SNS

Published 8 November 2026, 21:11

Serviço Nacional de Saúde

The public health system: health centres, hospitals, A&E departments and the round-the-clock SNS 24 line on 808 24 24 24. Since 1 June 2022, user charges (taxas moderadoras) have been abolished almost everywhere; they now apply only when a person goes to A&E on their own, without a referral from SNS 24 or a doctor, and is not admitted to hospital. On 1 January 2024, the hospitals and health centres in each area were merged into Unidades Locais de Saúde (ULS), and the ACES disappeared at the same time. The regional ARS lasted until 1 October 2024, when they were abolished by a separate law, Decreto-Lei n.º 54/2024, and their work passed to the ACSS and the Direção Executiva do SNS.

Where you come across it. Registering with a health centre, referrals for tests and ultrasound scans, subsidised prescriptions, seeking urgent care.

An SNS referral does not always mean an appointment at a public hospital: some tests are done by private clinics under contract with the SNS, and you usually have to find such a clinic yourself. The names ARS and ACES still turn up on old paperwork and websites — they refer to the former structure.

Official website: sns.gov.pt