The flu vaccination campaign starts on September 30 in Portugal: Who can get vaccinated at the pharmacy?

The 2026–2027 autumn-winter flu vaccination campaign in Portugal starts on Wednesday, September 30.

This season, pharmacies will again be an important part of the vaccination system, and eligible people aged 18 and over will be able to get their flu vaccines in pharmacies.

Direção-Geral da Saúde published the technical norm for this year's flu campaign on 17 September and updated it on 23 September.

Who can get vaccinated in pharmacies?

Community pharmacies will be one of the alternative points to SNS health centers for administering the flu vaccine.

According to RTP's last information before the campaign, pharmacies will be able to administer flu vaccines to people aged 18 and over.

However, it is not correct to interpret it as "everyone over the age of 18 will automatically be vaccinated free of charge."

Whether the vaccine is free or not depends on whether the person falls into one of the free vaccination groups determined by DGS.

Significant change in children

One of the notable innovations of this season is the expansion of children's coverage.

The children's age group for which the flu vaccine will be administered free of charge has been expanded to include the 2-4 age group.

The vaccination method of children and the health points where it will be applied should not be evaluated in the same way as the pharmacy practice of adults.

Flu and Covid vaccine do not mean the same coverage

Since flu and Covid-19 vaccines were brought to the agenda together in the autumn-winter campaign, the two systems were interconnected from time to time. being mixed.

But the target groups are not exactly the same.

Just because a person is eligible for a free flu vaccine does not necessarily mean they are automatically eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine under the same conditions.

For this reason, the current criteria of DGS need to be checked, especially according to age and risk group.

Why does the campaign start at the end of September?

Starting vaccination in early autumn aims to build immunity before the flu virus circulates more intensively in the winter.

Especially the elderly, those with chronic diseases and groups at high risk of complications are among the primary targets of the campaign.

It is possible for those living in Portugal to check which vaccine is free according to their age and health condition from SNS or pharmacy.

Resources

Direção-Geral da Saúde — Norma n.º 006/2026, 17 September 2026; September 23, 2026 update

https://www.dgs.pt/normas-orientacoes-e-informacoes/normas-e-circulares-normativas.aspx

RTP / Antena 1 — 26 September 2026

https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/noticiario-antena1/1h-campanha-vacinacao-comeca-na-4afeira-farmacias-podem-vacinar-contra-a-gripe-pessoas-maiores-de-18-anos_a1_1767841