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The contract is signed, the insurance card has arrived in the post, and four weeks later the orthopaedic surgeon in Faro recommends a knee arthroscopy. You ask your new health insurer to approve the cost of the procedure, and the reply comes quickly: waiting period, no cover. With some insurers, the waiting period for exactly this procedure runs for a full year.
In Portugal, two rules decide what private health insurance pays in the first months and for conditions you already know about: the waiting period (período de carência) and the treatment of pre-existing conditions (doenças preexistentes). Neither is in the brochure. Both are in the policy conditions and the policy schedule. We have read the public conditions of Allianz, Médis, Multicare and Generali Tranquilidade, the rules of APRIL, Cigna and Bupa Global, and the Portuguese Insurance Contract Act.
The result is clearer than many people expect: the law treats known pre-existing conditions as covered in principle, while the policy conditions exclude them almost without exception. And if you switch insurer, the waiting periods usually start again from zero, unless the new insurer expressly takes over your existing contract as a transfer.
- Waiting periods apply per benefit: with Allianz Saúde, 90 days for most hospital stays and operations, and 365 days for childbirth and a list of typical procedures such as arthroscopy, herniated disc, inguinal hernia or cataract surgery.
- Médis states 90 days for hospital, 60 days for outpatient benefits and 365 days for childbirth; procedures such as varicose veins, herniated disc or arthroscopy also have 365 days.
- Generali Saúde +55 provides for 60 days in the case of illness; Multicare only gives the numbers in the condições particulares of your policy.
- Accidents treated in a hospital emergency department are exempt from the waiting period with Allianz, Multicare and Generali. The Médis conditions contain no such general exception.
- Pre-existing conditions are excluded by Allianz, Médis and Multicare, by Allianz expressly even if you declared them. Generali Saúde +55 only pays for illnesses and accidents from the start of the contract; anything that existed before is not covered.
- The law (Article 216 DL 72/2008) allows this exclusion by agreement and limits a waiting period for pre-existing conditions to no more than one year.
- Concealing costs more than declaring: in the case of intent, the insurer can annul the contract and does not have to pay for claims up to that point. In the case of negligence, it can propose a change to the contract or end it and pays only proportionally for related claims.
- Never cancel first: with a new insurer, waiting periods usually start again; ask for a transfer (transferência). Under Article 217, the old contract must keep paying for up to two years for illnesses that arose during its term, if you report them within 30 days of the end of the contract.
Waiting period and pre-existing condition: two rules, two questions
The two terms are often mentioned in the same breath, but they govern different things. Once you separate them, you can check any quote with two questions.
Waiting periodperíodo de carência
The time between the start of the contract, or your inclusion in it, and the day from which you can use a particular benefit. It applies to all insured persons alike, including those in perfect health. The question is: From when does the insurer pay for this benefit?
Pre-existing conditiondoença preexistente
An illness that already existed, or was apparent, before the contract started. If it is excluded, the insurer does not pay for it or for related complaints, even after every waiting period has expired. The question is: Does the insurer pay for this illness at all?
In everyday life, the difference is considerable. A waiting period runs out; an exclusion stays for as long as the contract runs. If you take out a new policy with known osteoarthritis in your knee, you do not just wait a year for an arthroscopy, you may never have it paid for, because the osteoarthritis is excluded as a pre-existing condition. You will also find an overview of waiting periods on our page Waiting periods in health insurance in Portugal.
What Portuguese law says
Private health insurance (seguro de saúde) is governed by the Insurance Contract Act, Decreto-Lei 72/2008. For this topic, three groups of articles are decisive.
Pre-existing conditions are covered in principle, but can be excluded
Under Article 216, pre-existing conditions that you know of when the contract is concluded are treated as included in the agreed cover. The same paragraph, however, allows them to be excluded by agreement, either in general or individually. Paragraph 2 also allows a waiting period of no more than one year for pre-existing conditions.
That sounds consumer-friendly, but in practice it works differently: the rule only applies as long as the contract does not say otherwise. And the conditions of the large Portuguese insurers do say otherwise, as the following sections show.
Declare honestly, even when not asked
Article 24 obliges you, before the contract is concluded, to declare accurately all circumstances that you know of and must reasonably regard as significant for the insurer’s assessment of the risk. This expressly includes circumstances the questionnaire does not ask about. Articles 25 and 26 set out what happens if information is given incorrectly with intent or through negligence; more on this below in the section on the health questionnaire.
Continued cover after the contract ends
If the contract or your cover is not renewed, and no later contract covers the risk proportionally, the previous insurer may not refuse, under Article 217, to pay for illnesses that arose during the term for the following two years, until the sum insured of the last contract year is used up. The illness must be reported to the insurer within 30 days of the end of the contract.
What many expats expect
Short waiting periods and credit for previous cover
- Waiting periods of a few months, with longer ones only for a handful of benefits such as childbirth or dental treatment.
- Time spent with a previous insurer counted towards the waiting periods of the new contract.
- Only having to declare what the health questionnaire actually asks about.
Portugal
Waiting periods set by the contract
- The Insurance Contract Act only limits the waiting period for pre-existing conditions to one year; for the individual benefits, the contract sets the periods. With Allianz and Médis, one year applies to childbirth and certain operations.
- The general conditions we reviewed do not provide for credit for time with another insurer; some individual plans provide for a transfer of the existing contract.
- The duty to declare also covers circumstances the questionnaire does not ask about.
Insurers’ waiting periods compared
Every insurer puts its waiting periods in a different place: Allianz in the special conditions of each benefit, Médis partly in a general clause and partly with the benefit concerned, Generali in a single clause, and Multicare only in the policy schedule. What counts is always what the condições particulares of your policy say. Which insurers and plans are available in Portugal is shown on our page Health insurance in Portugal.
| Benefit | Allianz Saúde | Médis | Generali Saúde +55 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital and surgery, general | 90 days | 90 days | 60 days |
| Certain operations (see below) | 365 days | 180 or 365 days | no separate period stated |
| Childbirth | 365 days (if included) | 365 days | where included in the plan: 60 days |
| Outpatient treatment | 90 days | 60 days | where included in the plan: 60 days |
| Medicines | 90 days | 60 days | where included in the plan: 60 days |
| Dental treatment | 90 days (Estomatologia) | 60 days | where included in the plan: 60 days |
| Prostheses and medical aids | 180 days | 60 days | where included in the plan: 60 days |
| Oncology, serious illnesses | 180 days | as set in the condições particulares | where included in the plan: 60 days |
| Accident | no waiting period for an accident requiring A&E | no general exception in the conditions | no waiting period for emergency hospital treatment within 48 hours |
Sources: Allianz Saúde Condições Gerais e Especiais 229 (06/2024), section “Períodos de carência” of each special condition; Médis Condições Gerais (08/2025), clause 14 and the special conditions; Generali Saúde +55 Condições Gerais, clause 3. With Generali, the period of 60 days applies “unless otherwise provided in the condições particulares”. Saúde +55 is mainly a plan for access to the medical network at agreed prices; which benefits it includes beyond that depends on the variant.
Multicare: the numbers are in the policy schedule
The general conditions of the Multicare plans (Multicare 1, 2 and 3, Proteção Padrão, Vital) define the waiting period and state that it runs from the inclusion of the insured person. They do not give the length per benefit; that is in the condições particulares or the insurance certificate. Ask for this page before you sign, not only once the policy arrives.
During the waiting period: the network at preferential prices
For several benefits, Allianz points out that during the waiting period you can use the Allianz Saúde medical network at the agreed prices. That is not cover for the costs, but it is often much cheaper than a private clinic’s list price. Ask every insurer whether the network prices apply from day one.
Operations with long waiting periods
The long waiting periods do not concern rare procedures, but precisely the planned operations that become common with age. Allianz and Médis list them in their conditions, but not the same ones.
Allianz Saúde: 365 days
For hospital and surgery, the special conditions provide for 365 days in the case of:
- childbirth, caesarean section or involuntary termination of pregnancy, if childbirth is included
- diseases of the arteries and veins of the legs
- herniated disc and abdominal wall hernias, such as an inguinal hernia
- stones in the kidney, urinary tract or gall bladder
- conditions of the rectum and anus such as haemorrhoids, fistulas and fissures
- conditions of the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum
- benign gynaecological or hormonal conditions that are not treated conservatively
- ear, nose and throat operations with a benign finding
- joint treatment by arthroscopy, arthrotomy or joint replacement (artroplastia)
- benign enlargement of the prostate
- cataract surgery
All other hospital stays and operations have 90 days, and accidents have no waiting period. For the benign gynaecological, hormonal and ear, nose and throat procedures, there is a special rule: if surgery is carried out because a malignant condition is suspected, without proof before the operation, the 365 days still apply at first. If malignancy is confirmed, the case can be reassessed afterwards.
Médis: 180 or 365 days
In clause 14 of its general conditions, Médis names two groups, regardless of the waiting period of the benefit concerned:
- 180 days: surgical or other invasive treatment of benign prostate enlargement and of benign conditions of the uterus, and surgery for a prolapsed bladder or for a bulging of the rectum into the vagina (cistocelo e rectocelo)
- 365 days: surgery for varicose veins of the legs, herniated disc, haemorrhoids and anal fistula, arthroscopic joint treatment, nasal septum surgery, removal of tonsils or adenoids, myringotomy with or without grommets, septorhinoplasty, removal or laser treatment of benign skin lesions, and surgery for sleep apnoea
If an operation is foreseeable, on the knee, the hip or for cataracts, for example, check before you switch whether your current cover will still pay for it. With Allianz, arthroscopy, joint replacement, inguinal hernia and cataract surgery have a one-year waiting period, with Médis arthroscopy and herniated disc; most other operations have 90 days with Médis. A new contract pays nothing at all if the cause is excluded as a pre-existing condition.
When the waiting period does not apply
Allianz, Multicare and Generali exempt certain cases from the waiting period. The exceptions are narrower than the word “emergency” suggests.
Allianz
Accident with emergency admission
If an accident takes you to a hospital emergency department, the waiting periods of the benefits concerned do not apply (clause 8 no. 4).
Multicare
Urgent hospital treatment
No waiting period for an accident or sudden illness requiring urgent hospital treatment, as an inpatient or outpatient, where there is a risk to life or of loss of function (clause 8 no. 3).
Generali Saúde +55
Emergency treatment in hospital
The 60 days do not apply if the treatment results from an accident that requires emergency treatment in hospital, meaning treatment within 48 hours of the accident (clause 3 no. 2).
Allianz, Multicare
Register in good time
Allianz: no waiting period if the child is added within the first 60 days of life and the contract has been in force for more than six months. Multicare: no waiting period and no pre-existing condition exclusion if the child is added within the first 30 days.
Clause 14 of the Médis conditions contains no general exception for accidents. Whether your policy provides one will be stated, if at all, in the condições particulares; ask about it before you sign. Only Multicare expressly exempts a sudden illness without an accident. A heart attack during the waiting period is therefore not covered by the exception with Allianz and Generali, and with Médis there is no general exception.
Changing plan with the same insurer
If you move to a more comprehensive plan with Allianz or Multicare, waiting periods only run for the new benefits and the increased sums. What you already had stays insured without a new waiting period. The application form for Médis Vintage provides the same for a change to the policy. Allianz may require a new health assessment for a change that increases the risk.
Switching to another insurer: ask for a transfer
The general conditions of Allianz, Médis, Multicare and Generali do not provide for credit for time with another insurer. Some individual plans, however, provide for the transfer (transferência) of an existing contract:
- Médis Vintage: according to the application form, when a risk previously insured elsewhere is transferred, waiting periods only apply to new benefits and higher sums, except childbirth with 365 days. Pre-existing conditions and exclusions follow the previous condições particulares.
- MGEN: according to its sales document, the group plan waives the general waiting period if a previous Portuguese contract has been in place for at least one year. The longer waiting periods, for example for pre-existing and chronic conditions, only fall away to the extent that the previous contract covered those conditions. Anyone who is 65 or older on joining is, according to the same document, always subject to the waiting periods.
Without such a rule, the waiting periods start again, and illnesses that were insured with the old insurer because they arose during its term are pre-existing conditions for the new one. So ask expressly for a transfer, and get confirmation of which waiting periods and exclusions will apply afterwards.
What protects you during the waiting period
As a resident of Portugal, you can use the national health service SNS once you are registered with a user number (número de utente). If you receive a state pension from another EU country or from the United Kingdom, ask the institution responsible for your pension or health cover about the S1 form; more on this in our article on health insurance in Portugal over 60 and 70. In the first months of a private policy, the SNS is therefore your fallback, not the private clinic.
Pre-existing conditions: what counts and what is excluded
Each set of conditions defines for itself what a pre-existing condition is. The definitions reach further than many people assume.
| Insurer | What counts as a pre-existing condition | How it is treated |
|---|---|---|
| Allianz Saúde | Any accident and any illness or pregnancy that became apparent before the start of the contract or of your inclusion | Excluded, “declared or not”, including illnesses and complaints shown to be related to it (clause 4 no. 1 a) |
| Médis | An illness you could not have overlooked or must have known about, for example because of an examination, treatment, clear symptoms or a diagnosis, even a provisional one | “Always excluded”; for the serious illness benefit, also anything diagnosed or becoming apparent in the first 180 days |
| Multicare | An illness or injury you must have known about or could not have overlooked, for example because of symptoms, a diagnosis, even a provisional one, or treatment | Excluded, unless the contract provides its own waiting period for certain illnesses or procedures |
| Generali Saúde +55 | Consequences of earlier accidents and illnesses that became apparent before the contract was concluded and still exist | Under clause 2, illnesses and accidents that occur during the term of the contract are insured; for the daily allowance and travel assistance, pre-existing conditions are expressly excluded |
Two points from the table deserve particular attention. First: with Médis and Multicare, it is not only the final diagnosis that counts. If you saw a doctor with symptoms and were examined, you may already have a pre-existing condition, even if the result was still open. Second: with Allianz, declaring a condition in the questionnaire does not protect you from the exclusion. It protects you from something else, namely from putting the contract at risk (next section).
What the exclusion means in practice
It is not only the illness itself that is excluded; with Allianz, anything shown to be related to it is expressly excluded too. With known high blood pressure, this can mean that a later stroke is also treated as a consequence. Whether the connection exists is a medical question in each individual case. For you, this means: for every pre-existing condition, check which follow-on illnesses are typical, and ask the insurer before you sign how it words the exclusion.
Instead of an exclusion, Article 216 also allows a waiting period of no more than one year for pre-existing conditions. Multicare uses this route: where the contract provides its own waiting period for certain illnesses or procedures, the pre-existing condition exclusion does not apply to them. The general conditions of Allianz, Médis, Multicare and Generali that we reviewed do not provide for a premium loading for pre-existing conditions. If an insurer accepts you on special terms, this is stated in the acceptance letter and in the condições particulares.
The health questionnaire and the consequences of incorrect answers
Before you are accepted, you fill in a health questionnaire (questionário individual de saúde). With Allianz, acceptance expressly depends on the insurer accepting your risk after assessing your state of health; it informs you of a refusal or of the terms of acceptance. Multicare also lets you answer the questionnaire by phone.
What you must declare
The policy conditions repeat the rule from Article 24 almost word for word: you must accurately declare all circumstances that you know of and must reasonably regard as significant, even if the questionnaire does not ask about them. With Médis, your signature confirms that the information is complete and correct.
The law also protects you, though. Once the insurer has accepted the contract, it cannot, under Article 24 no. 3, except in the case of intent aimed at gaining an advantage, rely on the fact
- that you did not answer a question,
- that an answer to a question worded too generally was inaccurate,
- that your answers were obviously contradictory,
- that its agent knew the correct facts,
- or that it already knew the circumstances, for example because they are public knowledge.
Incorrect information given with intent
Under Article 25, the insurer can annul the contract. If no claim has yet occurred, it must do so within three months of learning of the incorrect information. It does not have to pay for claims that occur before that point or within that period. It is entitled to the premium until the end of the period, and if you wanted to gain an advantage, even until the end of the contract.
Incorrect information given through negligence
Under Article 26, the insurer can, within three months, propose a change to the contract, giving you at least 14 days to reply, or end the contract if it proves that it never insures such risks. If a claim related to the incorrect information occurs before then, it pays proportionally, in the ratio of the premium paid to the correct premium. If it would never have concluded the contract with correct information, it pays nothing for that claim and only refunds the premium.
With Allianz, Médis and Multicare, a declared pre-existing condition stays excluded, but the rest of the contract applies. A concealed pre-existing condition puts the contract at risk: in the case of intent, the insurer can annul it and then does not have to pay even for illnesses that have nothing to do with it. In the case of negligence, it can propose a change to the contract or end it.
How to prepare the questionnaire
- Gather doctors’ letters, test results and hospital discharge reports from recent years, including those from your home country
- Note your current medicines with the active ingredient and the reason you take them
- List examinations without a final result, as they can count with Médis and Multicare
- If in doubt, write one line more rather than one less, and keep a copy of the completed questionnaire
- Read the insurer’s acceptance carefully: it lists the exclusions that apply to you
International plans: moratorium and full medical underwriting
International health insurers often work with different procedures from the Portuguese insurers. For pre-existing conditions, this can be an advantage if you choose the procedure deliberately. Our comparison of private health insurance in Portugal gives an overview of the providers.
APRIL International
Three procedures: with the moratorium, pre-existing conditions are not covered at first and can become insurable after two years of continuous cover, provided they are not expressly excluded and further conditions are met. With full medical underwriting, APRIL decides on exclusions in advance; pre-existing conditions that were not declared are not covered. A third procedure takes over the exclusions from an immediately preceding international policy. From 65, only full medical underwriting is possible (Policy Guide).
Cigna Global
Pre-existing conditions that you knew of or should have known of are excluded, unless Cigna has expressly agreed to cover them (Policy Rules 02/2025). Whether such agreement is possible is decided by the medical underwriting. More about the plan on our page Cigna Global.
Bupa Global
According to its sales brochure, Bupa may be able to cover many pre-existing conditions after assessment, possibly for an additional premium (medical loading); without such an agreement, they are excluded. There is no general waiting period, but some benefits have their own, for example 18 months for maternity and 24 months for obesity surgery (brochure 05/2026).
Which procedure is better depends on your medical history. With an illness that is long in the past and has healed, the moratorium can work in your favour; with ongoing treatment, full medical underwriting brings clarity before you sign rather than only when you claim. The Bupa information comes from a sales document; the conditions and the quote are what count.
The right to be forgotten: what it covers and what it does not
Since January 2022, Portugal has had a right to be forgotten (direito ao esquecimento) for people who have overcome an increased health risk, such as cancer. Under Article 3 of Lei 75/2021, no health information about this risk may be collected after a certain time:
- 10 years after the end of treatment for an illness that has been overcome,
- 5 years after the end of treatment if the illness occurred before the age of 21,
- 2 years of continuous effective treatment if the risk has been reduced.
Article 3 paragraph 1 names as its scope housing loans and consumer credit and the insurance linked to these loans, which typically means the life or credit protection insurance taken out with the loan. Paragraph 2, which sets the time limits, is addressed generally to lenders and insurers, but the law nowhere expressly mentions stand-alone health insurance without a link to a loan. Whether the right to be forgotten also applies there is therefore not clearly settled. Before you leave an illness you have overcome off the questionnaire, ask the insurer in writing whether it requires the information. If it does, declare the illness; otherwise a missing answer can put the contract at risk.
Separately, Article 15 of the Insurance Contract Act prohibits discrimination on grounds of an increased health risk. Insurers’ acceptance rules must be objectively justified and are subject to the Portuguese insurance regulator ASF. If an insurer refuses you for this reason or asks for a loading, it must tell you of its own accord how it assesses your risk factors compared with a comparable person without this risk.
Two examples: knee surgery and switching insurer
Two cases show how waiting period, pre-existing condition and switching work together. The people and figures are assumed.
Suppose a 63-year-old man moves to the Algarve with his wife and takes out a new private health insurance policy in March. In the questionnaire, he declares occasional knee pain, for which he once saw an orthopaedic specialist back home, without a final result. In July, a torn meniscus is found and an arthroscopy is recommended.
- Waiting period: with Allianz and Médis, one year applies to arthroscopy. Neither pays until March of the following year.
- Pre-existing condition: under the definitions of Médis and Multicare, the knee pain with a doctor’s visit can count as a pre-existing condition, even without a final diagnosis. Whether the torn meniscus is related to it is for the insurer to examine.
- Accident: had the tear happened in a fall on the stairs and been treated in the emergency department, the waiting period would not apply with Allianz.
Had he concealed the doctor’s visit, the whole contract would also be in question. As it is, he is left with one question that can be settled in writing before the procedure.
Suppose a 62-year-old woman has been insured with a Portuguese insurer for four years. In the autumn, she is diagnosed with diabetes. Another insurer offers a plan that is €300 a year cheaper. She cancels with effect from the end of the year and switches.
- With the new insurer: it does not offer a transfer. The diabetes is therefore a pre-existing condition and is excluded, and all waiting periods start again, so 60 or 90 days for hospital stays, depending on the plan.
- With the old insurer: under Article 217, it must keep paying for the diabetes, which arose during its term, for up to two years, until the sum of the last year is used up, provided she reports the illness within 30 days of the end of the contract.
- After the two years: neither insurer pays for the diabetes and its consequences any more.
The saving of €300 a year has to be weighed against the permanent exclusion of a chronic illness. If you have a new diagnosis, switching is therefore rarely to your advantage.
Six mistakes with waiting periods and pre-existing conditions
These six mistakes are why a new health insurance policy in Portugal often fails to pay just when it is needed.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to typical questions about waiting periods and pre-existing conditions in health insurance in Portugal.
What is a waiting period in health insurance in Portugal?
The waiting period (período de carência) is the time between the start of the contract or your inclusion in it and the day from which you can use a benefit. It is set per benefit, with Allianz for example 90 days for most hospital stays and 365 days for childbirth. The condições particulares of your policy are what count.
Is there health insurance in Portugal without a waiting period?
Accidents treated in hospital are exempt from the waiting period with Allianz, Multicare and Generali, and with Multicare so are sudden illnesses requiring urgent hospital treatment. For planned benefits, all the Portuguese policy conditions we reviewed provide for waiting periods. With Allianz, you can use the medical network at agreed prices during the waiting period, but that is not cover for the costs. In its sales brochure, Bupa Global states no general waiting period, but waiting periods for individual benefits.
Are pre-existing conditions covered in Portugal?
Under Article 216 DL 72/2008, known pre-existing conditions are treated as covered, but the contract may exclude them. Allianz, Médis and Multicare exclude them in their general conditions, Allianz expressly even if you declared them. Multicare can provide its own waiting period for certain illnesses instead of the exclusion; whether you are accepted on special terms is stated in the acceptance letter.
What counts as a pre-existing condition?
With Allianz, any illness that became apparent before the contract started. With Médis and Multicare, any illness you must have known about or could not have overlooked, for example because of an examination, treatment, clear symptoms or a diagnosis, even a provisional one. So a doctor’s visit without a final result can be enough.
Do I have to declare a pre-existing condition if it is excluded anyway?
Yes. Under Article 24, you must declare all circumstances that are significant for the assessment of the risk, even when not asked. A declared pre-existing condition stays excluded, and the rest of the contract applies. A concealed one can lead the insurer to annul the contract in the case of intent, or to propose a change or end it in the case of negligence.
What happens if I concealed a pre-existing condition?
In the case of intent, the insurer can annul the contract under Article 25 and does not have to pay for claims up to that point. In the case of negligence, it can propose a change or end the contract under Article 26; a claim before then that is related to the incorrect information is paid proportionally. If it would never have concluded the contract with correct information, it pays nothing for that claim and refunds the premium.
Is my previous cover credited when I switch insurer?
The general conditions of Allianz, Médis, Multicare and Generali do not provide for any credit. Some individual plans provide for a transfer (transferência): with Médis Vintage, waiting periods then only apply to new benefits and higher sums, except childbirth, and with the MGEN group plan the general waiting period is waived after at least one year of previous Portuguese cover, though not from 65. Without such a rule, the waiting periods start again.
How long is the waiting period for childbirth?
With Allianz and Médis 365 days, with Allianz only if childbirth is included in the plan. Bupa Global states 18 months in its brochure. If you are planning a pregnancy, take out the contract at least a year beforehand, with Bupa Global 18 months.
Does the right to be forgotten also apply to health insurance?
Lei 75/2021 names housing loans and consumer credit and the insurance linked to them. The text does not mention stand-alone health insurance without a loan, so whether the right applies there is not settled. Ask the insurer in writing whether it requires information on an illness you have overcome before you leave it out.
What is a moratorium in international health insurance?
With a moratorium, the insurer dispenses with medical underwriting but does not cover pre-existing conditions at first. With APRIL International, they can become insurable after two years of continuous cover if further conditions are met. From 65, APRIL only offers full medical underwriting.
Our advice as an independent broker
Clarify waiting periods and exclusions before you compare premiums. A cheap plan that excludes your known illness, or only pays for your planned operation after a year, is the more expensive one for you. And never cancel an existing contract before the new one has been accepted in writing.
As an independent insurance broker not tied to any company, we obtain quotes from several insurers for you, ask for the waiting periods in the condições particulares and help you with the health questionnaire in English. What the individual insurers in Portugal provide is shown on our page Health insurance in Portugal; regional details, for example for the Algarve or Lisbon, are on the respective local pages.
We compare which waiting periods and exclusions apply to your medical history, before you sign or cancel.
Phone: +351 289 392 452
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As of: 29 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, Médis Condições Gerais (08/2025), Multicare Condições Gerais D0028, D0029 and D0034, Generali Saúde +55 (Condições Gerais and product information), APRIL Policy Guide, Cigna Policy Rules 02/2025 and the Bupa Global sales brochure 05/2026, together with DL 72/2008 and Lei 75/2021 in their consolidated versions. The information on transfers comes from the Médis Vintage application form and from a 2025 sales document for the MGEN group plan. The examples are assumed. Only the conditions and condições particulares of your own contract are binding.
