Before you start

CPF, for the Cartão Nacional de Saúde
Proof of address, which determines your Unidade de Saúde
Employer plan enrolment where offered
Vaccination record

Step-by-step

1
Register at the Unidade de Saúde covering your address
Curitiba assigns residents to a neighbourhood health unit by catchment. Take CPF and proof of address; the Cartão Nacional de Saúde is free and links you to a family health team and to the municipal electronic record.
In personWho: YouFree
2
Use the municipal record rather than carrying paper
Curitiba's units share an electronic patient record, so a prescription, a test result or a vaccination logged at one unit is visible at another and at the municipal urgent care centres. This is unusual in Brazil and worth using deliberately — it means consistent care even if you move across the city.
In personWho: You
3
Take the seasonal vaccinations when the campaign opens
Influenza campaigns typically open in the autumn, ahead of the cold season, and are free at any unit for the priority groups and increasingly for everyone. In a city with a genuine winter this is not a formality.
In personWho: YouFree
4
Check the tier of your employer's private plan
A plano de saúde is a standard professional benefit here. Ask which hospital network the tier admits you to and whether dependants are covered, not just what it deducts from your payslip.
Via employerWho: You
5
Or buy individually, reading the carências
Waiting periods run 24 hours for emergencies, up to 180 days for most procedures, 300 days for childbirth and up to 24 months for declared pre-existing conditions. Corporate plans often shorten or waive them.
OnlineWho: YouCommonly BRL 400–1,300 per month for an adult
6
Know which hospital you would actually go to
The Hospital de Clínicas da UFPR is the largest public hospital in Paraná and one of the biggest university hospitals in Brazil. On the private side, Nossa Senhora das Graças, Marcelino Champagnat and Vita are the ones plans are measured against. Check the specific hospital nearest you against the network list.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

CPF
Proof of Curitiba address
Passport or CRNM
Vaccination record
Private plan card and policy, where applicable

Things most newcomers don’t know

Curitiba's shared electronic record makes SUS here materially better than the national average.

The municipal units run a common patient record, so a result from one clinic is visible at the next and at urgent care. Most Brazilian cities do not have this, and the difference shows up in continuity of care and in not repeating tests. Registering at your catchment unit is what puts you inside the system — private insurance does not.

Source: Prefeitura de Curitiba — Secretaria Municipal da Saúde

The winter respiratory season is real here, and tropical arrivals get hit hardest.

Cold damp months in poorly heated, poorly ventilated housing produce a genuine seasonal spike in respiratory illness that does not exist in Recife or Salvador. People who moved from northern Brazil and from tropical countries reliably spend their first July ill. Taking the influenza vaccination when the autumn campaign opens, and heating and airing at least one room, is most of the answer.

Source: Secretaria de Estado da Saúde do Paraná seasonal campaigns

SUS covers you regardless of immigration status, and the card costs nothing.

The Brazilian constitution frames health as a universal right and SUS units do not ask about visas. Foreign residents on private plans skip registration and then have no route to routine vaccinations, repeat prescriptions or the free medicines list. One visit with a CPF and a proof of address is the whole process.

Source: Ministério da Saúde

Private plan premiums step at ANS age bands, and the jump into the last one is severe.

ANS regulates plans into ten age brackets, and crossing a bracket triggers an increase layered on top of the annual inflation adjustment. The final step at 59 is the steepest allowed. Anyone pricing a long stay from a premium quoted in their forties is looking at a figure that will not resemble what they pay later.

Source: ANS age-band regulation

Common mistakes to avoid

Not registering for a Cartão SUS because you have private cover.
Choosing a private plan on premium alone without reading the hospital network.
Skipping the autumn influenza campaign in a city with a real winter.
Signing a plan and then discovering the 180-day carência before an elective procedure.
Not declaring a pre-existing condition, which can void cover rather than merely delay it.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.