ricko

Are early retirees, those moving to Portugal before getting their UK state pension, having problems with Portuguese bureaucracy?

I did an online search about state healthcare, and found some people had been denied this, though they thought they were eligible through residency.

Is this because you need documentary proof that you are retired in Portugal?

mfesharne

Everyone has problems with Portuguese bureaucracy!

Joking aside, Portuguese NHS care is now solely based on residency & nothing else so get that & you're automatically entitled to the same care as any Portuguese person.

Ukkram

That is correct and I can no longer afford private medical insurance after the big tax expense that took a huge chunk of my savings.
We now have SNS numbers and will use gov hospitals and doctors in future.

We will just wait a bit longer but we are used to waiting all day when my wife had the cancer.

Mac and Mabel

We are both under pension age and, armed with passport, residency certificate and fiscal number, had no problem getting registered for state healthcare at our local health centre in May 2016.

ricko

Many thanks for the replies.
I assume SNS is the social security number, but shouldn't a retiree not need an SNS?

From this, it appears that an SNS is not required.
Yet people who have become residents have complained about not being able to register.

I suppose what I am really trying to find out is what circumstances someone has been denied registering for state healthcare.

mfesharne

When we came here 6 years ago (as early retirees) we were required to get a social security number before we registered with the NHS but this is no longer required however some centres still don't know the new rules & try to insist on it which is typical of Portuguese variable bureaucracy.

The real problem starts when the medical centre insist you do & the SS office say you don't & the way to get over that is have one call the other & sort it out.

Red Eric

SNS is the Portuguese public health service - Serviço Nacional de Saúde

liveaboard

Absolutely correct, and this is exactly how it worked for us.
I went to the SS center first and was told a number was no longer required for the health registration. I got the name and number of the person who told me that.

When registering at my local health center, the secretary called the SS office and was told how to proceed.

This story is already a couple of years old now, anyone telling you otherwise is sorely out of date.

ricko

Thanks for this info - it's very reassuring.


Thanks for removing one more piece of my ignorance concerning Portuguese systems.
When you get this number, do you then register at a doctor's surgery, and show the SNS document if you have to go to hospital?

Loafing Along

Once you have the SNS number you can register at the health centre/ local doctor's surgery. Just to confuse everyone you will then be given a number as a "Utente" - User which is not the same but does link to your SNS number.

Once "up and running" you can find out about all the services available on the Saude website , everything is there from booking appointments to emergencies and so on

ricko

Thanks for the further information.

Where do you go to in order to get the SNS number?

Loafing Along

Social Security office armed with residence certificate, S1 document and passport

ricko

Is the S1 document necessary?
Early retirees will not have this document.

Loafing Along

Assume not as only relevant for pensioners. Maybe NI number documented would do .

Mac and Mabel

Not being of pension age, and not working in Portugal, we did not need an S1 and did not have to deal with Social Security prior to registering at our local health centre. Just went along with the things mentioned previously. No SNS nor SS numbers required of us.