Three Golden Rules
1. CheckpointLX Is Your First Call in Lisbon GAT's CheckpointLX (Rua de São Lázaro 135, checkpointlx.org) is free, anonymous, peer-led, and specifically for gay and bisexual men. For testing, PrEP navigation, PEP advice, chemsex support, or just a question — start here. In Porto, GAT Porto (gat.pt) fills the same role.
2. PrEP Is Free, But You Must Go Through the Hospital Portugal has offered free PrEP since 2018, but it is dispensed only through the Farmácia Hospitalar after a Doenças Infecciosas appointment. You cannot buy it at a street pharmacy. GAT/CheckpointLX can refer you in, and in high-risk cases can sometimes fast-track the wait. Start the process early — the first appointment can take several weeks.
3. For PEP: Hospital Urgência, Any Hour, Within 72 Hours PEP is free for SNS users and EHIC holders. In Lisbon, go to Hospital Curry Cabral Urgência (Rua da Beneficência 8) — it specialises in infectious diseases. In Porto, Hospital São João Urgência. Say: "Preciso de PEP para o VIH." Do not wait.
General Education
Sexual health is not just about emergencies. The resources below cover the fundamentals — how HIV transmission actually works, how PrEP and PEP function, what a complete STI screen should look like, and how to protect yourself proactively.
- HIV facts and transmission
- STI landscape — what's actually circulating
- Testing protocol — why three sites matter
- How PrEP works
- PEP — emergency HIV prevention
- Prevention stack — layering your tools
- Vaccines for gay and bisexual men
- Internalised shame and minority stress
- Chemsex safety
- GHB and GBL — specific risks
- DoxyPEP — bacterial STI prevention
- Finding an affirming doctor
Portugal-Specific Guides
Testing
Prevention
Emergency
Living in Portugal
- Mental health — ILGA, Abraço, crisis lines
- Chemsex — harm reduction and support
- Outside Lisbon — Porto, Coimbra, Algarve
- Portuguese vocabulary — healthcare terms and phrases
Emergency Contacts
| Service | Number | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency (ambulance/police) | 112 | 24h |
| SNS 24 health advice line | 808 24 24 24 | 24h |
| CheckpointLX (GAT Lisbon) | 218 870 025 | Check checkpointlx.org |
| Hospital Curry Cabral Urgência (Lisbon PEP) | 213 672 000 | 24h |
| Hospital São João Urgência (Porto PEP) | 225 512 100 | 24h |
| Abraço (HIV support) | 213 952 000 | Office hours |
| ILGA Portugal | 213 873 918 | Office hours |
| SOS Voz Amiga (crisis line) | 213 544 545 | Daily 16:00–24:00 |
| Linha Vida (drug support) | 1414 | 24h |
The Context
Portugal is one of the more progressive countries in Europe for gay and bisexual men. Same-sex marriage has been legal since 2010, discrimination protections are in law, and the decriminalisation of personal drug use since 2001 means the harm reduction environment is genuinely supportive. PrEP has been free since 2018.
The main practical limitations are SNS waiting times (PrEP first appointments, GP allocation) and the relative thinness of services outside Lisbon and Porto. GAT is the key navigator organisation and will help you find the right pathway regardless of where in Portugal you are.