Pregnancy and childbirth in Portugal: from registering your pregnancy to child benefit
This guide will help you arrange antenatal care through the Serviço Nacional de Saúde (the National Health Service, SNS), top it up with private appointments if needed, and work out in advance which maternity hospital you will give birth in. After the birth you will register the baby, get a health number and apply for family allowance.
Register with your Centro de Saúde as early as possible
After a positive test, go to the Centro de Saúde (public health centre) for your area. Ideally, get your first appointment before week 10. There they will check or issue your número nacional de utente (national patient number), assign a family doctor or a midwifery team and give you the Boletim de Saúde da Grávida (pregnancy health record booklet).
Take your passport, residence permit or proof of your current immigration status, proof of address, tax number and any patient number you already have. If you don't have the usual proof of residence, you may be asked for a certificate from the Junta de Freguesia (parish council) confirming that you have lived in Portugal for more than 90 days. In practice, reception desks ask for different things. A patient number on its own does not always mean automatic free cover: ask them to check in the system specifically that you are entitled to pregnancy care.
If you have pain, bleeding, a sudden turn for the worse or other worrying symptoms, don't wait for a routine appointment. Call SNS 24 on 808 24 24 24, or 112 if your life is in danger.
Not having a family doctor doesn't stop you registering: a duty doctor or whichever doctor is free will see you and refer you for tests and the first screening. Pregnancy is one of the grounds for a temporary utente number if you don't have a residence permit yet. How you get a doctor, what an appointment looks like without one and what doesn't work with a temporary number is covered in the guide Family doctor in Portugal.
“They wrote to me that I needed a certificate from the junta, but I showed the certificate from AIMA, it had the morada on it. Plus, as I've written before, they were waiting specifically for a note from their own doctor saying I'm pregnant, so they could finish something in the system and everything would be free. So I went to an appointment, the doctor gave me the note and I handed it in at reception.”
Translated from Russian; the original is at the linkberemennost_portugal12.05.2026
Decide whether to rely on the SNS alone or pay for private care as well
A low-risk pregnancy can be managed entirely through the SNS: the main appointments, prescribed tests, three routine ultrasound scans and the birth in a public hospital are paid for by the state once your entitlement to care is confirmed. If there are complications, the family doctor refers you to the relevant hospital department.
Many people use private care alongside: to choose a particular gynaecologist, get quicker appointments and have extra check-ups when worried. Ask whether the doctor delivers babies, which hospital they work at and whether your insurance covers it. Ask the clinic for a written orçamento (quote): appointments, ultrasound scans, tests and the birth may be charged separately.
Don't buy insurance once you are already pregnant without reading the terms. Childbirth cover usually comes with a período de carência (waiting period). In the case described, Multicare required the policy to have been in force for a year by the time of the birth; the €500 payment was an insurance co-payment, not the full price of a private birth without insurance.
“I've got Multicare. For the birth it's a fixed 500 euros. But the insurance has to be a year old by the time you give birth (so 3 months before pregnancy)”
Translated from Russian; the original is at the linkberemennost_portugal20.08.2026
“I had a scan at 6 weeks 5 days, they listened to the heartbeat. Then I booked for 9 weeks 5 days, routine, but I also had to come in at exactly 9 because I had brown discharge. The next appointment was at 11 weeks. I'm being seen both by the family doctor at the Saúde and by a gynaecologist at a private centre. But if I suddenly feel anxious, I book wherever there's an appointment with any doctor.”
Translated from Russian; the original is at the linkberemennost_portugal18.07.2026
Have your first-trimester tests
At the first appointment the doctor will confirm how far along you are and ask about illnesses, medicines and previous pregnancies. You will usually be sent for a full blood count, blood group and rhesus factor, blood sugar, a urine test and urine culture, and tests for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and immunity to rubella and toxoplasmosis. The exact list depends on your medical history and the current protocol.
The first routine obstetric ultrasound scan is done between 11 weeks and 13 weeks 6 days. It checks the dates, the number of babies, the anatomy and markers of chromosomal abnormalities. The scan and the standard combined screening are free if an SNS doctor prescribed them and they are done in a public facility or in a private centre with an SNS contract.
The non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) is not free for every pregnant woman. It may be prescribed on medical grounds, for example after a screening result. Additional genetic panels and tests without a medical reason are usually paid for.
“They did the NIPT for me themselves. But there was another problem. I waited over two months for an appointment for the first screening. I went to the hospital and said, I really need a scan now, I'll soon be 14 weeks and it'll be too late. But no, ‘the senhora has to wait’. In the end they did the screening at fourteen weeks, told me off for being late (haha) and prescribed the NIPT.”
Translated from Russian; the original is at the linkberemennost_portugal03.06.2026
“At my first appointment at 6 weeks they just did a scan, showed me the heartbeat, asked what I was taking (I was already on folic acid and vitamins, + knew my ferritin was fine). They didn't order any tests, told me to come back in 2 weeks.”
Translated from Russian; the original is at the linkberemennost_portugal07.05.2026
Book your second- and third-trimester scans early
The second routine ultrasound scan — a detailed check of the baby's anatomy — is usually done between 20 weeks and 22 weeks 6 days. The third scan, to check the baby's growth and position, is scheduled at roughly 30 weeks to 32 weeks 6 days. With an SNS referral they are free, but it is best to look for a slot at a contracted clinic as soon as you get the referral.
Between weeks 24 and 28 you will usually have an oral glucose tolerance test for gestational diabetes and repeat some blood tests. Later on, the full blood count, infection tests and urine test may be repeated. At around 35–37 weeks a swab is taken for group B strep. If you are rhesus negative, the doctor decides separately on anti-D immunoglobulin and also offers the vaccinations recommended in pregnancy.
If the standard tests are not enough, the doctor orders additional ones. Getting a free procedure just because you want it is not always possible: for example, a referral for intravenous iron may depend not only on your ferritin and symptoms but also on accepted medical criteria.
“In Porto they booked me a scan at the public hospital straight away. But from experience, for any scan with a referral it's better to look for a slot early, there are queues. Unilabs do them too, I think”
Translated from Russian; the original is at the linkberemennost_portugal19.06.2026
Get a referral to a public maternity hospital
In the SNS, the maternity hospital is usually determined by your address, medical needs and the referral pathway of your Centro de Saúde, not just by personal choice. Discuss the hospital with your doctor before week 30–34. A private maternity hospital is chosen by agreement with your doctor and insurer.
In a low-risk pregnancy, the hospital often invites you to the first late appointment only at 38–39 weeks. There they check your documents and test results and may do an ultrasound scan, cardiotocography (CTG) and a cervical check, and discuss induction if you go overdue. Bring your Boletim de Saúde da Grávida and all your results, including those done privately.
Maternity wards and emergency services may operate differently from day to day. When contractions start or you think your waters have broken, call SNS 24 before setting off, unless the hospital has told you otherwise. Turning up without a referral is possible for an emergency assessment, but counting on this to get into the maternity hospital you chose in advance is risky.
“I'd decided on the hospital where I'd give birth before 30 weeks. I told the family doctor and she notified the hospital. 2 days later I got a text saying I had an appointment at that hospital at almost 39 weeks. Today I went to that appointment at the hospital. They did a CTG, a scan, checked the cervix, copied the info from the pregnancy booklet, looked at all the screenings, gave me documents 📄 to read and bring signed to the hospital when I'm in labour. And sent me home to ‘go for walks and have sex’ 🤣 As I understand it, this hospital appointment basically isn't scheduled before 38 weeks.”
Translated from Russian; the original is at the linkberemennost_portugal20.08.2026
“It's all free. Even though I was seen at CUF during the pregnancy, I also registered at my Centro de saude and after the 3rd screening the doctor from the public clinic gave me a referral to Vila Franca hospital.”
Translated from Russian; the original is at the linkRussosEmPortugal05.06.2026
Prepare for how the birth will go
Check with the specific hospital when to come in, whether one birth partner can stay with you the whole time, what to bring for mother and baby, and which documents to sign in advance. Write a plano de parto (birth plan), but treat it as a list of preferences: final decisions depend on how mother and baby are doing.
Public maternity hospitals provide monitoring, pain relief where medically indicated and an anaesthetist is available, induction, caesarean section and care for the newborn. Medical interventions should be explained and agreed with you, except in emergencies. If you don't understand an explanation, ask them to speak more slowly, call an interpreter or bring in your birth partner.
At a private hospital, check in advance not only the price of the birth but also the extra charges for a caesarean, the anaesthetist, additional nights and treatment for the baby. Even with insurance, the total depends on your contract. At the public hospital in Faro, a mother who spoke no Portuguese had an epidural, oxytocin given with her agreement, meals and help with paperwork; at the private CUF hospital, a birth also went according to a plan agreed with the doctor in advance.
“Yes, like they told you, there are public hospitals in Portimão and Faro. I gave birth in Faro — everything was fine, I have absolutely no complaints about the staff. I don't speak Portuguese. The epidural was done well, I didn't have any after-effects or problems with it. When the contractions slowed down they gently suggested oxytocin. I agreed and in the end I gave birth after an hour of pushing. They treated me well, the food was good, and the window for doing the paperwork was open too. The staff gave advice and helped. A woman from a completely different department helped me with the documents. The only thing is, I'd have liked more tea to drink 😆 maybe you could”
Translated from Russian; the original is at the linkberemennost_portugal14.05.2026
Register the birth
The birth must be registered within 20 days. At a public maternity hospital this can often be done through the Balcão Nascer Cidadão (newborn registration desk). If there is no such desk, go to the Conservatória do Registo Civil (civil registry office) or use online registration if the parents meet its conditions.
You will need the parents' documents and the declaração de nascimento (medical notification of birth), which the maternity hospital sends. Registering the second parent may require them to attend in person and bring additional documents; a foreign marriage certificate is sometimes requested with an apostille or legalisation and a translation.
Registering the birth does not mean the baby automatically gets Portuguese citizenship. That is a separate procedure, and its rules depend on the parents' citizenship, their residence in the country and the law in force on the date of birth.
Get a patient number and arrange medical care for the baby
After civil registration, the baby is usually given a Número de Identificação Fiscal (tax number, NIF), a Número de Identificação da Segurança Social (social security number, NISS) and a número nacional de utente (national patient number). If the health number doesn't appear automatically, take the birth certificate, the parents' documents and proof of address to the Centro de Saúde.
Don't put off the teste do pezinho (heel-prick test) because of paperwork delays. The national newborn screening should ideally be done between the third and sixth day of life, at the maternity hospital or the Centro de Saúde. Book the baby's first check-up and vaccinations. The Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine is not given to everyone in Portugal: only children in defined risk groups get it.
The mother is also entitled to a postnatal check, usually after four to six weeks, or sooner if there are problems. Find out in advance whether it will be an ordinary examination or a separate ultrasound scan: they are not the same thing.
“At the Saúde in Cascais they gave me a leaflet while I was still pregnant saying first you register the baby and only then the heel prick, all within 5 days. They refused to do the BCG there too, said Russia isn't in their database of high-risk countries because Russia has closed off its statistics.”
Translated from Russian; the original is at the linkberemennost_portugal16.07.2026
“I had it done in the same place where I gave birth, in the public maternity hospital. A month after the birth I had a scheduled check-up, they did the scan there too.”
Translated from Russian; the original is at the linkberemennost_portugal21.05.2026
Apply for abono de família
Abono de família para crianças e jovens (family allowance for children) is not paid automatically to every family. Whether you get it and how much depend on your income and household, the child's age, residence in Portugal and your assets. Once the baby has a NISS, check your household details in Segurança Social Direta (the social security online account) and apply for the allowance.
Have ready the NISS of the baby and the parents, proof of income and residence, household details and a bank IBAN. It is best to apply within the first six months: if you apply later, payments for the missed period are usually not fully backdated. Check the current amount with Segurança Social, as it is calculated by income bracket and social benchmarks that change every year.
Don't confuse abono de família with subsídio parental (parental leave benefit). The latter depends on your social security contributions and needs a separate application.
What it costs, according to community conversations
| insurance, two adults | €64 a month for two with Multicare Fidelidade | source |
| doctor's appointment with insurance | €19 for each of the first 8 appointments a year, then €30 | source |
| scan with insurance | €42 with Multicare in the case described | source |
| birth with insurance | fixed €500 co-payment with Multicare; the policy had to have been in force for a year by the time of the birth | source |
| screening, Lusíadas | €160 for the second screening; the insurer refunded half, so the patient's share was €80 | source |
| extended NIPT, CUF | €620 for the extended non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) | source |
| birth with a CUF discount | around €3,000–3,200 when the birth isn't covered by insurance but with a clinic discount or a CUF plan; these are individual cases | source |
| deposit for the birth, CUF | €2,750 paid upfront for a birth without cover; the clinic was to bill the final balance later | source |
What changed
- 29 August 2026 — added who to see if you are pregnant and have no family doctor
- 29 August 2026 — added that you can register without a family doctor, and a link to the guide about family doctors
- 26 August 2026 — added readers' stories
What to bring
- passport or other ID of the parents
- residence permit or proof of immigration status
- proof of address in Portugal
- Junta de Freguesia certificate of residence, if requested
- Número de Identificação Fiscal (tax number, NIF)
- número nacional de utente (national patient number)
- health insurance details, if you have insurance
- Boletim de Saúde da Grávida (pregnancy health record booklet)
- results of tests, screenings and ultrasound scans
- list of medicines, allergies and important diagnoses
- plano de parto (birth plan), if you have written one
- declaração de nascimento (medical notification of birth)
- foreign marriage certificate, legalised and translated, if requested
- IBAN for receiving social security payments
Where people most often trip up
- Reception checked the utente number but didn't activate free pregnancy cover.
- The referral for screening came late, and the first available slot was already past the required window.
- A private lab has no SNS contract and charges the full price even with a referral.
- Insurance was bought after the pregnancy began, so the birth is excluded from cover because of the waiting period.
- A €500 co-payment is taken to be the full cost of a private birth, though it is only a payment under one particular policy.
- The chosen public maternity hospital does not match your address-based referral pathway and won't accept a planned referral.
- Nobody checked before the birth whether the obstetric emergency service would be open on the chosen day.
- The paper pregnancy booklet and test results from private clinics were not brought to the maternity hospital.
- Registering the birth is put off, which also delays the baby's numbers and benefit applications.
- Paperwork leads to missing the recommended window for the heel-prick test — the third to sixth day of life.
- Abono de família is assumed to be automatic and no separate application is made to Segurança Social.
How it went for people
A natural birth and three stitches
At 35 weeks a woman changed doctors because a caesarean was looming and chose a specialist who supported natural birth. On her due date she was 2–3 fingers dilated, and a few hours later already 5 cm; she was admitted to the ward at 15:30 and gave birth at 19:30 with an epidural. While pushing she agreed to a lateral episiotomy and got 3 stitches. After the birth the staff explained almost nothing about how to feed and look after the baby, so she advises discussing interventions in advance and getting a doula, or questioning the nurse on duty in detail.
Birth and treatment for jaundice after discharge
At 38 weeks the woman's waters broke, followed by induction, an epidural and a ventouse; labour lasted 26 hours and ended with several small tears. On the postnatal ward she was first told to press the button and call a nurse before having a shower, and then it turned out she wasn't supposed to get up; after the misunderstanding everything was fine. The baby had jaundice from the first day: the private hospital gave phototherapy and said the problem was solved, but the family then went to the public hospital in Setúbal. There the baby spent time in the neonatal unit, and a week later the treatment was still going on.
Induction without consent at forty weeks
At 40 weeks and 3 days, the doctor did a membrane sweep during an examination without warning the woman or asking for her consent. That same evening her waters broke and frequent, painful contractions began; 4 hours later she was still only 2 cm dilated, so she asked for an epidural. She fell asleep, rested and woke up fully dilated, and the birth ended well. She isn't angry with the doctor about the procedure itself, but thinks it was important to discuss it beforehand.
The insurer refused six weeks before the policy's anniversary — the birth had to be paid for
The birth was planned at a private hospital on insurance, and by then a year had already passed since the policy began. But the doctor requested cover earlier — six weeks before the annual renewal — and the insurer refused. When the family arrived at the emergency department with contractions, the mother was taken to a ward and her husband was sent to reception to pay a deposit; on learning of the insurer's refusal, they demanded the minimum price of a birth — €2,100 — and after the birth billed another €900. In the end the money was returned: the insurer explained the situation to the clinic, which made a refund, keeping only the €500 due under the terms of the insurance.
Thirty-eight hours of labour and an epidural that didn't work
A woman with a scar from a previous caesarean section was sent to the labour ward when she was only one centimetre dilated. Labour took 38 hours, and the main difficulty was the anaesthesia: the epidural stopped working after the first injection, however much more they gave, so the pain kept building. By nine in the evening she was only two to three centimetres dilated, and her daughter was born that same night at four in the morning.
A day of contractions at home and a day of waiting under an epidural
Contractions began at nine in the evening, by midnight it was impossible to sleep through them, and the couple went to hospital only a day later, going by a contraction timer. That first day at home turned out to be the hardest: breathing, massage, a hot-water bottle and the shower, which they had worked out in advance, all helped. At three in the morning in hospital she had an epidural and managed to sleep until morning. Under the epidural she dilated slowly, and when sitting or leaning forward the baby's heart rate dropped, so she had to lie down and wait the whole of the next day.
Retold in our own words from messages in open chats. The link leads to the full original message.