Sean P. Says:
I recently got my Irish passport through citizenship by descent. I am planning to retire at the end of next year, though I do not intend to move to Ireland.
I see a lot of articles about the Portugal D7 visa and there are a lot of hoops to jump through. How would my Irish passport help me move to Portugal?
I also see EU medical cards mentioned in some articles but I do not have one. Is this something I should have?
IL’s Global Diversification Expert Ted Baumann Says:
Hello Sean
Congratulations on acquiring Irish citizenship!
As an Irish citizen, you are now automatically also a citizen of the European Union. That gives you full rights to live and work anywhere within the EU, including Portugal.
You do not need to have a visa to live, work, or purchase property in Portugal or any other EU country. That’s why acquiring citizenship of an EU country is such a powerful tool.
The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is another benefit of being an EU citizen.
In the EU, the right to healthcare is formally enshrined in law. Your right to access healthcare in any member country is based on legal residence in an EU state rather than citizenship. So, for example, if you were to move to Portugal, as is your right as an Irish citizen, you would apply for an EHIC in Portugal.
With EHIC, you have the right to receive medical treatment in any participating country at free or reduced cost. Note that the EHIC covers all countries in the European Economic Area, which includes Switzerland, the UK, Norway, and Iceland—which aren’t EU members.
The EHIC allows you to receive treatment for sudden illness or injury, or for a chronic condition such as kidney dialysis. For routine non-emergency treatments, however, such as dental care, you need to see a provider in the country that issued your EHIC.
The EHIC provides access to comprehensive healthcare under the state system of whatever country you’re in. There are usually some co-payments involved, but they are quite small. Some people do get supplementary health insurance, either because they prefer private care to state-run systems, or to cover out of pocket costs under the EHIC.
For much more detailed information about how this will work in Portugal, join me and a host of other experts and Portugal expats for a special one-day online event next week: Portugal Now, in a Post-Golden Visa World: What to Know for Residency, Real Estate, Lifestyle.
Got a Question?
Send your thoughts to mailbag@internationalliving.com. We’ll post and respond to as many of your emails as we can right here in the e-letter.