Insights — Insurance in Portugal, explained
This is where Adler & Rochefort writes up what we learn from the policies that cross our desk. The audience is the one we actually serve in English: people who have moved to Portugal, or own property here, and are trying to work out how Portuguese insurance behaves when it is tested — what the law requires, what the standard wording quietly excludes, and where an internationally-minded household or business is exposed by a policy written for a domestic one.
The subjects follow that reality rather than mirroring our Portuguese section: health cover and residency requirements, homes on the Algarve coast and in Lisbon, holiday lets and Alojamento Local, valuables and collections, boats, cross-border company structures and professional liability. We name the applicable Portuguese legislation where it matters and we do not publish price rankings. If something here raises a question about your own policy, ask us — we are an insurance broker registered with the ASF under n.º 425591790/3 and the review costs nothing.
What transfers from VHI, Laya and Irish Life to Portugal (and what does not)
Community rating, the lifetime community rating loading if cover lapses, and how the S1 route works differently for an Irish national than a UK one.
Read articleIrish no-claims bonus and Portuguese motor underwriting
What Portuguese motor insurers actually look at, what an Irish proof-of-no-claims letter can help with, and why acceptance is not automatic.
Read articleInsuring an Irish-owned holiday home in the Algarve
What changes when an Algarve property is a holiday home rather than a permanent residence: vacancy conditions, Alojamento Local, and the sum insured.
Read articleWhat happens to provincial health coverage when you leave Canada
There is no single Canadian rule for health coverage after you move abroad — it is set province by province, and the residency requirement and grace period differ.
Read articleCanadian driving record and Portuguese motor insurers
What Portuguese motor insurers actually look at from a Canadian driving history, and what a letter of experience can and cannot do.
Read articleNon-resident property ownership and cover before residency
A property owned in Portugal before you have moved, or before residency is approved, still needs correct cover from completion — not from the day you arrive.
Read articleUS umbrella insurance vs. Portuguese liability cover
Why a US umbrella policy stays behind, what Portugal has instead, and what to actually check on your Portuguese home and car policies.
Read articleWhat your US driving record does (and does not) transfer
What Portuguese motor insurers price on, what US evidence can help, and why it isn't an automatic no-claims transfer.
Read articleClaiming in Portugal when you are used to a US adjuster
No single adjuster relationship, a written process by default, and what the actual claims sequence looks like in Portugal.
Read articleTaking out cover before D7/D8/Golden Visa residency is approved
Why proof of health cover is usually needed before a visa decision, not after, and what that means for timing an application.
Read articleLiability insurance for yoga instructors in Portugal
Not on the regulated list, but the exposure — and the venues asking for proof of cover — are real.
Read articleLiability insurance for Pilates and Tai Chi instructors in Portugal
Equipment risk, hands-on correction and older student bases — the real exposure behind two unregulated disciplines.
Read articleRather talk
it through
An ASF-registered insurance broker reviews your situation, compares the market and replies within one working day. No obligation, in English.