WHAT IS LOVE?

The Multipurpose Medical Disability Certificate (AMIM) is an official document that proves a person's degree of disability based on the National Table of Disabilities.

For more detailed information you can consult the Decree-Law No º 352/2007, of 23 October, approving the National Table of Incapacities for Accidents at Work and Occupational Diseases, and aOrdinance No º 171/2025/1, of 10 April, which introduced rules on the operation of Medical Boards for Disability Assessment (JMAI) and the dematerialization of the evaluation process, in the wording resulting from the Corrigendum No º 27/2025/1 of 30 May, This clarified, inter alia, the possibility for AMIM to be considered “definitive” when the course of the disease is not foreseeable.

What is the role of love?

This certificate allows the person to enjoy benefits or rights, depending on the degree of incapacity. As a rule, these benefits and rights are recognized when a person has a degree of disability equal to or greater than 60%.

For more detailed information you can consult the Decree-Law No 202/96, of 23 October, in its current wording, establishing the disability assessment scheme for persons with disabilities for the purposes of access to the measures and benefits provided for by law.

The assessment of disability is carried out by the Medical Boards for Disability Assessment (JMAI), and there may be appeal medical boards responsible for reviewing decisions.

O Order No º 5673/2025 of 20 May 2012, establishes that certain medical boards responsible for the assessment of appeals correspond to the Joint Medical Boards for the Assessment of Appeal Disability provided for in Ordinance No º 171/2025/1.

WHAT RIGHTS AND SUPPORT DOES A PERSON HAVE WITH ME?

Portuguese legislation provides for various social, tax and economic benefits, including:

• Protection Social where a Social Benefit for Inclusione Social Responses;

• Personal assistance under the Independent Life Support Model (MAVI);

• Tax benefits, relating to Vehicle Tax (ISV), Single Circulation Tax (IUC), Individual Income Tax (IRS) and Value Added Tax (VAT);

• Access to Higher Education and scholarships;

• Measures to support Employment This includes the Quota system;

• Support Measures for Housing and Mobility.

For more detailed information, see the respective topics in this Guide.

WHERE TO REQUEST LOVE?

At the Health Centre of the area of residence, submitting an application for an assessment of disability, which must be addressed to the President of the Board of Directors of the respective Local Health Unit (ULS). You should, however, ask for clarifications in the respective Health Centre before starting to fill in the application.

The application shall be accompanied by the medical reports and examinations supporting the application. Once the application has been lodged, the person is notified of the date of the medical committee. take place within 60 days of the date on which the application was lodged.

In order to reduce delays in the realization of medical joints, a Law No º 8/2026 of 25 February 2012, created an extraordinary recovery processthe pending meetings of the Medical Boards for Disability Assessment (JMAI), working with the Local Health Units, aimed at reducing waiting lists and speeding up the performance of medical assessments.

For peIf your disability or incapacity severely affects your travel, there is the possibility, even if exceptional, that one of the members of the medical committee will travel to your residence for the examination to assess your disability. 

ARE THERE SITUATIONS IN WHICH THE INCAPACITY ASSESSMENT IS CARRIED OUT WITHOUT MEDICAL JUNTA (JMAI)?

Yes, for a set of situations, which include congenital or other conditions that confer a degree of permanent disability, the assessment is carried out with exemption from the medical disability assessment board (JMAI), and the certificate may have limited validity or be defined as definitive when the course of the disease is not foreseeable, pursuant to Ordinance No º 171/2025/1, as amended.

The pathologies that are covered by this exception, as well as the documents that must be presented, are identified in the Ordinance No º 171/2025/1, as amended.

The list of pathologies and the required documentation are identified in the Annex to that Order.

WHERE CAN THE APPLICATION FOR ASSESSMENT BE SUBMITTED IN THESE SITUATIONS?

It can be displayed, regardless of the unit of the NHS where the person is registered, in the following ways:

• Gov.pt portal;

• SNS24 App or Portal;

• Presence in health centres, ULS or NHS hospitals;

• Presently in entities with agreement with the Ministry of Health (such as IPSS).

Persons who are members of the Armed Forces, Public Security Police or Republican National Guard have their own regime and should contact the respective Medical Services.

HOW IS AMIM ISSUED? 

AMIM is preferably issued electronically, through the National Health Service’s IT platform. Exceptionally, in situations where the computer system is broken or the person is unable to receive the AMIM electronically, the document shall be issued in a manual format. 

The AMIM model is from Order No º 8027/2025 of 14 July 2012, which establishes the models applicable to cases assessed by the Medical Board for Disability Assessment and to situations in which there is no medical board.

IF A PERSON HAS ALREADY A LOVE IN PAPER, CAN YOU REQUEST ITS ELECTRONIC EMISSION?

Yes, in the case of a paper AMIM, issued until 2024, provided that it is valid and the person has access to the SNS portal 24, with authentication via the Citizen Card or Digital Mobile Key.

WHEN LOVE IS SUBMITTED TO AN ENTITY OR PERSON, DOES IT HAVE TO BE RESOLVED?

Yes, yes. After its presentation, the certificate must be returned so that the holder can use it for other purposes.

DOES THE ISSUANCE AND RENEWAL OF THE MEDICAL MULTIUSAL INCAPACITY ATTESTATION (MEM) HAVE COSTS?

Yes, yes. Issuing the AMIM has the following costs: 

• € 12.5 - issue on medical board;

• €25 - issue on appeal medical board;

• 5€ - reassessment in case of medical board.

However, the issue of the AMIM with medical committee exemption (in the course of prior examination) is free of charge.

For more detailed information, see the Decree-Law No º 8/2011, of 11 January, as amended and the Ordinance No º 171/2025/1, of 10 April, as amended.

IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THE ASSESSMENT OF THE ALLOWED INCAPACITY, WHO SHOULD YOU REFUSE?

After becoming aware of the degree of incapacity that has been attributed to you and if you disagree with it, you can submit a complaint (hierarchical appeal) to the maximum manager of the service, to be submitted within 30 days: this appeal may determine the reassessment by a new medical committee. If the appeal is rejected, a contentious appeal may be made to the administrative courts in accordance with the law.

WHAT TO DO TO REQUEST THE RE-ASSESSMENT OF INCAPACITY?

You must go to the Health Center or ULS of your area of residence where the first request of AMIM was made and submit the request for reassessment of your disability, addressed to the chairman of the board of directors of ULS. It shall attach to the application any up-to-date medical reports and examinations at its disposal which substantiate the application.

IF THE INCAPACITY GROUND ATTACHED TO THE RE-ASSESSMENT IS LESS THAN THAT OF THE PREVIOUS EVALUATION, DOES THE PERSON LOSE RIGHTS ALREADY ACQUIRED?

In revaluation processes, the most favourable valuation principle applies so that the Person can maintain the rights or benefits already acquired. That is, whenever the process of reassessment of disability results in the attribution of a lower degree of disability, the result of the previous more favourable assessment remains in force, provided that it relates to the same clinical pathology that determined the attribution of disability and that this does not result in harm to the patient.

DOES ANY SPECIAL RULES EXIST FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES REGARDING PRIMARY HEALTH CARE INSCRIPTION?

The current rules do not establish a specific scheme for persons with disabilities. However, they prioritize the attribution of family physicians to pregnant women, multimorbidity, with chronic disease and families with children up to 12 years old.  For more information see the Order No º 40/2025, of 2 January.