CIT or employer sick note: which do you need in Portugal?

In Portugal, “sick leave” and a “sick note for the employer” are not the same document. The CIT (Certificate of Temporary Incapacity) is the official certificate submitted to Social Security and underpins any sickness benefit. A sick note justifies a short absence to the employer, without going through Social Security and without a right to benefit.

To be assessed for a CIT you need an SNS user number and a NISS (Social Security number). Without both, the doctor cannot submit the CIT. In that situation, or if the absence is very short and benefit is not needed, the right document is usually the employer sick note.

Practical rule: if you need to justify absence and, above all, start or keep a sickness-benefit process, ask for a CIT assessment. If you only need to justify 1–3 days to the employer and there is no indication of longer incapacity, a sick note may suffice. In both cases, issue only happens if clinically justified.

In the sick-leave consultation the doctor assesses symptoms, duration and impact on ability to work. If incapacity is clinically justified and you have SNS + NISS, the CIT is submitted electronically. You do not need company details for this process.

Have to hand: identification, SNS number, NISS and a brief history of symptoms. If leave is already under way and ending, book an extension before the current CIT ends to avoid a break in the Social Security process.