Hospitals in Lisbon: Emergency Care Guide for Expats (2026)

Knowing which of the hospitals in Lisbon to head for, and which number to dial before you set off, is homework worth doing before you need it. Here is the honest version: the free 112 line, the SNS 24 call that can save you a fee, the main public and private emergency departments, and how registering with the national health service changes what you pay.

In a real emergency, dial 112 first

If someone is unconscious, in chest pain, bleeding badly or otherwise in a life-threatening state, do not go driving around looking for hospitals in Lisbon. Call 112. It is the single European emergency number, it works everywhere in Portugal, calls are free, and it runs 24 hours a day, every day. The operator routes you to INEM, the National Institute of Medical Emergency, for an ambulance, or to police or fire.

Make sure everyone at home, children included, knows to dial 112 and can say your address. Portugal also runs a free poisons line, the Centro de Informação Antivenenos, on 800 250 250, staffed around the clock by toxicology specialists.

SNS 24 on 808 24 24 24 is the call that saves you money

For anything worrying but not life-threatening, call 808 24 24 24, the SNS 24 health line. Clinical advice runs 24 hours a day; administrative support is 8am to 10pm. A health professional triages your symptoms and says whether to treat it at home, see your family doctor, or head to one of the hospitals in Lisbon.

Here is the part newcomers miss. Portugal charges a user fee, the taxa moderadora, if you walk into a hospital emergency department without a referral. If SNS 24 or your family doctor refers you, or you are admitted through the emergency department, the fee does not apply and you get priority at triage. Under-18s, pregnant women, people with a disability of 60 percent or more and low-income households (below 805.70 euros average monthly income in 2026) are exempt anyway. The health regulator ERS keeps the current list at ers.pt.

Public hospitals in Lisbon and their emergency departments

Two local health units run public emergency care. ULS Santa Maria covers the north and west of the city from Hospital de Santa Maria; ULS São José runs the central hospitals in Lisbon, including the adult emergency department at Hospital de São José and the children’s one at Hospital Dona Estefânia.

Dona Estefânia is the one to note if you have kids: its paediatric emergency department is open 24 hours a day, every day, covering paediatrics, neuropaediatrics, paediatric surgery, orthopaedics and child psychiatry up to 17 years and 364 days old. Expect a wait anywhere public, since triage puts urgent cases first.

Private hospitals in Lisbon

Many expats keep private cover for shorter waits and more English-speaking staff. The two best-known private hospitals in Lisbon with round-the-clock urgent care are Hospital da Luz Lisboa and Hospital CUF Descobertas in Parque das Nações, whose atendimento permanente is open 24 hours for adults and children alike. You pay out of pocket or through insurance, so check what your policy covers before treatment, not after.

For any other provider, check the hospital’s own official website for current address, phone and hours.

Register with the SNS so hospitals in Lisbon cost less

With a número de utente and registration at your local centro de saúde you get a family doctor, subsidised prescriptions and public hospital care. Any legally resident foreign national can register, and the number is issued at your first visit to a public health unit.

1. Bring your ID document, Portuguese tax number (NIF), full Portuguese address and valid residence permit or EU registration certificate.
2. Go to the centro de saúde for your area and ask to be entered in the national patient register.
3. Complete the registration so a family doctor is assigned; if you are in the area temporarily, ask about temporary registration, valid up to 12 months.
4. Once registered with the SNS and Social Security, request a European Health Insurance Card for trips elsewhere in the EU.
5. Start every non-emergency problem with your family doctor or SNS 24, which is what earns the referral and its fee exemption.

The number alone does not guarantee the SNS covers your costs; the registration data behind it must be complete. Whatever your status, official guidance is clear that any foreign person who falls ill in Portugal has the right to be seen. The government guide is at gov.pt.

Until registration is active, and for anyone using private hospitals in Lisbon, insurance is what stands between you and a large bill. Compare expat policies from ektatraveling.com on excess, network and repatriation terms. If you pay privately upfront and claim back from an insurer abroad, a multi-currency account at wise.com or revolut.com saves the conversion spread twice, though neither replaces a health policy.

Pharmacies and staying reachable

Pharmacies keep normal shop hours and close at weekends, but a rotating on-duty rota, the farmácia de serviço, means one is always open late. INFARMED, the national medicines authority, publishes the official register of licensed pharmacies at infarmed.pt, and SNS 24 can tell you which is on duty tonight. After hours, the emergency department at one of the hospitals in Lisbon is the fallback. Many everyday medicines here need a prescription.

None of these numbers help if your phone has no signal the day you land. A travel eSIM switched on at the airport means you can dial 112 from hour one. airalo.com and saily.com both sell Portugal data plans; data-only eSIMs usually carry no phone number, so keep a voice-capable Portuguese SIM too.

Frequently Asked Questions

What number do I call for an ambulance in Lisbon?

Dial 112 from any phone anywhere in Portugal. Calls are free, it works 24 hours a day and it covers ambulance, police and fire, with medical calls passed to INEM. For a suspected poisoning, call CIAV on 800 250 250 instead.

Which are the best hospitals in Lisbon for expats?

It depends how you are paying. Publicly, Hospital de Santa Maria and Hospital de São José run the main adult emergency departments and Hospital Dona Estefânia takes children. Privately, Hospital da Luz Lisboa and Hospital CUF Descobertas offer 24-hour urgent care and more English-speaking staff.

Do I have to pay to use the hospitals in Lisbon?

At public hospitals a user fee applies if you arrive at the emergency department without a referral. With a referral from SNS 24 or your family doctor, or if you are admitted, it does not apply; under-18s and pregnant women are exempt regardless. Privately you pay in full or through insurance.

Can I use the SNS if I have just moved to Portugal?

Yes, if you are legally resident. Take your ID, NIF, Portuguese address and residence permit to the centro de saúde for your area and ask to register. The número de utente is issued at your first visit to a public health unit, and emergency treatment is not refused while the paperwork is sorted.

How do I find a pharmacy open at night in Lisbon?

Portugal runs a rotating on-duty rota, so one is always open. Call SNS 24 and ask which pharmacy is on duty for your area, or check INFARMED’s official register at infarmed.pt. For anything that cannot wait until morning, go to an emergency department.

Expat Essentials for Lisbon

A few quick wins make settling into Lisbon easier while you work through this guide. An Airalo eSIM keeps you online from the moment you land, a pre-booked Welcome Pickups transfer takes the stress out of arrival day, and NordVPN protects your logins on public wifi. See our full list of trusted services below.

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Written by FinePassport team