Vaccinations in Portugal for Americans and Britons: The PNV

Portugal’s vaccination schedule is set by the national vaccination programme (Programa Nacional de Vacinação, PNV), published by the health directorate (Direção-Geral da Saúde, DGS), and it covers children and adults. The DGS states that anyone who walks into a unit of the national health service (SNS) is vaccinated or sent to the nearest unit that has the vaccine, even if not yet registered.

We read the DGS pages on the day shown below. The article reports what they say; it is not medical advice, and your doctor or nurse decides what applies to you. For the registration that comes first, see our guide to registering with the SNS and the wider healthcare access guide.

What is the Portuguese vaccination programme?

The DGS chapter on the general schedule says the current PNV replaces, from October 2025, the PNV 2020 (Norma 18/2020). It adds that the contents of circulars, guidance and notices that contradict the PNV 2025 are revoked. A separate DGS legislation page lists Despacho 2794/2026 of 4 March, which adopts the “Livro Azul de Vacinas” as the national technical reference for the PNV.

The chapter’s footnote names the principles of the programme: universality, free of charge (gratuitidade), accessibility, equity and use of every vaccination opportunity. It also says the PNV prevails over the manufacturers’ product summaries.

Which vaccines does the schedule list, and at what age?

The DGS table “PNV: Esquema geral recomendado” (last updated 3 October 2025) is a chart. Read from it, the schedule lists the following, by age.

The abbreviations are the DGS’s: DTPa is diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough, Hib is Haemophilus influenzae b, and Td is tetanus and diphtheria. The notes under the table add conditions. The newborn dose is to be given in the first 24 hours of life, in the maternity unit. The meningococcal B line applies to those born in 2019 or later, and HPV applies to girls and boys born in 2009 or later, in two doses, 0 and 6 months. The table also shows Tdpa for pregnant women, covered below. The chapter lists two main updates from the earlier schedule: Pn20 replaces Pn13 at 2, 4 and 12 months, and MenACWY replaces MenC at 12 months.

What does it cost, and where are the vaccines given?

On cost, the DGS names free access as a principle of the programme. For adults, its chapter says some vaccines are recommended and free of charge for people with added risk factors, and that the Tdpa dose after 36 weeks of pregnancy is given free of charge with a doctor’s prescription. The pages we read do not give a price list for vaccines outside the programme, so we state none. Our guide to pharmacies and prescriptions covers what the state pays for medicines.

On where, the DGS says that any person who presents at any functional unit of the SNS is vaccinated or, at least, sent to the nearest unit with the vaccine, even if registered at another unit or not yet in the national user registry (RNU). The government’s migrant health guide, updated 23 June 2026, describes health centers as where primary care is delivered, and lists the national vaccination programme as one of the main preventive health initiatives. See also the guide to enrolling a child in school for the paperwork side of a child’s first weeks.

What if you or your child has a vaccination record from abroad?

We found no DGS or SNS page that describes how a record from the United States or the United Kingdom is assessed, and we do not state a rule for it. What the DGS chapters do say:

• People with no vaccination record for a given vaccine are considered unvaccinated for it.
• “Esquemas vacinais de recurso” (catch-up schedules) cover people with no record, no prior dose, incomplete schedules or schedules different from the recommended one. The DGS says every dose is valid even if the recommended age was passed.
• A vaccine is recorded on the national VACINAS platform and in the individual health bulletin (Boletim Individual de Saúde, BIS).

Because the pages are silent on foreign records, bring whatever you have to the health center and ask the staff how they will use it. Your doctor or nurse decides.

What do the pages say about adults?

The DGS adult chapter (last updated 29 July 2026) lists, for people aged 18 and over, Td at 25, 45 and 65 years and then every 10 years. Its notes say adults never vaccinated against tetanus and diphtheria, with unknown status or with an incomplete primary series, are vaccinated until they complete 3 doses of Td. For updated schedules at 18 or over the next dose is at a 20-year interval, and from 65 a dose is recommended if the last was 10 or more years ago.

The chapter’s table also lists flu and COVID-19 as annual vaccines for risk groups, pneumococcal (Pn23 in the 65 years column, and Pn20 plus Pn23 for risk groups), and hepatitis A and B, polio, HPV9, measles-mumps-rubella and mpox for specific groups, each with its own chapter. For example, the chapter recommends one MMR dose for adults born in 1970 or later without a credible history of measles who were never vaccinated or whose status is unknown.

For pregnancy the chapter recommends Tdpa between 20 and 36 weeks of gestation, ideally by 32 weeks, once in each pregnancy. It lists the live MMR vaccine as contraindicated in pregnancy. Our guide to pregnancy, birth and registering a baby covers the rest of antenatal care.

What about seasonal flu and COVID-19 vaccines?

The DGS “Vacinação Sazonal” page says seasonal flu and COVID-19 vaccination is a fundamental measure, especially for groups at greatest risk, and that giving both together is safe, effective and recommended by the health authorities. It points to the DGS flu and COVID-19 norms for who is covered. We did not read those norms or the season’s eligibility list, so we do not state who qualifies this season; ask the health center or check the DGS page. For emergencies, see our guide to emergency care in Portugal.

What this guide rests on

We read the DGS pages on the Programa Nacional de Vacinação on 19 October 2026: the general schedule chapter and its table (updated 3 October 2025), the catch-up schedules chapter (updated 14 April 2026), the adult chapter and its table (updated 29 July 2026), the legislation page and the seasonal vaccination page, plus the government’s migrant health guide (updated 23 June 2026). The latest change stated here is the adult chapter of 29 July 2026, which is the date shown as the update date. Health coverage for residents is explained in our healthcare access guide, and our first year checklist places this among the early steps. Britons should also see the GHIC and S1 guide, and anyone on a private plan the private insurance guide.