# Moving with arthritis



## LaurenNoodles (Feb 21, 2018)

Hi, my partner and I are moving to Portugal in May for at least a year but with the plan to make it permanent. 

Unfortunately I was diagnosed a few weeks ago with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), a type of arthritis. We are British so we're lucky to have it all taken care of for free! I will be starting to take Etanercept injections in the next few weeks. 

Has anyone moved to Portugal with a similar illness? Does anyone know if Etanercept is available in the Portugese healthcare system? 

At the moment I think it will be best to continue getting my treatment from the NHS as I can have my injections sent by post (they will be self-administered), and once we are settled in Portugal then consider applying for residency and moving to their healthcare. 

My main questions are; will I be able to get my Etanercept from a Portugese doctor?
Will I be able to still receive NHS healthcare if I apply for residency in Portugal or will it immediately be flagged in the UK?
Will I need private healthcare in Portugal, and if so what kind of costs can I be expecting with a pre-existing condition. 

Just to clarify, I am 29 so i'm not moving to retire! My fiance and I both work online for British companies, so we will still be paying UK taxes. 

Thanks in advance for any help!


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Welcome to the forum. 

You need to get an EHIC card before you leave the UK which will give you cover here until you get residency. 

Then not before 3 months and before 4 months you are supposed to register your residency here & this is easily done (once you've obtained the fiscal number). Then once resident here you are entitled to the same more or less free NHS care as any Portuguese person because entitlement is solely based on residency & nothing else. 

If you're in receipt of UK state pension you need to give the Portuguese authorities a copy of your S1 document so they can then bill the UK for any treatment you might have.


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## Naaling (Apr 9, 2015)

A quick google search and I found this.

Medicamento gratuito para artrite - Portugal - Correio da Manhã

Enbrel is a trade name for Etanercept


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## LaurenNoodles (Feb 21, 2018)

That's great, thank you


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