The SNS 24 app now shows whether your SNS registration is complete. If it is not, you cannot get a family doctor
Since 29 October you have been able to check the status of your registration in the Registo Nacional de Utentes (RNU), the national patient register of the SNS public health service, in the SNS 24 app and on the SNS 24 portal. Until now you could only find this out at a health centre (ACSS).
There are five possible statuses: registo atualizado — all the required details have been entered; registo atualizado não residente — the details are complete, but the person lives abroad; registo em curso — the registration is still being processed; registo incompleto — some required details are missing; registo histórico — an old, inactive registration. Your status determines whether you are assigned to a health centre, whether you get a family doctor and who pays for your treatment. A family doctor is only assigned to people whose status is registo atualizado (Observador).
If your status is registo em curso or registo incompleto, the missing details have to be added in person: take your documents to any SNS health centre or hospital. This cannot be done online, because your identity has to be checked on the spot.
ACSS does not say exactly which documents to bring (ACSS statement). A foreigner without a residence permit is usually given an SNS patient number (número de utente) with temporary status; what you can and cannot do with it is explained in our guide Family doctor in Portugal.
The non-resident status is given to Portuguese citizens who live abroad: they can still be treated by the SNS at the state's expense, but they are not assigned a family doctor (Observador).
