FAQs

Welcome to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

Here you will find answers to some of the most common questions about our activity as an insurance broker and the exclusive solutions we provide to afpop members.

We will be pleased to clarify our advantages and costs in more detail should you require further information. If you do not find what you are looking for here, please consult our full FAQ below or contact us directly.

General

No. MEDAL is an Insurance Broker duly registered and authorised by the ASF – Autoridade de Supervisão de Seguros e Fundos de Pensões (the Portuguese Insurance and Pension Funds Supervisory Authority), licensed to operate in both Life and Non-Life branches. Our role is to advise, intermediate, and present the most suitable solutions for our Clients, selected from a range of reputable insurers.

Because you benefit from over 30 years of experience and an independent team with strong negotiating power with insurers. We ensure tailored solutions, appropriate coverage, competitive prices, and ongoing support – always in full compliance with Portuguese law.

We provide all sorts of insurances, including a wide range of Life and Non-Life insurance, including health, motor, home, travel, liability, workers’ compensation, and business insurance. We also offer specialised products for expatriates and bespoke packages designed for families and national companies.

afpop (Association of Foreign Residents and Property Owners in Portugal) is the largest association of its kind in the country, supporting thousands of expatriates and residents (more information available at www.afpop.com). Since its foundation in 1996, MEDAL has been a trusted partner of afpop, providing its members with exclusive insurance products, preferential conditions, and premium discounts tailored to their specific needs.

Yes. As a long-standing partner of afpop, we have developed specific products for its members (Health, Household, Motor and Travel), with advantageous terms, premium discounts, and exclusive coverage that are not available on the open market.

No. Premiums are identical to those charged directly by insurers. Our remuneration is paid in the form of commissions by the insurers, meaning that Clients do not bear any additional cost.

Unlike going directly to an insurer, an independent broker such as MEDAL offers impartial advice, access to several insurers, expert negotiation, and close support. We also have a dedicated Claims Department, assisting Clients throughout the entire claims reporting, follow-up, and settlement process.


Yes. All our staff meet the continuous training and certification requirements set by the ASF, providing professional, independent advice in line with best industry practices.

Motor Insurance

Third Party Liability Insurance is compulsory for all motor vehicles and trailers for use on public roads with minimum capital of from 7.750.000 € up to 50.000.000 €.

The compulsory insurance covers loss or damages caused to third parties, including passengers in the vehicle but excluding the driver.

In Portugal we insure the vehicle not the driver. The cover is for any driver with the permission of the policy holder. Friends can drive the vehicle, but we recommend a written authorization to show the Police / GNR.

Check if your Green Card is valid for all the countries you wish to drive to, and if you need to pay any additional premium to extend the covers of your policy.

According to Portuguese Law and European Union (EU) recommendations and rules, the insurance must be done in the country where the vehicle is registered. This principle is the same and valid in all the other (EU) countries. To insure a foreign vehicle in Portugal, the matriculation process to Portuguese plates must have already started.

The bonus can be transferred from your previous insurer, even foreign, and benefit from a discount due to not having accidents in your records as a driver.

If there are no injuries and only involved two vehicles, you must complete the Accident Statement form (download), as far as possible, and deliver it to our claims department to proceed with the claims process.

Even if you call the police, MEDAL recommends you also complete the declaration of accident form to help inform your insurance company. Only leave the scene of the accident when the police allow you to do so. 

For most accidents, the quickest way to receive your insurance compensation is to complete the accident report form. Once the report has been signed by both drivers, you can leave the scene of the accident.

Household Insurance

The sums insured should be calculated assuming the following indemnity basis:

• Building value: the cost to rebuild the insurance object with the same or similar characteristics if they suffer damage or be destroyed. One should take into account the housing square meters, and the amounts vary depending on the quality of the materials. Pools, outbuildings, garages should also be included in this figure.

• Content: the replacement value without any depreciation for use, condition or age.

• The valuables and jewelry: its true market value at the date of the accident.

Electrical Risks: ensures the loss or damage to any electrical equipment due to the direct action of electrical current, overvoltage and overcurrent in particular.

Accidental damage: covering loss or damage to the contents insured resulting from any sudden, random and accidental cause. (not applicable for rental properties)

Coverage (All-Risks): loss or damage of items specified by the policyholder, in this coverage you can include your jewelry or personal belongings (cameras, laptops, mobile phones …). The scope of coverage is 3 levels of coverage to choose from, Portugal, Europe or Worldwide.

If the property is rented to third parties, the policyholder must always inform the insurance company, to tailor policy to the effects of responsibility as may be required.

In the event of changes in the construction and contents should always inform the insurer of any changes made in the property or contents to keep your policy always updated to avoid problems in an eventual loss.

Health Insurance

Due to the unique conditions for afpop members the renewal date is on 01/01 of each year, and the payment is annual. You will receive our renewal letter with the payment invoice attached in order you can pay by bank transfer, cheque or cash. We also have the direct debit option. 

Bearing in mind this policy was designed for a group, afpop members, with similar needs and benefiting from significant advantages, the premium must have similarly increases, depending on the age group in all insured persons. In this way, we can ensure that if you have a serious claim your policy premium will not be increased in equal proportions because the claims ratio refers to the whole Group, thus enabling small increases that are common to all members of afpop. Our experience also tells us that the policies premium should be annually updated to avoid a large increases in the future.

For this issue, your insurance allows you to have two options. Which means that you can choose a doctor with agreement and pay the agreed value or visit a doctor without agreement and pay the totally amount and ask the reimbursement with presentation of the receipt. 

For consultations at home you must contact Allianz through the number of Assistance (+351) 213 108 321 (bilingual) and it will cost 18,50€.

For both Option Light and B there is an annual deductible of 35€ for first expenses submitted for reimbursement. For example, if your first expenses outside Allianz network are 85€ you will receive the following amount: 
85€ – 35€ (annual deductible) * 60% = 30€.

As for the following expenses, you will then receive 60% of the presented value.

The target date for pre-existing effect is the starting date of your policy. The date considered for pre-existing conditions is extremely important, because all medical conditions previous to this date, or related to them, are automatically excluded from your policy.

However, if you have been insured by another health insurance policy is possible that Allianz recognize, upon insurance certificate, the starting date of the previous policy for pre-existing conditions. This means that Allianz will transfer your clinical history for the new policy. The waiting period of 60 days will be also cancelled.

The use of the providers network is more dresser to the client not only because the insured will only have to shell out the amount to charge, and the party in charge of Allianz paid directly by Allianz to the provider, but also because the prices paid by Allianz are more advantageous, which means that the claims ratio will be better later in the year.

This, and the fact that, to the extent that there is an agreement with Allianz and pricing to our customers are lower than the prices from the general public, it is particularly beneficial in terms of claims ratio.

Reimbursement of expenses should always be sent  to MEDAL within a maximum of 90 (MGEN) or 180 days (Allianz), towards our health department to analyze and verify if it is missing any document that is necessary to proceed with the claim and send the request to the insurer.

To make this procedure easier and faster, we have a list of procedures and a refund form to guide you.
The refund will be made to your bank account within 15-20 business days. The amount not reimbursed for all expenses incurred each year, will be on the health expenditure statement made in this year, which will be sent to you for tax purposes (IRS) at the beginning of each year.

The territorial scope of the policy is Portugal and Spain and as such is only covered outside Portugal in case of sudden illness or accident, not for journeys over 90 days. It is very important to note that there are no excluded countries and if you want, you can extend the period of 90 days and you will have to pay an additional amount.

Travel Insurance

This annual policy allows you to have coverage worldwide except in Afghanistan, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Iraq, Liberia, Sudan and Syria.

There is no age limit entry or stay in the annual policy for members of afpop.

The policy provides coverage for trips up to 60 days. If the journey is more than 60 days, it is not guaranteed any coverage unless there has been a communication and authorization by the insurance company.

It is not necessary to make any communication of the trips. Only in case of an accident, the ticket proof will be requested.

You must show your card with the policy number and contact the travel assistance of your company so that it comes into contact with the hospital and if possible make payment directly to the hospital.

Medical Expenses not related to hospitalization, less than 75 €, are not recoverable.

The repatriation of the event is always done to Portugal. You should always contact the assistance service which is available 24 hours a day, in order to inform the company the need of this service.

If any health problem that is related to a clinical pre-existing situation to the starting date of the policy, will be automatically excluded.

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If you’re already a MEDAL Insurance customer, please access your Client Area and consult your broker’s contact information for personalised support.

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