Is online therapy from another EU country legal and safe?

Short answer: yes. Under EU Directive 2011/24/EU on patients' rights in cross-border healthcare, care given by telemedicine is provided in the Member State where the provider is established. A psychologist licensed in one EU country can see you online while you live in another, under the rules of their own country. Before you book, check their licence, how your data is protected, and what to do in a crisis.

What EU law says

Article 3(d) of Directive 2011/24/EU defines the "Member State of treatment" as the country where healthcare is actually provided, and adds that, for telemedicine, healthcare is considered to be provided in the Member State where the healthcare provider is established.

In practice:

• the professional rules that apply are those of the provider's country;
• the provider must be licensed there and follow its regulator;
• your public insurance at home usually does not pay for private online therapy from abroad.

Which rules apply to Lon Clinic

Lon Clinic is established in Portugal:

• our psychologists are licensed by the Portuguese Board of Psychologists (Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses), which sets their code of ethics, including confidentiality;
• the clinic is registered with the Portuguese health regulator (Entidade Reguladora da Saúde, n.º 45475);
• sessions are given online from Portugal.

We do not use protected local titles from other countries. We describe our team as psychologists licensed by the Portuguese Board of Psychologists (EU), seeing clients online from Portugal.

Is it safe?

Data. Health data is a special category under the GDPR, which applies everywhere in the EU. Ask any provider whether sessions are recorded (ours are not), where notes are stored and who can see them.

Effectiveness. For anxiety, depression, stress and burnout, research shows online therapy can work as well as in person, with a stable connection and a private space.

Crisis. Online therapy is not an emergency service. A good provider will ask where you are and know the local emergency and crisis numbers. In the EU, 112 works everywhere.

What to check before you book

1. The psychologist's licence and the regulator that issued it.
2. The price, and whether you get an invoice in your name.
3. The languages offered.
4. How sessions are run: platform, recording, cancellations.
5. What happens in a crisis where you live.
6. Whether online therapy is right for you. If you have severe symptoms or are at risk, start with local, in-person care.

Therapy in English, online across Europe.

Sources

• Directive 2011/24/EU, Article 3 (legislation.gov.uk copy); official text on EUR-Lex
• Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses