THE ESSENTIALS
Before you start
- Individual health insurance lasting at least six months has a 30-day rule for an individual policyholder.
- Monthly instalments do not by themselves establish the contract’s duration.
- Check the starting date, written communication and financial consequences.
Thirty days: identify the contract first
Article 118(1)(a) of Portugal’s insurance-contract regime allows an individual policyholder to withdraw without giving a reason from health insurance lasting at least six months, within 30 days. The rule does not depend on the contract having been made online.
Paragraph 1(c) reserves 14 days for distance contracts outside the preceding categories. Paragraph 3 excludes insured members of group policies from paragraph 1(a); paragraph 4 excludes insurance lasting less than one month and travel or baggage insurance from distance-contract withdrawal. Do not automatically apply an individual policy’s period to membership of an employer’s policy.
Monthly payments and duration answer different questions
In the story, Sofia finds monthly payments, but Clara asks her to find the start and end dates too. A price expressed per month does not establish a contract lasting only one month. Read the contractual period in the policy and clarify any difference from the proposal.
Prepare a simple timeline: conclusion, policy receipt, provision of information and start of cover. Keep the actual evidence. Do not treat the date you reopened an email as automatically creating a new date of receipt.
Clarify the starting date
Article 118 starts from policy receipt, but paragraph 2 counts from conclusion where the policyholder already has all relevant information on paper or another durable medium on that date. A date on a bank statement alone therefore does not identify when the period starts.
If receipt dates or documents are disputed, ask for the basis of the position and seek appropriate support without delaying assessment. Annual renewal is a different contractual moment: do not assume each renewal notice reopens the initial withdrawal right.
Written notice is different from stopping a direct debit
The law requires written notice to the insurer on paper or another durable medium available and accessible to it. Adjustments may concern time on risk or reasonable medical-examination expenses contractually payable by the policyholder. For distance contracts, Article 118 only permits the listed amounts if cover started early at the policyholder’s request. Do not assume a full refund.
If you have decided, confirm the specified channel, identify the contract and retain the notice and response. Stopping only the direct debit does not replace that assessment. Use Support and claims for an existing policy; select Health in RMACHADO’s request to compare future protection. Do not send diagnoses in the initial contact. The website neither ends a policy nor guarantees acceptance for new insurance.
KEEP THESE QUESTIONS
Your checklist for the next conversation
- Identify the policyholder, contract duration and individual or group arrangement.
- Collect dates and evidence of the policy and information received.
- Clarify the applicable period and possible financial adjustments in writing.
- Separate the current policy decision from a request for future protection.
FROM THE ARTICLE TO YOUR SITUATION
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Sources and transparency
Content updated on .
Consultation dates are stated in individual references when available.
Numerical examples are fictional and explain concepts. Editorial interpretations are identified in the text.
Information from RMACHADO GROUP. This is not an insurance offer or individual advice. Covers, acceptance, exclusions, sums insured and costs depend on the policy. The intermediary does not underwrite the risks.