Parliament approved two bills introduced by the Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrata or PSD), CDS-PP, and Chega requiring non-resident foreigners to pay for healthcare in Portugal. The measures target non-EU citizens who do not reside in the country, seeking to curb health tourism by mandating full reimbursement for medical treatments. Complementary resolutions backed by the Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS) and Liberal Initiative (Iniciativa Liberal) also supported charging non-residents for non-urgent care.
Parliament Approves Healthcare Restrictions for Non-Resident Foreigners
Friday, 16 October 2026AI summary
Context & Explainers
Chega ("Enough") is a Portuguese far-right populist party founded in 2019 by André Ventura. It positions itself as an anti-establishment movement against what it calls a "rotten and corrupt system" of PS-PSD dominance. The party surged from 1.3% in 2019 to 22.8% in May 2025, becoming parliament's second-largest force with 60 seats. Chega's core platform emphasizes strict immigration control—ending automatic CPLP residency, deporting non-independent immigrants, implementing job-market quotas, and requiring five-year social security contributions before benefit access. It advocates radical constitutional reform, including reducing parliament to 100 members, abolishing the prime minister position for a presidential system, and dismantling public healthcare. Law-and-order policies include life imprisonment and chemical castration proposals.
The party is defined by inflammatory anti-Romani rhetoric, with Ventura convicted multiple times for discrimination. Chega maintains international alignments with European far-right figures including Marine Le Pen, Santiago Abascal, and Matteo Salvini. Mainstream Portuguese parties, including Prime Minister Luís Montenegro's government, have imposed a cordon sanitaire, refusing coalition with Chega despite its parliamentary strength.
The Social Democratic Party ('Partido Social Democrata' or 'PSD') is a liberal-conservative political party in Portugal that is the leading partner of the The Democratic Alliance (AD) which is the country's ruling party, with Prime Minister Luís Montenegro.
The Social Democratic Party, despite its name, occupies the centre-right of Portugal's political spectrum. Luís Montenegro, who became Prime Minister in April 2024, leads Portugal's current minority government. The PSD has been one of Portugal's two dominant parties since 1974, having formed nine governments including four with absolute majorities. Montenegro, a former party leader from 1996-1999, was elected with the highest approval rating among party leaders at 10.7 points out of 20.
The Democratic Alliance is a centre-right coalition that includes the smaller CDS – People's Party, a Christian democratic party that has historically been the PSD's coalition partner. Together, they govern without a parliamentary majority, requiring case-by-case support from opposition parties to pass legislation.
4 sources
- AD and Chega join forces to approve limits on access to the National Health Service for non-resident foreignersdn.pt ·
- Parliament backs tighter SNS rules for non-resident foreignersportugalresident.com ·
- Government parties and Chega join forces to limit non-resident access to the NHSpublico.pt ·
- Parliament approves bills to regulate access to the NHS for non-resident foreignerscnnportugal.iol.pt ·
