More about schools. The short answer: vaccinations are not a requirement for enrolling in school. The school may check the child’s vaccination record and, if anything is missing, send you to a health centre — where getting the shots for free is easier than arguing about the rules.
Where did the question come from? A 1962 decree, adopted at a time when diphtheria and tetanus were a real threat, requires children under 10 to be vaccinated against them in order to enrol in school. The decree has never been repealed, and the requirement is still listed on the government services portal. In 2017, the government tried to remove the provision, but the proposal never made it through parliament.
What happens in practice? School principals say they cannot remember a single case of a child being refused enrolment, while local health authorities say they have had no related cases brought to them in the past five years. The Directorate-General of Health (DGS) has stated the position clearly: the constitutional right to education takes precedence over the old decree, and a child cannot be excluded from school because of their vaccination status. A school secretary may ask to see the vaccination record (boletim de vacinas) and point out missing shots — but cannot refuse enrolment. At most, they can refer the family to a health centre.
Why is this being discussed now? Portugal has recorded nine confirmed cases of measles since the beginning of the year, while vaccination rates have been falling in parts of Europe. Public health doctors are calling on the government to settle the issue: either update the law or finally take the old provision off the books.
Where and how to get vaccinated. All vaccines included in the National Vaccination Programme (PNV) are free and are available at your nearest health centre (centro de saúde). You do not need a family doctor or even to be registered at that particular health centre: just bring the child’s vaccination record and their utente number. You can make an appointment by calling SNS 24 (808 24 24 24, option 5), through the SNS 24 website or app, or simply by calling or writing to your local health centre to ask about vaccination hours.
If your child was vaccinated in another country, bring their vaccination record or medical certificate with you. A nurse will compare the vaccination schedules and draw up a catch-up plan based on the Portuguese schedule. You can then download the child’s electronic vaccination record in the SNS 24 app and give it to the school.
What should parents do? If your child is vaccinated according to schedule, nothing changes. If they follow a different schedule or have missed some vaccinations, health professionals recommend visiting the health centre before enrolling them, rather than afterwards. The staff can check the vaccination schedules and provide any missing shots free of charge.
The bottom line: vaccinations are not a requirement for attending school, and children cannot be excluded from school because of them. But the vaccination record may be checked — so it is much easier if everything is up to date.
