Visa-ready plans from $721 per adult, billed annually · see your exact price by age.
The rule in writing
“At the AIMA residence-permit appointment after arrival, travel-grade insurance is no longer enough: applicants show full health insurance valid in Portugal, or registration with the public SNS. Applicants consistently report this second stage catching them out.”
Based on: AIMA appointment guidance as documented by applicants and advisors (not a single government checklist — confirmed case-by-case) — Last verified:
Where insurance fits into a golden-visa file
Portugal's golden visa is an investment-based route to residence, applied for inside Portugal rather than through a consulate abroad. The exact investment categories, fund thresholds, and timelines sit on the official AIMA channels; this page focuses on the insurance side of the file. At the AIMA residence-permit appointment itself, travel-grade cover is no longer accepted. Applicants show full health insurance valid in Portugal, or SNS registration, as part of the file. A certificate wording guide covers how insurers phrase this so it holds up at the appointment.
The bridge months before SNS
Portugal's public system, the SNS, becomes available once a resident has the right paperwork in place; but that takes time to process. Private cover is what carries you through the application window and the bridge months in between, so there's no gap in cover while the file moves. If you're entering Portugal before your appointment, you'll still need Schengen-appropriate cover for the entry itself, separate from the residence-grade policy that follows. Our healthcare system page walks through how SNS and private cover sit together long-term.
What we arrange for golden-visa applicants
We arrange residence-grade health insurance valid in Portugal, with cover limits between US$1,000,000 and US$2,000,000. Cover starts the same day, with no medical exam and a 14-day cooling-off period; children aged 0-17 sit on a flat rate. Pre-existing conditions are excluded and treatment in the US isn't covered. New applicants are accepted to age 70, or 80 on our Essential tier. Before you buy, a person on our team checks the certificate wording matches what your file needs. See expat health insurance for the full policy detail, real prices by age at Portugal costs, or start a quote. Not sure what else your file needs? Run it through our checklist or a policy check.
Honest limits: Cover is worldwide but excludes treatment in the United States. Pre-existing conditions are excluded, including conditions you did not know about. We disclose this before you request a quote. Consulates keep discretion, and requirements can change. We show the published rule and its source; the final decision is the consulate’s.