Medical Certificate in Portugal: Online Doctor's Note, Same-Day, from €39.99

Portugal Legal Snapshot: Sick Leave / Medical Certificate

Note on subsídio de doença: eligibility conditions, any waiting days, and payment levels for Portugal's statutory sickness subsidy are set and periodically reviewed by Segurança Social, and the exact documentation an employer expects can vary by sector and company policy. When a certificate is transmitted electronically by the issuing health service, no separate submission is generally needed; where a paper certificate is issued instead, Segurança Social has generally expected it to be delivered to your local Segurança Social service point within a few business days. Confirm current thresholds, deadlines, and required paperwork directly with Segurança Social, your employer's HR team, or a local adviser before relying on this page for a specific case.

The summary below reflects a general understanding of how sick-leave documentation is typically handled in Portugal. Because rules administered by Segurança Social and individual employer policies can be updated, treat this as a starting point for your own research rather than a definitive legal statement.

In practice, this generally means two separate steps: telling your employer that you're unable to work, following whatever notification process your contract or company handbook sets out, and separately obtaining and registering the medical certificate itself if you intend to claim subsídio de doença. The two steps are related but not identical: an employer may accept a simple notification for very short absences under its own internal policy, while a Segurança Social claim for the sickness subsidy generally still expects a certificate as supporting evidence. Neither Segurança Social nor an individual employer is obliged to follow the general pattern described here in every circumstance, which is part of why we recommend confirming details for your specific case rather than treating this snapshot as a guarantee.

A medical certificate issued by a licensed physician after a genuine online assessment is generally treated no differently from one issued after an in-person visit, though whether it satisfies a specific employer's process or a specific Segurança Social claim can depend on current procedures, which we cannot guarantee on your behalf. This page is general information, not legal or medical advice. Last reviewed July 2026: always confirm current rules before relying on them for a specific case.

1. 1

   Complete assessment

   Takes about 3-5 minutes. Select the certificate type you need, confirm Portugal as your country, and answer the relevant health questions honestly and in detail: the more context you give, the easier it is for the doctor to assess your case. No payment is taken at this stage.

2. 2

   Licensed doctor reviews

   A licensed physician registered to assess cases in Portugal reviews your answers against your stated situation, generally during business hours (WET/CET), Monday to Friday, and may contact you if more information is needed before deciding whether it's appropriate to issue a certificate.

3. 3

   Receive your PDF

   If the doctor is able to issue your certificate, it's emailed the same day, usually within 30 minutes of approval, as a PDF showing the doctor's credentials and a reference number an employer, school, or club can use to verify it. If the doctor cannot issue it, you receive a full refund instead.

€30-60 is a typical range reported for a private in-person doctor consultation in Portugal and can vary by clinic, city, and whether it's a general practice or specialist appointment; public system costs differ and depend on your specific coverage. Our price is fixed and shown before you start, and you're only charged once the doctor has reviewed your case.

We're not aware of a single named online alternative that's widely used for medical certificates in Portugal, so rather than compare against a specific competitor, here's how our service compares to the option most people currently default to: booking a private in-person consultation with a doctor.

A typical private in-person consultation in Portugal costs somewhere around €30-60, and usually means calling or booking online, taking time off to travel to a clinic, and waiting for the next available appointment slot, which, depending on the clinic, city, and time of year, can mean anything from a same-day slot to a wait of several days. Our sick leave certificate costs €39.99, sits within that same typical price range, and can be completed from wherever you are, with a licensed physician reviewing your case the same day.

Every certificate we issue also includes a verification reference, which lets an employer, school, sports club, or airline confirm that a specific certificate was genuinely issued by us, something a standard paper certificate or appointment receipt from an in-person visit doesn't typically offer. That said, the process is not instant in the sense of skipping medical judgment: a licensed physician still reviews the specific details of your case, can ask follow-up questions, and can decline to issue a certificate if it isn't clinically appropriate to do so. If that happens, you receive a full refund.

The right choice between an online certificate and an in-person visit still depends on your situation. If you need a physical examination, for example, a specific test, a vaccination, or hands-on assessment of an injury, an in-person visit to a doctor in Portugal is the appropriate route, and our doctors will tell you if that's the case. For the more common situations covered by our certificate types, where a thorough written assessment is sufficient, the online route is generally faster and priced within the same typical range as a private consultation.

Every certificate issued for Portugal is reviewed by a licensed physician registered to assess cases in Portugal. Your doctor's credentials are shown on the certificate itself, so an employer, school, club, or airline can see who reviewed your case. A physician will only issue a certificate after genuinely assessing the details you provide and confirming it's clinically appropriate to do so for your specific situation; if it isn't, you receive a full refund.

We don't publish a single named "resident doctor" for Portugal, because your case is reviewed by whichever licensed physician on our team is available and appropriately qualified for the certificate type you've requested. This means review times stay fast even outside of peak hours, while every certificate still reflects an individual clinical judgment rather than an automated decision.

Nearby countries

• Spain
• France