centro de saúde

Published 3 November 2026, 17:05

The local primary care health centre: family doctor, nurses, vaccinations, certificates and referrals for tests, scans and to specialists. This is also where you register with the health service and get a número de utente; you are registered according to where you live. The centros de saúde themselves have not gone anywhere: since 2024 they have been part of the ULS, and what has disappeared is the ACES groups that used to run them. The units inside them are called USF or UCSP.

Where you come across it. Your first visit to a doctor, vaccinations under the national schedule, referrals, changing your address or doctor.

Not everyone gets a family doctor, and not straight away: it depends on how busy the particular centre is and on the waiting list. Vaccinations under the national schedule are given here free of charge.

Official website: sns24.gov.pt

Guides

How to register with a Centro de Saúde and see a doctor in Portugal Your first weeks after moving to Portugal: what to do, in order A child and the doctor in Portugal: where to go when your child is ill and how to get vaccinations Pregnancy and childbirth in Portugal: from registering your pregnancy to child benefit Dental treatment in Portugal: state vouchers, private clinics and prices Ambulance and urgência in Portugal: what to do if you feel unwell right now Family doctor in Portugal: how to get one and what to do until you have one Medicines and pharmacies in Portugal: prescriptions, prices and what the state pays for Adult vaccinations in Portugal: what you're entitled to, what's free and where to take your records from home How to find a psychologist or psychiatrist in Portugal How to move from Russia to Portugal: step by step, from ‘I’ve decided’ to ‘I live here’ The Asian hornet in Portugal: how to recognise it, what to do if you are stung and where to report a nest Tiger mosquito in Portugal: how to recognise it, why it is dangerous and what to do at home What to do if a doctor brushed you off or got the diagnosis wrong