Degree recognition

A higher-education qualification obtained outside Portugal only has legal validity in the country once it has been recognised. Since 1 January 2019 the rules have been in Decree-Law 66/2018, which repealed the earlier decree-laws (283/83 and 341/2007). DGES explains that the equivalence process no longer exists and that foreign degrees go through one of three types of recognition.

This guide covers higher education. Equivalence of primary and secondary school qualifications (a different body and a different regime) is in the guide Studying in Portugal.

Who handles the requests

The official recognition page is still hosted on the DGES site, but DGES closed its institutional cycle in March 2026: its functions were integrated into the Instituto para o Ensino Superior, I.P. (IES, I.P.), which now publishes information at iesuperior.pt. The IES 2026 leaflet describes the same single digital form, available every day, and says the request can be addressed to IES or to Portuguese public higher-education institutions. IES states that the content on the websites of the former bodies “remains in force until the processes of extinction or integration are concluded” (os conteúdos disponibilizados nos websites das referidas entidades mantêm-se em vigor até à conclusão dos respetivos processos de extinção ou integração). In the DGES texts cited below, “DGES” therefore means the body IES succeeded. Amounts and deadlines are those shown on those pages on 7 October 2026.

The three types of recognition

	Automatic	Level	Specific
What it does	Recognises in general terms a foreign degree or diploma whose level, objectives and nature are identical to the Portuguese licenciado, mestre and doutor degrees or the técnico superior profissional diploma, provided it appears on the list set by the recognition commission	Recognises, by comparison and individually, that the degree or diploma is at a level corresponding to a Portuguese degree or diploma	Recognises a degree or diploma identical to a Portuguese academic degree, with a case-by-case analysis of level, duration and syllabus in a field of study, branch of knowledge or specialism
Who can decide	DGES (now IES, I.P.) and public higher-education institutions	Public universities and polytechnic institutes	Public universities and polytechnic institutes
Maximum time	30 days after the file is complete	90 days after the file is complete (30 days in cases with precedence)	90 days after the file is complete
Fee	€32.20 (the amount on the DGES page, undated) for requests made to DGES	Set by the institution you choose	Set by the institution you choose

The main page says “days”, while the DGES frequently asked questions on the same site say working days (30 for automatic, 90 for the other two), always counted from receipt of a properly completed request.

Which one to choose

According to DGES, the three types have the same legal validity but serve different purposes:

• to have only the degree or level recognised (for example “bachelor’s”), automatic or level recognition will do;
• to have the course or scientific area recognised as well (for example “bachelor’s in Biology”), you need specific recognition.

Automatic recognition only exists for the degrees on the commission’s list: it is not enough for your degree to be “equivalent” or “comparable” to one of them. In the table published by DGES (a 2019 file), Brazil appears with mestre and doutor degrees with a CAPES rating of 5, 6 or 7; the Brazilian licenciatura does not appear in that table. If your degree is not on the list, you need level or specific recognition. The online form also shows whether a degree is eligible for automatic recognition. As the list may have been updated since 2019, the form’s result is the reference.

How to apply, step by step

1. Check whether automatic recognition is possible. Look for the degree on the list, or enter your details in the online form.
2. Check with the institution you choose. DGES recommends checking, before you submit, what requirements, documents and fees that particular institution applies (for example on its website).
3. Gather your documents (see the next section).
4. Fill in the online form. It is mandatory: you do not hand the request in directly at a university. On the form you select the institution that will assess the request. At the end the screen shows the request reference number and a confirmation e-mail arrives (check your spam). Keep the reference.
5. Follow up with the body you chose. Each request is assessed exclusively by the body it was submitted to. If you chose a higher-education institution, contact it, quoting the request number, about the status of the file.

If the foreign institution or the course does not appear on the form, DGES says to report this through its electronic helpdesk (Balcão Eletrónico), attaching a document (preferably the diploma). IES keeps a support form for recognition requests. If the form gives an error, DGES asks you to try again from the start and, if it persists, to send a screenshot.

Sent the request to the wrong institution? Only the chosen institution can cancel the request. After cancellation, you submit a new request on the form.

Documents

Under article 4(2) of Decree-Law 66/2018, as DGES summarises it, you need a document that proves unequivocally that the degree or diploma was awarded. This can be, in particular:

• a copy of the diploma, or of a document from the foreign institution proving ownership of the degree, authenticated by the competent authorities;
• a plain copy of a document from the foreign institution showing the degree’s registration number, where that institution has centralised records that can be publicly consulted through a unique identifier;
• the original diploma or certificate issued by the foreign institution.

DGES does not detail on that page what form the authentication takes, and it does not say that the diploma must carry an apostille. For how to legalise Brazilian documents, see the guide to documents from Brazil. Check with the institution you choose what it accepts.

For level and specific recognition, DGES says additional documents may be requested:

• the foreign institution’s document listing the course units you passed, the syllabi, the duration of studies and the final grade;
• for a master’s degree, a digital copy of the dissertation, project work or placement report;
• for a doctorate, a digital copy of the thesis (or, where it was replaced by other work, the material that allows the research carried out to be understood).

Translation

DGES says documents issued in English, French or Spanish do not need translating. Documents in other languages need a certified translation into Portuguese, if the institution you chose considers it necessary, and the competent body may accept a translation into English, Spanish or French instead. The certification must cover the content of the translation, not just the signatures. DGES lists the bodies that may make and certify translations: a Portuguese notary’s office, a Portuguese consulate in the country of issue, the consulate in Portugal of the country of issue together with a suitable translator (tradutor idóneo), registrars, lawyers and solicitadores, and recognised chambers of commerce and industry.

Converting the final grade

If the foreign degree has a final grade, you can ask for it to be converted to the Portuguese 0 to 20 scale. The request can be made together with automatic or level recognition, or, in some cases, after you have obtained recognition of the degree or professional recognition. It applies to bachelor’s (licenciado) and master’s (mestre) degrees, not to doctorates. DGES publishes the general formula, with specific rules for grades from the United Kingdom, Malta and the United States. For a doctorate, or where the home institution gave no final grade, the mechanism for assigning a grade that forms part of specific recognition may apply.

NARIC Information

NARIC Information certifies the level of foreign higher-education qualifications and diplomas in the country of origin and, where applicable, the foreign institutions that award them. It is free, is requested through an online form, and DGES describes it as general, depersonalised information that must always be presented together with your original documents. It does not replace recognition, which results in a certificate. The DGES site also has a validator of recognition certificates issued under Decree-Law 66/2018, where you look up the unique registration number.

Regulated professions

Recognition of a degree is one thing and access to a profession is another. DGES explains that in Portugal access to and practice of professions is free, so for most professions (non-regulated ones) the requirements depend on each employer. Regulated professions have their own access and practice requirements. To find out whether yours is one, and which national body is responsible for professional recognition, DGES points to the DGERT list of regulated professions and competent authorities and recommends contacting that body about the specific conditions. The same DGERT page says that access to and practice of these professions requires meeting specific requirements, including regulated training.

For the employment side (contract, NISS, NIF), see the guide to working in Portugal.

If something goes wrong

• No answer within the deadline: deadlines run from the point the file is complete, and only the body the request was submitted to can clarify its status. Contact it with the reference number.
• Missing or refused documents: confirm with the institution you chose which documents and which form of authentication it requires.
• Degree not on the automatic list: ask for level or specific recognition.