Ordem dos Médicos

Published 6 November 2026, 09:07

Ordem dos Médicos (OM) — the Portuguese medical association

The self-regulating body for doctors: it keeps the register, admits people to the profession and to specialties, and is responsible for medical ethics and disciplinary cases. You cannot work as a doctor in Portugal without being registered with it. It also speaks out publicly on the state of healthcare — for example, on how many specialists the public system is short of. It is headed by an elected bastonário.

Where you come across it. Checking that a doctor is genuine and has the right specialty; a complaint about a doctor's conduct; recognition of a foreign degree in order to work as a doctor.

The association deals with doctors' conduct, not with complaints about a hospital or the size of a bill: complaints about how care was organised go to the ERS, and disputes about money are handled separately. Recognition of a degree by the association and recognition by a university are different procedures, and you need both.

Official website: ordemdosmedicos.pt

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