Recent discussions on social media have highlighted concerns about whether a pregnant woman newly arrived in Portugal, who has never worked there, is eligible for the pre-natal family allowance. This allowance is provided from the 13th week of pregnancy to support maternal expenses, as outlined by the Portuguese Social Security.
The Portuguese Social Security Institute specifies the eligibility criteria for the pre-natal allowance as follows:
- Reached the 13th week of pregnancy;
- Be a resident or equivalent resident in Portugal;
- Have reference income up to the 4th income bracket (equal to or less than 2.5 x IAS x 14). Up to €17,824.10 (IAS value in 2024).
The IAS – Index of Social Support – is set at €522.50 in 2025.
Additionally, the applicant and their household, at the time of application, must not have financial assets (bank deposits, stocks, bonds, savings certificates, shares, and units in collective investment institutions) exceeding €125,400.00 (240 x €522.50).
This implies that a pregnant woman arriving in Portugal could be eligible for this Social Security support if she meets these requirements, though this process does not happen overnight.
According to Social Security, the prenatal allowance is compatible with the following:
- Family allowance for children and young people;
- Family allowance for children and young people (for the mother, if still receiving family allowance, and for the children);
- Increased prenatal family allowance for single-parent families (if the pregnant woman lives alone or only with children or young people entitled to family allowances, whether they are receiving it or not);
- Increased family allowance for children under 36 months, including, in households with two allowance holders;
- Bonus for disability;
- Study grant;
- Special education allowance;
- Allowance for third-party assistance;
- Social inclusion benefit;
- Funeral grant;
- Death grant;
- Reimbursement of funeral expenses;
- Widow’s pension;
- Orphan’s pension;
- Dependency supplement;
- Unemployment subsidy;
- Social unemployment subsidy;
- Activity termination subsidy;
- Sickness subsidy;
- Parental/social parental subsidy;
- Adoption subsidy;
- Disability/special pension;
- Survivor’s pension;
- Social insertion income;
- Main informal caregiver support subsidy;
- Study grant;
- Occupational disease;
- Subsidy for child assistance;
It is not compatible with:
- Subsidy for Termination of Pregnancy
It is important to note that the pre-natal family allowance is granted for six months, starting the month following the 13th week of pregnancy.
If the pregnancy duration is:
- More than 40 weeks, it is granted for 6 months or until the birth month, inclusive;
- Less than 40 weeks, it is granted for 6 months and can be combined with the family allowance for children and young people after birth;
- If a pregnancy termination occurs, it is granted up to the month of occurrence, which must be reported to Social Security services.
