Health care in Brazil for foreigners: SUS, plans and insurance

Brazil’s public health system, the SUS, is open to foreigners: the Migration Law of May 24, 2017 guarantees migrants access to public health services regardless of nationality or migration status. Call 192 for a public ambulance, which is free. Private hospitals expect payment upfront or proof of insurance, so a long stay needs cover from home or a Brazilian health plan.

This page covers US and UK citizens. The SUS rules apply to every nationality.

The public system (SUS)

Lei 8.080 of September 19, 1990 sets the rules for the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Article 2 says health is a fundamental human right and the state must provide the conditions for it. Article 7 lists universal access at every level of care and equal care “without prejudice or privilege of any kind.”

The Migration Law (Lei 13.445/2017) applies this to foreigners. Article 4, item VIII guarantees migrants access to public health services “without discrimination by reason of nationality and migratory condition.” Short-stay visitors are on firmer ground for emergencies than for routine care. Foreign nationals, tourists included, are entitled to emergency treatment in public hospitals. For anything planned, assume you will use private care or register locally as a resident.

The system has real limits:

• Resources. Public clinics can lack basic resources and supplies, and staff may speak little or no English.
• Crowding. Public hospitals in big cities tend to be overcrowded, with long waits for a bed and a lack of medication.
• Emergencies. Foreign nationals are entitled to emergency treatment in public hospitals.

For urgent care without an ambulance, the Ministry of Health runs UPA 24h units (Unidades de Pronto Atendimento). They open 24 hours a day, every day, stabilize urgent cases and send patients who need admission to hospitals.

For non-urgent care, primary care is the main entry point (principal porta de entrada) of the SUS. The neighborhood health post is called a UBS (Unidade Básica de Saúde), and each address is assigned to one. Ask the municipal health office (Secretaria Municipal de Saúde) which post covers your address.

The SUS card and your CPF

On September 16, 2025, the Ministry of Health began issuing the SUS card with the holder’s CPF in place of the old card number. The CPF is Brazil’s individual taxpayer number.

People without a CPF keep access and continue to be treated. Foreigners, Indigenous people and riverine communities who do not use a CPF stay identified in the Cadastro Nacional de Saúde. Anyone treated without a CPF, for example in an emergency, gets a temporary record valid for one year. After discharge or regularization, the ministry requires a proof-of-life check and the CPF to be added.

On a long stay, a CPF makes every system easier, from health records to a bank account. See how to get a CPF as a foreigner.

Check before you go: to register for a SUS card as a resident, expect to show your CRNM (or the older RNE), your CPF and proof of address at your local UBS. If you have only a passport, ask the municipal health office what it accepts before you go.

Private hospitals and paying upfront

Private care runs on payment first. Expect the following:

• Hospitals and doctors require payment before service or admission.
• At private facilities you pay at the time of your appointment.
• Credit cards are not always accepted at private hospitals.
• Patients pay all costs of transfer to or between hospitals.
• US Medicare and Medicaid do not cover bills abroad, and most US plans do not either.
• Most hospitals and doctors do not accept foreign health insurance directly.

Private hospitals may not admit you unless you can show evidence of enough money or insurance. If you are referred to a facility, contact your insurer quickly.

Buy supplemental insurance that covers medical evacuation.

Emergency numbers

Save these three numbers before you arrive.

Injured or very ill travelers may do better taking a taxi or their own car to the nearest major hospital. Outside big cities, find the nearest hospital on your map before you need it.

Three ways to cover a long stay

A long stay can be covered in three ways.

The digital nomad visa requires health insurance valid in Brazil for your stay. See the Brazil digital nomad visa for that rule, and travel insurance for Brazil for what a policy should cover.

Brazilian private health plans

Private plans are common. ANS, the national regulator of private health plans, counted 53,055,406 people in medical plans in June 2026.

Lei 9.656 of June 3, 1998 sets the main consumer rules. Article 12, item V caps waiting periods (carência):

Two more rules matter for newcomers:

• Pre-existing conditions. Article 11 bars plans from excluding a pre-existing condition after 24 months of the contract. The plan must prove you knew about the condition when you signed.
• Cancellation. For an individual plan, the operator cannot suspend or cancel except for fraud or unpaid premiums for more than 60 days, consecutive or not, in the last 12 months of the contract. You must be notified by the 50th day of non-payment. No cancellation is allowed while the holder is in hospital (article 13).

Check before you go: get a CPF before you shop for a plan, because operators report each main policyholder’s CPF to the ANS. Ask each operator in writing whether it sells individual plans to foreigners and which residence document it needs.

Plan prices depend on age, city, network and coverage level, and there is no official price table. Ask two or three operators or a licensed broker (corretor) for written quotes, and compare the hospital lists for your city. Many plans sold to individuals are “adesão” plans through a professional or trade association, so ask what you would need to join.

Medicines and pharmacies

Follow these rules for medicine:

• Carry prescription medicine in its original packaging, with your doctor’s prescription.
• Expect common US over-the-counter medicines under different brand names.
• Buy only from trusted pharmacies, with a health professional’s help, because counterfeit medicine is common.
• Review Ministry of Health rules on controlled substances before you travel.

Bring enough medicine for your whole trip, as some medicines may not be available locally. Pharmacies (farmácias) are everywhere in cities, many open 24 hours, and pharmacists can advise on minor problems.

Mental health and English-speaking care

Psychological and psychiatric services are limited, even in larger cities, and English-speaking providers are scarce. Some “boutique” clinics offering elective surgery are not hospitals and cannot handle emergencies.

For an English-speaking doctor, ask your insurer for a referral. Keep your insurer’s assistance line in your phone as well.

Vaccines and mosquitoes

Yellow fever and dengue questions belong with a travel clinic. Read Brazil vaccines and health and book a clinic appointment well before you fly.

Before you go

1. Ask your home insurer in writing whether your plan covers care in Brazil.
2. Buy cover that names Brazil, spans your dates and includes medical evacuation.
3. Get a CPF if you plan to stay for months.
4. Save 192, 193 and 190 in your phone.
5. Pack medicine in original packaging with a copy of the prescription.
6. If you join a Brazilian plan, note the date each waiting period ends.

For questions about your case, ask your insurer, a travel clinic or the Brazilian consulate that serves you. For the budget, read cost of living in Brazil and compare cities in best Brazilian cities for long stays.