Colonoscopy · Portugal
Colonoscopy in Portugal: what it costs and how it compares with waiting at home
Prices checked 27 October 2026 (Taipei time)
Short answer
We found 1 published price for a colonoscopy in Portugal, from €196 to €565, or about £164 to £473 before flights and a hotel. Paying privately in the UK costs about £1,890 to £3,510 at the providers we checked.
- Published price
- €196 to €565about £164 to £473 · about €196 to €565 · about C$307 to C$885 · about $219 to $632
- Price is for
- one diagnostic or screening colonoscopy, with sedation and biopsies shown separately where the clinic prices them separately
- Where
- Lisbon
- Providers
- 1 (CUF (hospitals and clinics in Lisbon and Porto))
- Soonest booking
- Not published: ask in writing
- NHS England wait
- 30.9% waiting over 6 weeks (August 2026)
Published colonoscopy prices in Portugal
Every row is a price the provider publishes itself, read on the date shown. We copy what the price includes and what it leaves out; where the provider does not say, the row says “not stated”. We do not use prices from brokers or medical-travel agencies.
| Provider | Published price | What the price is for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CUF (hospitals and clinics in Lisbon and Porto)Lisbon | €196 to €565about £164–£473 · C$307–C$885 · $219–$632 | Colonoscopy (Colonoscopia), range across CUF unitsSelf-pay price list; the asterisk on the line means it may need prior information. Whether sedation and polyp removal are included is not stated. Price list published 28 June 2026. | CUFread 27 October 2026 |
Prices are copied as published, in the provider's currency. Conversions use the European Central Bank reference rates of 23 October 2026 and are rounded. A provider can change a price at any time: ask for a written quote.
Hospitals in Portugal that offer a colonoscopy to international patients
Each runs its own service for patients from abroad. The booking time on each card is the hospital's own words; where it publishes none, ask for a date in writing before you book flights.
CUF (hospitals and clinics in Lisbon and Porto)
No booking time published: ask in writing
4 published pricesDetails
Compared with waiting or paying at home
The official waiting figure and the self-pay price in each home country, next to the Portugal price converted to that currency. The Portugal figure does not include flights, a hotel or time off work.
| Where you live | Official wait | Pay at home | Here, converted |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 30.9% waiting over 6 weeksEngland, August 2026 | £1,890 to £3,510 | £164 to £473before flights and hotel |
| Canada | No official figure found | C$1,200 to C$1,450 | C$307 to C$885before flights and hotel |
| Ireland | About 30% waiting over 6 monthsIreland (public hospitals), 24 September 2026 | Not verified | €196 to €565before flights and hotel |
| US | No national figure | $1,6402021 hospital data or a dental school | $219 to $632before flights and hotel |
Waits are the latest official statistics; each country measures them differently, so read the label. Home prices are published self-pay prices; for the US they are 2021 hospital medians or a dental school's estimate.
Compare with your wait and price at home
Pick where you live to see the Portugal price and how soon hospitals say they can see you, next to your wait and your price at home.
How it works for a visitor
- Ask for a written quoteSend the clinic your referral or reason for the colonoscopy and ask for an itemised price, the date, and what happens if the result needs follow-up.
- Before you goSend the clinic your medicines list, especially blood thinners, diabetes medicines and iron tablets.
- Before you goPlan two nights at least: the preparation day keeps you close to a toilet.
- Before you goDo not fly on the day of the test if you have had sedation or a polyp removed; ask the clinic how long to wait.
- LanguagePortuguese; private hospitals that serve foreigners work in English.
- Entry rulesCheck the official advice for your passport before booking: UK citizens (FCDO entry requirements), Canadian citizens (travel.gc.ca), US citizens (State Department, choose the country), Irish citizens (DFA travel advice, choose the country).
- After you returnGive your doctor the report, photos and lab results. Ask the clinic to email the lab result if it arrives after you leave.
- After you returnKnow who to call if you have bleeding or tummy pain after you fly home.
Can your public system pay for it?
From England (NHS): the S2 route can fund planned treatment in an EU country, but only state healthcare with a public provider, never private treatment, and only with approval before you go. NHS England must also confirm it cannot treat you in a medically acceptable time. The private clinics on this page do not qualify. NHS: the S2 funding route.
From Ireland (HSE): Portugal is one of the EU countries listed for the Cross Border Directive scheme. You pay the provider yourself and then claim back the smaller of what you paid and what the same care would cost in the Irish public system; travel and hotels are not covered, and you need a referral from a GP or a consultant you saw as a public patient. HSE: Cross Border Directive, how much you can claim.
When not to travel for a colonoscopy
- Bleeding from the bottom, black stools, a change in bowel habit with weight loss, or a positive home screening test: these belong on an urgent pathway at home first. In England, ask your GP about the urgent suspected-cancer referral.
- People with serious heart, lung or kidney disease, or on blood thinners, unless the clinic has reviewed their medicines in advance.
- Travelling alone with no one to collect you after sedation. Clinics usually require an escort.
How to compare colonoscopy quotes
A colonoscopy is a camera test of the large bowel. The day before, you drink a laxative preparation to empty the bowel. Most clinics offer sedation. Small growths (polyps) can be removed during the test and sent to a lab, which can add a fee and a few days for the result.
- Check whether sedation or anaesthesia is in the price. Many price lists show it as a separate line.
- Ask how biopsy and polyp removal are charged, and how long the lab result takes.
- Some clinics only sell a colonoscopy as part of a health-check package.
- Ask whether the bowel preparation is supplied and when you must start it.
Providers on this page
We list providers because they publish a price, not because we recommend them. No clinic pays to be listed, and we have not visited any of them.
- CUF (hospitals and clinics in Lisbon and Porto), Lisbon: €196 to €565
Related comparisons
- Colonoscopy abroad: all 9 countries compared
- Colonoscopy in Turkey
- Colonoscopy in Poland
- Colonoscopy in Hungary
- Colonoscopy in South Korea
- Colonoscopy in Japan
- Colonoscopy in Thailand
- Colonoscopy in Malaysia
- Colonoscopy in China
- MRI scan in Portugal
- CT scan in Portugal
- Gastroscopy in Portugal
- Health check-up in Portugal
- Treatment in Portugal: every procedure
- Wait or Fly home: the calculator
Colonoscopy in Portugal: questions
How much does a colonoscopy cost in Portugal?
The published prices we found range from €196 to €565, about £164 to £473 or $219 to $632. They come from CUF (hospitals and clinics in Lisbon and Porto). Each covers something slightly different, so read what is included before comparing.
Is a colonoscopy in Portugal cheaper than paying privately in the UK?
Before travel, the prices here work out at about £164 to £473, against about £1,890 to £3,510 at the UK providers we checked. Travel adds a flight and a hotel on top; the calculator on the home page adds a rough estimate.
Will the NHS or HSE pay for a colonoscopy in Portugal?
The NHS S2 route pays only for state treatment at a public provider in the EU, with approval before you travel, not for private clinics. From Ireland, the HSE Cross Border Directive scheme lets you claim back up to what the same care costs in the Irish public system, after you have paid.
How many days should I plan in Portugal?
2 days: bowel preparation the day before, the test the next day, and someone to take you back to your hotel after sedation. That is our planning estimate, not medical advice: the clinic sets the schedule, and you should ask it for one in writing.
What should I check before booking a colonoscopy in Portugal?
Check whether sedation or anaesthesia is in the price. Many price lists show it as a separate line. Ask how biopsy and polyp removal are charged, and how long the lab result takes.
Sources
- Preçário CUF [self-pay price list], published 28 June 2026 (PDF). CUF. Read 27 October 2026.
- Planned treatment: S2 funding route. NHS (nhs.uk). Read 26 October 2026.
- Cross Border Directive: how to get healthcare abroad. Health Service Executive (HSE). Read 26 October 2026.
- Cross Border Directive: DRG codes and how much you can claim. Health Service Executive (HSE). Read 26 October 2026.
- Euro foreign exchange reference rates. European Central Bank, 23 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.