required | See Insurte |
A Closer Look
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SafetyWing
An example of a long-stay travel medical policy. You can buy it for up to 364 days, the current version has no deductible, it includes emergency evacuation and repatriation, and you can download a visa letter with your coverage dates. It won’t cover pre-existing conditions, and SafetyWing itself says it can’t guarantee acceptance for any particular visa.
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The VFS-linked option
VFS links to its own insurance partner, Insurte, during the booking process, and it’s the policy many US applicants end up buying when they’re told they need 12 months. It’s convenient and built for visa applications, but it’s rarely the cheapest option. Buying through VFS is not a requirement.
Stage 2 options
Health Insurance Options
Over 70 or have pre-existing conditions?
MGEN is usually your main option.
Most Portuguese insurers stop accepting new customers somewhere in their sixties, and most exclude pre-existing conditions. MGEN is the exception, which is why it’s the default for older movers. See moving to Portugal with pre-existing conditions.
For everyone else, the right policy depends on your age, where you’ll live, and which private hospitals are nearby.
The main insurers
Portuguese health insurers
Get help choosing a policy
We work with a health insurance broker who can search the market for you and explain the waiting periods on each policy. More detail is in the guide to health insurance in Portugal.
Get a Health Insurance Quote
Who needs it
Which Portuguese Visas Require Travel Insurance?
Short answer
Practically all of them.
Travel insurance isn’t a D7 rule or a digital nomad rule. It’s part of the general document list for Portuguese national visas, set out in Article 12 of Decreto Regulamentar 84/2007, the regulation that implements Portugal’s immigration law. The foreign ministry’s residency visa documentation page repeats it for every residence visa.
| Visa | Travel insurance for the visa | Health cover at AIMA |
|---|---|---|
| D1 employment visa | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes |
| D2 self-employed and entrepreneurs, plus the Startup Visa | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes |
| D3 highly qualified visa | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes |
| Student, research, internship, and volunteering visas | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes |
| Family reunification and accompanying family members | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes |
| D7 passive income visa | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes |
| D8 digital nomad visa | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes |
| Temporary stay visas generally (more than 90 days but less than a year), including the temporary stay version of the D8 | ✔ Yes | — (no residence permit) |
The Exceptions
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British nationals with an S1
If you qualify for an S1 form, you can present a certified S1 instead, according to the UK VFS checklists. According to the UK government, you’re usually entitled to one if you receive a UK State Pension or certain other exportable UK benefits, or if your UK employer posts you to Portugal. It’s issued by NHS Overseas Healthcare Services, so request it well before your appointment.
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Golden Visa applicants
The Golden Visa is a residence permit granted without a residence visa, so there’s no consulate stage and no travel insurance requirement. AIMA’s Golden Visa requirements do ask for internationally recognized health insurance covering the permit period (or automatically renewable), or proof of SNS coverage.
The question I get asked most
How Long Does the Travel Insurance Need to Last?
The honest answer is that the written rules and what happens at the counter don’t always match.
Short answer
At least 120 days on paper. If you’re applying in the US, plan for 12 months.
What’s Written Down
The residency visa itself is valid for four months (120 days). That’s the window you have to enter Portugal and attend your AIMA appointment. Portuguese law requires “valid” travel insurance but doesn’t set a length, and the checklists that do mention one tie it to the visa or a fixed period:
| Where you apply | What the checklist says | Length |
|---|---|---|
| United States | The current VFS checklists for the D1, D2, D7, and D8 ask for “valid travel insurance” | No length given |
| United Kingdom | The VFS checklists dated March 2026 (here’s the D2 one) | The full duration of the residence visa: 120 days from your intended date of entry |
| Canada (Toronto) | The Toronto consulate’s residency visa page asks for medical insurance valid in Portugal, including repatriation | A minimum of six months |
What Actually Happens
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US VFS offices are asking for 12 months
In the US, applicants at VFS appointments have been told they need 12 months. San Francisco was the first office people reported this at, and it’s since been reported at other US VFS locations too, including Washington DC, Houston, and Miami. No official checklist I’ve found says 12 months.
In August 2026, one Portuguese relocation firm reported that a D2 client arrived at a US VFS appointment with four months of cover, was told it wasn’t enough, and bought a year-long policy on the spot for $600. VFS later confirmed to the firm, in writing, that cover for the visa’s validity (around 120 days) was what it required.
Why a lawyer or relocation company helps here
That story is the best argument I know for getting help. A lawyer or relocation company sees what each office is asking for this month, not what the website said last year, and can put written confirmation in your hand before you walk in.
If You’re Applying From the US Without Help
✓ Do
- Buy a policy that runs for 12 months and can be canceled with a refund for the unused months. You satisfy the most demanding version of the rule, and you don’t pay for the full year if you switch to health insurance.
- If you’re told your policy isn’t long enough, ask for that in writing first.
✗ Don’t
- Buy insurance from someone at the counter.
- Stitch two six-month policies together (see below).
Why Two Six-Month Policies Is a Risky Shortcut
Many visa travel insurers cap a single policy at six months (AXA Schengen’s single-trip policies top out at 180 days), so it’s tempting to buy two back to back. I wouldn’t rely on it:
If you need 12 months, buy a single 12-month policy.
The checklist
What Does the Travel Insurance Need to Cover?
Legal minimum
Medical expenses, urgent medical assistance, and possible repatriation, valid in Portugal.
That comes from Article 12 of Decreto Regulamentar 84/2007. Consulates and VFS offices commonly add to it, so buy a policy that also ticks these boxes:
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At least €30,000 of medical cover
This comes from the Schengen short-stay visa rules (Article 15 of the EU Visa Code), and most offices apply it to residency visas too.
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Repatriation
Listed explicitly on the certificate.
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No deductible
Not a legal requirement, but a $0 deductible removes one reason for an agent to push back.
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COVID-19 not excluded
VFS offices have asked for this.
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Portugal named
As a covered country, or Schengen-wide cover.
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Cover from your arrival date
Starting on your planned arrival date, with your name and the dates printed on the certificate.
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Watch out for “annual” travel insurance
An annual travel policy is usually an annual multi-trip policy. It covers you for a year of vacations, but each trip is typically capped at 30 to 90 days. Stay longer (which, since you’re moving, you will) and the cover can simply stop. Many also stop covering you once you become resident somewhere else. What matters is the maximum length of a single, continuous trip. For a move, you want a long-stay policy, not a vacation one.
Stage 2
What Insurance Do You Need for Your AIMA Appointment?
On paper, AIMA’s general residence permit requirements ask for health insurance or proof that you’re covered by the SNS. A travel policy that’s still valid should, in principle, count too. In practice, it’s not that simple:
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Travel insurance: sometimes rejected
This is where people most often run into trouble. Some AIMA agents accept it. Others reject it and ask for a Portuguese health policy instead.
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SNS registration: hard to get yet
It’s hard to get before you have a residence card, which is what you’re at AIMA to apply for. A few people manage it, and some agents accept a número de utente, but I wouldn’t plan around it.
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Private health insurance: safest
The option least likely to cause a problem. Bring the policy certificate, proof of payment, and the policy terms. A policy that’s clearly renewable and runs for at least 12 months is safest.
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Students: the rule is written down
AIMA’s requirements for higher-education students list health insurance or SNS coverage explicitly, so don’t skip it on a student visa.
For the rest of what to bring, see the AIMA appointment documents guide.
Timing
When Should You Buy Health Insurance?
The usual sequence looks like this:
Travel insurance for the visa
Covers the consulate or VFS application and your first weeks in Portugal.
Health insurance before AIMA
Take it out shortly after arriving in Portugal, or just before your AIMA appointment.
Drop the travel policy
Cancel it once the health insurance is active, or let it run out.
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Why you might start earlier: waiting periods
Portuguese health insurance policies have waiting periods, called carências, before some benefits can be claimed. These run from around 30 days for basic things to a year or more for surgery, cancer treatment, and pregnancy. If your long-term plan is to use private hospitals and keep the public system as a backup, as most people I speak to do, the sooner the clock starts, the better.
Buying Before You Move
You can take out a Portuguese policy before you move. Most Portuguese insurers will want:
A NIF
Your Portuguese tax number. Most people get one remotely before they apply for the visa.
A Portuguese bank account
Several Portuguese banks open accounts remotely for non-residents.
A Portuguese address
This is the address on your proof of accommodation: a rental contract registered with Finanças, the deeds to a property you own, or a term of responsibility from the person you’ll be staying with.
You’ll need all three for the visa application anyway, so by the time you apply, you’re usually able to buy a policy.
Can One Policy Cover Both Stages?
Sometimes. A health insurance policy can be used at the visa stage if its certificate shows what the consulate needs, and the repatriation part is where most Portuguese domestic policies fall short.
Feather’s expat health insurance is designed to do both: it includes repatriation, generates visa documentation, and continues as your health insurance after you arrive.
The trade-off is that it’s health insurance, priced as health insurance, from day one. If you’d rather keep it simple and only buy one policy, it’s worth a look.
At a glance
Feather
✔ Includes repatriation
✔ Generates visa documentation
✔ Continues as your health insurance
✔ Feather says you don’t need a NIF to buy it
✔ Feather says you can cancel monthly
✖ Priced as health insurance from day one
✖ Pre-existing conditions excluded
The plan
What I’d Do
Before you move
Check the current checklist
For the exact consulate or VFS office handling your application (US, UK), or ask your lawyer what that office is asking for right now.
Buy travel insurance
Covering at least what that office asks for, starting on your arrival date, with a $0 deductible, repatriation, and a refund if you cancel. In the US, I’d buy a single 12-month policy.
Decide when to start health insurance
Before you move if you want the waiting periods running (or if you’re buying a policy that doubles as visa insurance), otherwise shortly after you arrive.
After you arrive
Bring health insurance to AIMA
With proof of payment and the policy terms.
Cancel the travel policy
Once the health insurance is active.
Register with the SNS
Once your residence card arrives, and decide whether to keep the private policy.
Common questions
FAQ
Not Medicare, which generally doesn’t cover care outside the US. A private international plan can work if the certificate shows cover in Portugal, the dates, medical cover, and repatriation. Most US domestic plans don’t.
Yes, for 120 days according to the current UK checklists, unless you qualify for a certified S1 form, which can be presented instead. See moving to Portugal from the UK.
It depends entirely on the policy. Some refund unused months, some only refund before cover starts, and some don’t refund at all. Check before you buy, because that’s what decides whether a 12-month policy costs you 12 months or four.
Some visa-focused travel policies, including the VFS-linked one, offer a refund if the visa is refused. Keep the refusal letter. However, you are also given a 10-day period to reply to the refusal and challenge it, and there’s nothing to stop you from reapplying a second time with whatever documentation you need.
Thinking about Moving to Portugal?