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Moving to Portugal at 63 or 66 is the retirement plan for many people. When you look for health insurance in Portugal over 60, the question is less which plan is the best. Three other questions matter more: which insurer still accepts you at your age, how long it keeps you, and what the cover costs at 75 or 80.
The answers are rarely in the brochure. They are in the policy conditions. We have read the publicly available documents (conditions, product sheets, sales material, application pages) of Allianz Saúde, Multicare, Médis, Generali Tranquilidade and MGEN, and of the international providers APRIL, Cigna and Bupa, with these three questions in mind.
The entry ages of Allianz and APRIL are already covered in our comparison of private health insurance in Portugal. For retirement, three further points count: the age limit for staying in the contract, how the premium develops, and the plans that only start at 55.
- Three age questions decide: until when you can take out a plan, whether cover ends at a certain age, and how steeply the premium rises with age.
- Allianz Saúde accepts applicants up to 65 in Base, Standard, Mais and Extra, and up to 60 in Total. For the policyholder and spouse, the conditions state no age limit for staying in the contract in Base, Mais, Extra and Total; for Standard, the public documents do not say.
- Médis Vintage accepts applicants between 55 and 75 according to the product sheets of Caravela (co-insurer alongside Médis) and Ocidental (insurer Ageas Portugal), with no age limit for staying in the contract.
- For Multicare and the standard Médis plans, the conditions provide for an age limit for staying in the contract, and the number is in the condições particulares. When it is reached, cover ends at the end of the insurance year. Ask for the limit in writing before you sign.
- The premium rises with the age band. Allianz and Multicare name age bands explicitly; with Multicare, the conditions also say the new band takes effect without advance notice.
- With Allianz, Médis and Generali, contracts run for one year. Either side can give notice to the end of the insurance year on 30 days’ notice. If the contract is not renewed and the risk is not covered proportionally by a later contract, the insurer must keep paying for up to two years for insured illnesses that arose during the term under Article 217 of the Insurance Contract Act, if you report them within 30 days.
- Plans from 55, such as Allianz 55 Mais and Generali Saúde +55, are insurance contracts, but mainly provide access to a network at agreed prices, plus a daily hospital allowance or, with Generali Valor Mais, hospital costs up to €5,000.
- Retirees with a UK State Pension may be entitled to an S1 form paid for by the UK; those with a pension from an EU country and no pension or other income from Portugal can request an S1 from the country that pays the pension. Either way, they can then use the Portuguese state health service SNS on the same basis as Portuguese residents.
Three age questions before any price comparison
If you look for health insurance at 40, you compare benefits and prices. If you look at 63 or 68, you first have to find out whether a plan is still open to you at all and whether it will still be there in old age. In Portugal, no law sets this uniformly. Articles 213 to 217 of the Insurance Contract Act (Decreto-Lei 72/2008) contain no age limit; they leave it to each insurer’s conditions.
Entryidade de adesão
Up to what age does the insurer accept you? With Allianz, the limit applies to each insured person separately, including a spouse; with other insurers, check this separately.
Stayingidade de permanência
Does cover end at a certain age, or can you stay without limit? This number is often not in the general conditions.
Premiumescalão etário
Does the premium rise with every age band, and how is an increase announced? This decides whether the contract is still affordable at 80.
The order matters. A plan with a low starting price does little for you if it loses you at 70 because of your age. And a plan with no age limit can become expensive if the premium jumps with every age band.
The basic cover: SNS, the S1 form and cover from home
For many retirees in Portugal, the national health service Serviço Nacional de Saúde (SNS) is the basis of care and private health insurance is an addition. Our page on health insurance in Portugal gives an overview of the system.
Who is treated in the SNS
Anyone who lives in Portugal legally receives an SNS user number (número de utente); for the SNS to cover the costs, a Portuguese tax number (NIF), a full address and a valid residence permit must be on record (gov.pt, Cuidados de saúde para migrantes). User fees (taxas moderadoras) are now charged in the SNS only in hospital emergency departments, and not even there if the SNS referred you or you are admitted as an inpatient afterwards (ERS, Alerta de Supervisão 6/2025, 12/2025, based on Decreto-Lei 113/2011 as amended by Decreto-Lei 37/2022). Other co-payments that are usual in the SNS are not affected.
With a UK State Pension: the S1 form
According to the UK government, you may be entitled to state healthcare paid for by the UK if you are resident in Portugal and receive a UK State Pension. You need to be registered as a resident in Portugal first. You request an S1 form by phone from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services, register it at a social security office (Segurança Social) and at your local health centre (centro de saúde), and are then treated in the SNS on the same basis as a Portuguese citizen. Do not expect free NHS treatment on visits to the UK; there are exceptions, for example for UK nationals who were living in the EU on or before 31 December 2020 and hold a registered UK-issued S1, and you may be entitled to a Portuguese EHIC for visits. The UK government page is marked “Last updated 14 October 2021”, so check gov.uk, Healthcare in Portugal for the current procedure before you rely on it. How the UK and Portuguese systems differ is explained in our article Comparing the UK and Portuguese health systems.
With a pension from an EU country: the S1 from your pension institution
If you receive a pension from an EU country and no pension or other income from Portugal, you and your family receive treatment in Portugal, provided you would be entitled to treatment in the country that pays your pension. You request an S1 form (formerly E106) from your health insurance institution in that country and register it with the relevant health insurance institution when you arrive in Portugal (Your Europe, health insurance in the country of residence). If you receive pensions from more than one country and one of them is Portugal, Portugal is responsible for your healthcare.
Long-term care is a separate question from health insurance. Our article Long-term care in Portugal for expats explains what to look at.
Private cover from your home country
If you hold a private health policy in your home country, how it settles treatment in Portugal is set by its own terms. Ask the insurer in writing before you move, and before you think about cancelling, ask whether you can suspend the policy instead.
Residence visa
EU citizens do not need a visa to move to Portugal. If you need a residence visa, as a British or American citizen for example, the general documents of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs list a “Seguro de viagem válido, que permita cobrir as despesas necessárias por razões médicas, incluindo assistência médica urgente e eventual repatriamento”, that is, valid travel insurance with emergency medical care and repatriation (Portal Diplomático, Vistos de residência). The footnote adds that this requirement “poderá ser dispensado”, may be waived, where a bilateral or international agreement on medical assistance applies, and names Brazil (PB4) and the United Kingdom (S1) as examples.
Many people add private insurance to the SNS to use private clinics and choose their own appointments. This is exactly where the age limits decide.
Entry age: until when you can take out which plan
Allianz Saúde accepts applicants up to 65 in Base, Standard, Mais and Extra and up to 60 in Total, APRIL up to 70 and Médis Vintage up to 75 according to the product sheets; Allianz 55 Mais and Generali Saúde +55 start at 55 with no stated upper limit. The overview summarises what the public documents say about entry and staying in the plan. Where a field shows “not stated”, we found no number in the documents named. That does not mean there is no limit.
| Insurer | Plan | Entry | Staying | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allianz Saúde | Base, Mais, Extra | up to 65 | no age limit | Condições Gerais e Especiais 229, cl. 8.ª |
| Allianz Saúde | Standard | up to 65 | not stated in the public documents | Nota de Informação Prévia 657 (11/2025) |
| Allianz Saúde | Total | up to 60 | no age limit | as above |
| Allianz Saúde | 55 Mais | from 55, upper limit not stated | no age limit | as above |
| Multicare (Fidelidade) | Multicare 1, 2 and 3, Vital, Padrão | conditions refer to a subscription age, number not stated (cl. 8.ª no. 1) | limit is in the condições particulares | Condições Gerais D0028, D0029, D0034, cl. 8.ª and 15.ª |
| Médis | Standard plans | not stated in the conditions | limit is in the condições particulares | Condições Gerais 08/2025, cl. 16.ª |
| Médis | Vintage | 55 to 75 | no age limit | Product sheets Caravela and Ocidental, date of the sheets unclear |
| Generali Tranquilidade | Saúde +55 | from 55, upper limit not stated | not stated | Condições Gerais, product information 03/2026 |
| MGEN Portugal | Saúde (group plan) | no age limit according to the sales document | no age limit according to the sales document | Sales document 2025 for members of an association; policy conditions not found publicly |
| APRIL International | Long-Term International | up to 70, from 65 only with full medical underwriting | no cancellation because of age or health | Policy Guide 2026-2027 |
| Cigna Global | Health Options | not stated (minimum age 18) | no non-renewal because of claims or illness | Policy Rules 02/2025, cl. 13.1 |
| Bupa Global | Health Plans | Online application: main person from 18, practically open upwards (the form lists 120), other persons up to 80; brochure with no maximum age | automatic renewal, no cancellation because of previous claims | Online application (retrieved 12 October 2026, not a policy condition), brochure 05/2026 |
The Standard module is covered only by the pre-contract information 657 (11/2025), with an entry limit of 65. “No age limit” for staying in the plan is what Allianz states in its age matrix (cl. 8.ª); the clause on termination also refers to the condições particulares (cl. 14.ª). The sources in detail: Allianz (Condições Gerais e Especiais 229, 06/2024), Multicare (Condições Gerais Multicare 123), Médis (Condições Gerais e Especiais, 08/2025; Vintage according to the Caravela product sheet and the Ocidental product sheet), Generali (Condições Gerais Saúde +55), APRIL (Policy Guide), Cigna (Policy Rules, 02/2025), Bupa (online application). The MGEN information comes from a sales document for a group plan, not from the policy conditions; we did not find MGEN’s general conditions. More on the Médis plans on our page on Médis health insurance.
The limit applies to each person
The age limit does not only concern the policyholder. With Allianz, every person must meet the conditions, including a spouse who joins later. Allianz also requires a residence in Portugal and a Portuguese tax number, and accepts only after assessing the state of health (cl. 8.ª no. 1, 2 and 6). If one of two partners is already over the limit, that partner needs a different plan. A couple then ends up with two insurers, or decides together on the plan that accepts both.
Staying in the plan: when cover ends because of age
A plan can accept you at 64 and still end your cover at a certain age: the age limit for staying in the contract (idade de permanência) is not in the general conditions for Multicare and Médis but in your personal contract.
Where the limit is
With Multicare, the contract ends automatically for each insured person at the end of the insurance year in which they reach the age limit that the insurer has set in the condições particulares or in the insurance certificate (Condições Gerais D0028, cl. 15.ª no. 2 b; identical in D0029 and D0034). Médis words it the same way: cover ends at the end of the insurance year in which the person reaches the age limit in the condições particulares (cl. 16.ª no. 1 a).
Allianz Saúde, by contrast, states “Sem limite”, that is, no age limit for staying in the contract, for policyholders and spouses in Base, Mais, Extra, Total and 55 Mais. Only for children does cover end at 25 (cl. 8.ª). The clause on termination does, however, also refer to an age limit in the condições particulares (cl. 14.ª); so with Allianz, too, ask for confirmation that your contract has none. For Médis Vintage, the Caravela and Ocidental product sheets likewise state no age limit for staying in the contract.
One-year contract and notice
The contracts of Allianz, Multicare, Médis and Generali run for one year and renew automatically. The conditions of Allianz, Médis and Generali allow both sides to end the contract on 30 days’ notice to the end of the insurance year. An age limit for staying in the plan is therefore not the only way a contract can end.
For this case there is statutory protection: if the contract or cover is not renewed and the risk is not covered proportionally by a later contract, the insurer may not refuse, for the following two years, to pay for insured illnesses that arose during the term, until the sum insured of the last year is used up. You must inform the insurer of the illness within 30 days of the end of the contract (Article 217 Decreto-Lei 72/2008). Allianz, Multicare, Médis and Generali take this rule into their conditions.
International plans
Cigna Global states in its Policy Rules that a decision not to renew is not based on your claims or illnesses (cl. 13.1). Bupa Global names automatic renewal in its brochure and no cancellation because of previous claims. APRIL expressly rules out cancellation because of your age or health (“We will not invoke cancellation as a result of your age or health record whilst you are insured under the Plan.”); at the anniversary, however, both sides can end the contract. None of the three therefore promises to continue the contract for life.
Premium: how it rises with age
Allianz and Multicare name age bands (escalões etários) explicitly, as does Médis for age-banded plans: with every new band, a higher premium applies. For Generali Saúde +55, the clause does not mention age.
- Allianz Saúde: The premium can be adjusted at every due date; Allianz names inflation, age, claims experience, cover, taxes and other factors as reasons. The adjustment is announced 30 days in advance, and you have 15 days to reply. If you refuse, the contract ends at the end of the current insurance year; if you pay the next premium without objection, the adjustment counts as accepted (cl. 9.ª). The pre-contract information says the premium is adjusted at every renewal according to the applicable tariff and age band (Allianz, Nota de Informação Prévia 657, 11/2025).
- Multicare: If the premium changes because you move into a new age band, this happens automatically and without prior notice; your age on the first day of the insurance year is what counts (cl. 11.ª no. 2).
- Médis: Premiums for moving into a new age band fall due at the next renewal. Other changes to cover, excess and premium are announced by Médis 30 days in advance; if you do not accept them, the contract ends at renewal (cl. 22.ª).
- Generali Saúde +55: The premium can be adjusted annually according to the development of costs, with 30 days’ advance notice (cl. 18.ª). The clause does not mention age.
- International: With Cigna, premium and charges change with every insurance year (Policy Rules, cl. 5.5). AXA writes that insurers factor age into the premium year by year (AXA Global Healthcare, cost).
So before you sign, do not only ask for the premium at your current age, but for the premium table by age band. With Allianz, Generali, Médis, Cigna and APRIL, the conditions also provide for annual adjustments. What private health insurance in Portugal costs overall is explained in our article How much does private health insurance cost in Portugal?
What to ask
Three questions for every insurer
- Until what age will you accept me, and does the limit apply to each person?
- Does cover end at a certain age, and where is that written down?
- By which age bands does the premium rise, and how is an increase announced?
What applies in Portugal
Age bands and age limits in the contract
- With Allianz, Multicare and age-banded Médis plans, the premium follows age bands (escalões etários), and each new band costs more.
- With Multicare, the new band takes effect without advance notice; with Allianz, age is one reason for annual adjustments.
- The conditions of Multicare and Médis provide for an age limit for staying in the plan; the number is in the condições particulares.
The answers in the right-hand column are based on the conditions cited above.
Health assessment and pre-existing conditions after 60
With age, the likelihood grows that there are already diagnoses. Portuguese law treats pre-existing conditions that you know of when the contract is concluded as covered in principle, but allows them to be excluded in general or individually, and allows a waiting period of no more than one year for pre-existing conditions (Article 216 Decreto-Lei 72/2008). Allianz Saúde and Multicare exclude pre-existing conditions in their general conditions, Multicare with exceptions for illnesses that have their own waiting period. Check in each insurer’s quote which of your diagnoses are excluded.
- Allianz Saúde accepts only after assessing the state of health (cl. 8.ª no. 2). According to the pre-contract information 657, pre-existing conditions are excluded whether or not they were declared.
- APRIL International allows only full medical underwriting from 65; the routes below that are described in our comparison.
- Médis Vintage works with waiting periods of 60 to 365 days depending on the benefit, according to the product sheet, Generali Saúde +55 in principle with 60 days, with deviations possible in the condições particulares.
- MGEN advertises, in the sales document mentioned, a group plan with acceptance without a health questionnaire, pre-existing conditions after one year of contract and, in the first year, a 30 per cent share (at least €500) of hospital stays (except childbirth). Anyone who is 65 or older at application is always subject to the waiting periods under the same document, even when switching from another contract.
The older you are when you apply, the more depends on these rules. A plan that accepts you but excludes a known heart condition does not cover exactly what you wanted to insure. How insurers deal with pre-existing conditions is described in our article Pre-existing conditions in health insurance; the waiting periods are explained under Waiting periods in health insurance in Portugal.
Plans from 55: network access instead of reimbursement
Several insurers offer plans that only start at 55 and state no upper limit for entry. They are one way of still getting a contract after 65; besides these, the documents name Médis Vintage up to 75, MGEN with no age limit and the international providers. What they provide, however, differs markedly from health insurance with reimbursement.
Allianz 55 Mais
The 55 Mais plan is a module of Allianz Saúde, so part of an insurance contract with an insurer supervised by the insurance regulator ASF. For hospital, surgery, outpatient treatment and dental treatment, it provides access to the Allianz Saúde 55 Mais network: after treatment you pay the price agreed with Allianz, which is below the provider’s list price. In addition there is a daily hospital allowance of €25 per day, after the number of waiting days stated in the condições particulares and a waiting period of 90 or 365 days, and senior assistance. There are no annual capital limits per person, entry is possible from 55, and there is no age limit for staying in the plan (Allianz, Nota de Informação Prévia 657). Our page on the Allianz Health 55+ Plan calls the module a “health plan”; legally it is a module of the Allianz health insurance and not a health card in the sense of the health regulator ERS.
Generali Saúde +55
Generali Tranquilidade describes Saúde +55 as health insurance for higher age bands. It gives access to the network with discounts at doctors, hospitals and dentists. In the Light variant there is a hospital allowance of €30 per day, from the eighth hospital day and for a maximum of 60 days a year, not for pre-existing conditions; in the Valor Mais variant, hospital costs in the network are covered up to €5,000 (Generali, product information Saúde +55, 03/2026; start and exclusion of the allowance according to the Condições Gerais e Especiais).
With Allianz 55 Mais, you pay for treatment in the network at the agreed price yourself, plus there is a daily allowance. With Generali Saúde +55, the Valor Mais variant covers hospital costs in the network up to €5,000, and the Light variant pays a daily allowance. You bear anything beyond that. Weigh this against the cost of a hospital stay.
Health cards are not insurance
There are also health cards or health plans (cartões de saúde, planos de saúde) that likewise promise discounts in a network. They are not insurance: with health insurance, the risk is transferred to an insurer in return for a premium, and the insurer must be authorised by the ASF (ERS, Cartões de Saúde ou Planos de Saúde, 11/2020). For health plans from providers that are not insurers, the ASF did not see itself as responsible, and according to the health regulator ERS there was no specific statutory regulation (ERS, Parecer on health plans and health cards, 2015). If no insurer is named on your contract, you have a card and not insurance.
Health insurance in Portugal over 60, 65, 70 and 75: what is still possible
The closer an age limit comes, the more it matters what you do beforehand. The limits can change, and for Multicare and the standard Médis plans they are stated in the quote. As of October 2026.
widest choice
Secure the most comprehensive plan
Last chance for Allianz Total. Have Allianz confirm how it counts age. With APRIL, several routes of medical underwriting are still open below 65.
limit of many plans
Prepare your health information
Apply before the limit of Allianz Base, Standard, Mais and Extra. From 65, APRIL requires full medical underwriting, so have test results and medication ready.
international
Ask international providers in writing
APRIL accepts applicants up to 70. In the public documents, Cigna states no maximum age and Bupa practically none for the main person; whether they accept you can only be settled by an application.
senior plan
Have Médis Vintage confirmed
The limit of 75 comes from product sheets of Caravela and Ocidental; whether the plan is currently offered is settled by the quote. Get entry and staying in the plan in writing in the quote.
network plans
Check what a network plan and the SNS cover
Allianz 55 Mais and Generali Saúde +55 state no upper limit for entry. Work out what is left alongside the SNS in the event of a hospital stay.
Two examples: a couple aged 71 and 68, a premium from 65 to 80
Two assumed cases show how age limits narrow the choice and what age bands can add up to over 15 years.
Suppose a married couple from Manchester moves to Tavira. He is 71, she is 68, and both receive a UK State Pension and hold an S1 form. Through the S1, both are covered in the SNS, paid for by the UK. They are looking for an addition for private clinics.
- Allianz Base, Standard, Mais, Extra: no longer possible for either, the limit is 65.
- APRIL International: possible for her (68), with full medical underwriting; he (71) is above the maximum age of 70 that the Policy Guide gives for the applicant. Whether he could be covered as a spouse would have to be asked.
- Médis Vintage: possible for both according to the product sheet, entry up to 75. The plan pays in the network with a 50 per cent co-payment and sums of €2,500 for hospital and €150 for outpatient treatment (Vintage Plus €5,000 and €250); there is no reimbursement outside the network.
- MGEN: no age limit according to the sales document, but as a group plan only for members of a particular association.
- Allianz 55 Mais or Generali Saúde +55: possible for both, but as a network plan.
- Cigna Global, Bupa Global: Cigna with no stated maximum age, Bupa practically none for the main person; whether both are accepted is decided by the application with medical underwriting.
If both want the same insurer, the public documents leave Médis Vintage, a network plan or an application to Cigna or Bupa. Before deciding, it is worth comparing what these routes actually pay in a hospital stay.
Suppose a woman takes out a plan at 65 with an annual premium of €1,500, and the premium rises by 25 per cent with each five-year band. The values are assumed and not a quote.
- Ages 65 to 69: €1,500 a year, €7,500 in total
- Ages 70 to 74: €1,875 a year, €9,375 in total
- Ages 75 to 79: €2,344 a year, €11,720 in total
- From age 80: €2,930 a year
In the 15 years up to 80 she pays €28,595 in total instead of €22,500 with a premium that stays level, and at 80 almost twice the starting premium. The annual adjustments to the development of costs would come on top. If you are planning for retirement, calculate with the premium table by age band, not with the starting premium.
Six mistakes that get expensive in later life
Six mistakes make health insurance in Portugal over 60 expensive, from applying too late to giving up your cover from home too early.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to typical questions about health insurance in Portugal over 60 and 70.
Up to what age can I take out private health insurance in Portugal?
That depends on the plan and on the health assessment. Allianz Saúde accepts applicants up to 65 in Base, Standard, Mais and Extra and up to 60 in Total, in each case after assessing the state of health and with residence and tax number in Portugal; APRIL International up to 70 and Médis Vintage up to 75 according to the product sheets of Caravela and Ocidental. Plans such as Allianz 55 Mais and Generali Saúde +55 start at 55 and state no upper limit, but mainly provide network access.
Can the insurer cancel my contract because of my age?
With Allianz, Médis and Generali, contracts run for one year, and both sides can give notice to the end of the insurance year on 30 days’ notice. The contract can also provide for an age limit for staying in the plan; with Multicare and Médis it may be in the condições particulares. Allianz Saúde states no age limit for staying in the plan for adults, and APRIL rules out cancellation because of age.
Does the premium rise with age in Portugal?
Yes. With Allianz, Multicare and age-banded Médis plans, age is expressly a premium factor; Generali does not mention it in its clause. With Multicare, the conditions also say the move into a new age band takes effect without advance notice. Before you sign, ask for the premium table by age band, not only the premium for your current age.
What health insurance is available in Portugal over 70?
Allianz 55 Mais accepts applicants from 55 and states no upper limit for entry or for staying in the plan, and Generali Saúde +55 states no upper limit for entry. Both mainly provide access to the network at agreed prices and do not replace full insurance; with Generali Valor Mais, hospital costs in the network are insured up to €5,000. In a sales document, MGEN advertises a group plan with acceptance and staying in the plan with no age limit. In the public documents, Cigna Global states no maximum age and Bupa Global practically none for the main person; whether they accept you is decided by the health assessment.
What is the difference between a health plan and health insurance?
With health insurance, an insurer authorised by the ASF takes on a risk in return for the premium. Health cards and health plans give discounts in a network but take on no risk; for providers that are not insurers, the ASF did not see itself as responsible, according to the health regulator ERS. If no insurer is named in the contract, it is not insurance.
Am I covered as a retiree from the UK or from an EU country?
If you receive a UK State Pension and live in Portugal, you may be entitled to state healthcare paid for by the UK. You request an S1 form by phone from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services, register it with Segurança Social and your centro de saúde and are treated in the SNS on the same basis as a Portuguese citizen; the UK government page is marked “Last updated 14 October 2021”, so check the current procedure. With a pension from an EU country and no pension or other income from Portugal, you request an S1 from the institution that pays your pension and register it in Portugal.
What do I pay myself in the state health service SNS?
The user fee (taxa moderadora) is now charged in the SNS only in hospital emergency departments. If you were referred by the SNS or are admitted as an inpatient afterwards, it does not apply there either. Other co-payments that are usual in the SNS are not affected.
What happens to my existing private health insurance from home?
How your policy settles treatment in Portugal is set by its own terms, so ask the insurer in writing before you move. Before you cancel, ask whether you can suspend the policy instead, and cancel only once a new contract has been accepted.
Are pre-existing conditions still insured over 60?
The law treats known pre-existing conditions as covered in principle, but allows exclusions and a waiting period of no more than one year. Allianz Saúde and Multicare exclude pre-existing conditions in their general conditions, and Allianz also assesses the state of health before acceptance. With APRIL, only full medical underwriting is possible from 65.
What happens if my contract is not renewed at 75 or 80?
If the contract is not renewed and the risk is not covered proportionally by a later contract, the insurer must keep paying for up to two years under Article 217 of the Insurance Contract Act for insured illnesses that arose during the term, until the sum insured of the last year is used up. Report the illness within 30 days of the end of the contract. Depending on your age and health, a new plan with reimbursement may be unavailable, because many plans only accept applicants up to 65 or 70; so never cancel before a new contract has been accepted.
Our advice as an independent broker
Clarify the age questions before you compare prices, ideally before you move, so that you can apply as soon as residence and tax number are in place. Ask each insurer to give you in writing until when it accepts you, whether cover ends at a certain age, and by which age bands the premium rises. Use the SNS and, if you are entitled to one, the S1 form as your basis, and choose the private addition by what it actually pays in hospital.
We obtain quotes from Portuguese and international insurers, ask for the age limits in the condições particulares, and show you which plan suits your health and budget at your age. We work in English, are not tied to any insurer, and support you in dealings with the insurer if you make a claim. You will find an overview of all routes on our page on health insurance in Portugal.
We compare entry age, staying in the plan and premium development of the plans you can still take out at your age.
Phone: +351 289 392 452
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As of: 12 October 2026. This article reflects the information available on that date and does not replace individual advice or legal advice. It is based on the publicly available documents of the insurers in the versions given: Allianz Saúde Condições Gerais e Especiais 229 (06/2024) and Nota de Informação Prévia 657, Multicare Condições Gerais D0028 (09/2026), D0029 and D0034, Médis Condições Gerais e Especiais (08/2025), Generali Saúde +55 (Condições Gerais, product information 03/2026), APRIL Policy Guide 2026-2027, Cigna Policy Rules 02/2025, Bupa Global online application and brochure 05/2026, AXA Global Healthcare website (cost page). The information on Médis Vintage comes from product sheets of Caravela (co-insurer alongside Médis) and Ocidental (insurer Ageas Portugal), date of the sheets unclear, and the information on MGEN from a 2025 sales document for a group plan. The information on the S1 form reflects the UK government page (marked “Last updated 14 October 2021”), Your Europe and gov.pt, and the information on the visa reflects the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in each case as of the date stated; the original-language version of each document is authoritative. Example 2 uses assumed values, and Example 1 an assumed couple. Only the conditions and condições particulares of your own contract are binding.
