Hi All,
I am new on this forum and this is my first posting. I wonder if someone could help us with a question we seem to be spinning our wheels on!
My wife and I are both Canadian citizens and intend immigrating to Portugal within the next year. We have visited several times over the past few years and definitely feel this is the right choice for us. We are both over 60 years of age and enjoy excellent health. However, national healthcare is one of our most important concerns. We would like to know if we can apply for Utente cards when we land in Portugal? Would we have to pay or would we, with residence visas, have the same rights as Portuguese citizens?
We cannot seem to get an answer to this question. We have asked several sources, but each one has a different answer. Even the responsible government departments seem to be giving us the run-around at worst or are very vague at best. Government publications tell us one thing, and then officials tell us another. An official of one of the health centres told us that we cannot get a Utente card for 10 years until we become Portuguese citizens!?! Is this true? The government publications say something else. I understand that everyone in Portugal is entitled to health care but at what cost as new immigrants?
As private health insurance is extremely expensive around retirement age, and then becomes inaccessible a few years later, a correct answer is fundamental for us to assess whether we will be able to afford to make this move both financially and from a security perspective!
Unfortunately all the articals, books and forums I have found only seem to address this issue from an EU citizen point of view.
I hope someone out there has the answers. Many thanks.
I am new on this forum and this is my first posting. I wonder if someone could help us with a question we seem to be spinning our wheels on!
My wife and I are both Canadian citizens and intend immigrating to Portugal within the next year. We have visited several times over the past few years and definitely feel this is the right choice for us. We are both over 60 years of age and enjoy excellent health. However, national healthcare is one of our most important concerns. We would like to know if we can apply for Utente cards when we land in Portugal? Would we have to pay or would we, with residence visas, have the same rights as Portuguese citizens?
We cannot seem to get an answer to this question. We have asked several sources, but each one has a different answer. Even the responsible government departments seem to be giving us the run-around at worst or are very vague at best. Government publications tell us one thing, and then officials tell us another. An official of one of the health centres told us that we cannot get a Utente card for 10 years until we become Portuguese citizens!?! Is this true? The government publications say something else. I understand that everyone in Portugal is entitled to health care but at what cost as new immigrants?
As private health insurance is extremely expensive around retirement age, and then becomes inaccessible a few years later, a correct answer is fundamental for us to assess whether we will be able to afford to make this move both financially and from a security perspective!
Unfortunately all the articals, books and forums I have found only seem to address this issue from an EU citizen point of view.
I hope someone out there has the answers. Many thanks.
