Working in Portugal

According to gov.pt, a foreign person who carries on a professional activity in Portugal has the same rights and duties as someone with Portuguese nationality. This guide gathers what the law and official pages say about contracts, pay, leaving a job and where to ask for help. The articles cited are from the Labour Code (Law 7/2009), in the version updated up to Law 32/2025.

Visas and residence permits are covered in the guides on visas and the AIMA residence permit. For the EU Blue Card, the Tech Visa and other qualified-work routes, see the qualified work guide.

The employment contract

gov.pt describes the contract as the agreement that sets the rights and duties of both parties, including pay, and says it can be written or oral. Article 110 confirms that no special form is required unless the law says otherwise. A fixed-term contract, for example, must be in writing (article 141). The ACT leaflet for foreign workers goes further: it states that the contract must be written and signed by both parties and that the worker keeps a signed copy.

Whatever the form, article 106 requires the employer to inform the worker of, among other things:

• the employer’s identity and the place of work;
• the job category or duties;
• the dates the contract is signed and takes effect and, if fixed-term, its expected length;
• the length of holidays and the notice periods for ending the contract;
• the amount, frequency and method of payment;
• daily and weekly working hours;
• the work-accident insurance policy number and the insurer;
• the applicable collective agreement, if any.

Types of contract

gov.pt distinguishes these types:

• Open-ended (sem termo): no end date. Also called indefinite-term.
• Fixed-term (a termo certo): only justified by temporary needs of the company, such as covering an absent worker, seasonal activity or an exceptional increase in activity (article 140). It cannot exceed two years (article 148) and can be renewed up to three times, provided the total length of the renewals does not exceed the initial period (article 149). gov.pt, on its page about contracts, still says “up to twice”, but article 149(4) provides for three renewals, and that is the text of the law.
• Uncertain-term (a termo incerto): the maximum length is four years (article 148).
• Very short-term (de curta duração): for seasonal farming or tourism work, it cannot exceed 35 days or 70 days in a calendar year, and the company must notify Social Security.
• Part-time (a tempo parcial): weekly hours are fewer than those of a full-time worker.
• Temporary agency work: a temporary work agency hires and pays the worker, who is placed with another business.
• Service provision (prestação de serviços): used by self-employed workers. The person providing the service is responsible for their own taxes.

Trial period

At the start of a contract there is a period in which both sides assess whether the relationship continues. Article 112 sets its length:

Contract	Trial period
Open-ended, most workers	90 days
Open-ended, posts of technical complexity, high responsibility or trust, or people seeking a first job and the long-term unemployed	180 days
Open-ended, management or senior staff	240 days
Fixed-term, length of six months or more	30 days
Fixed-term of under six months (or uncertain-term with foreseeable length up to that limit)	15 days

During this period either party may end the contract without notice, without just cause and without compensation, unless a written agreement says otherwise (article 114). If the period has lasted more than 60 days, the employer must give 7 days’ notice; if more than 120 days, 30 days.

Pay, hours and rest

• Guaranteed minimum monthly pay: €920 in 2026, set by Decree-Law 139/2025 with effect from 1 January 2026. The ACT leaflet presents it as a gross amount for full-time work.
• Payslip: according to the ACT, the amount to be received appears on a payslip given to the worker. The employer deducts 11% for Social Security and may have to withhold a percentage for IRS. See the IRS guide.
• Social Security: the employer registers the worker when reporting the hiring, and the worker receives an NISS. See the NISS guide.
• Hours: normal working time cannot exceed 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week (article 203), without prejudice to special regimes.
• Daily rest: at least 11 consecutive hours between two working periods (article 214), with exceptions set by law.
• Mandatory public holidays (article 234): 1 January, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, 25 April, 1 May, Corpus Christi, 10 June, 15 August, 5 October, 1 November, 1, 8 and 25 December.

Holidays and allowances

• The annual holiday period is at least 22 working days (article 238), counted Monday to Friday excluding public holidays.
• In the year of hiring, the worker is entitled to two working days per month of the contract, up to 20 days, which can be taken after six full months of the contract. If the calendar year ends before then, the holiday is taken by 30 June of the following year, without exceeding 30 working days in the same calendar year (article 239).
• During holidays, pay equals what the worker would receive if working, and there is also a holiday allowance (subsídio de férias) which, unless otherwise agreed in writing, is paid before the holiday starts (article 264).
• The Christmas allowance (subsídio de Natal) is worth one month’s pay and is paid by 15 December. In the year of hiring and the year the contract ends, it is proportional to the time worked (article 263).

Self-employment and bogus self-employment

On service provision, gov.pt states that the obligation to pay taxes lies with the person providing the service. To set up a company or register an activity, see the guide on starting a business.

Article 12 presumes an employment contract exists where, in an apparently self-employed relationship, some of these features are present: the activity is carried out at a place belonging to the beneficiary or determined by them; the equipment belongs to them; the provider keeps start and finish times set by them; a fixed sum is paid at regular intervals; or the provider holds management or supervisory duties. Having someone work in an apparently self-employed way in these conditions is a very serious administrative offence by the employer, if it may harm the worker or the State.

Ending the contract

By the worker. Article 400 allows resignation without just cause, in writing, with 30 days’ notice (up to two years of service) or 60 days (more than two years). On fixed-term contracts, notice is 30 days if the contract lasts at least six months and 15 if shorter. If the worker has just cause, such as the employer’s culpable failure to pay on time, they may end the contract immediately. gov.pt says the written notice must be given within 30 days of learning of the facts and that, where pay is overdue by 60 days, this period runs from the end of the 60 days.

By agreement (revogação). The worker may cancel the effects of the agreement up to the seventh day after it is signed, if the signature was not notarised in person. The notice is in writing, addressed to the employer. Under article 350, a worker who cannot ensure it is received in time must send it by registered letter with advice of receipt on the working day after the period ends. The cancellation is only effective if, at the same time, the worker hands over or makes available to the employer the full amount of the monetary compensation paid under the agreement or as a result of the contract ending.

By the employer. gov.pt describes dismissal for a fault attributable to the worker, collective dismissal, redundancy of the post and unsuitability, and states that when the employer ends the contract, the worker is entitled to compensation. Each type has its own requirements, so it is wise to ask the ACT for clarification before signing anything.

Retention agreements (pacto de permanência)

Article 137 lets the parties agree that the worker will not resign for a maximum of three years, as compensation for substantial expenses on their vocational training. The worker can be released from the commitment by paying the amount of those expenses. The article does not mention visa, accommodation or relocation costs. Faced with a clause like this, ask for it in writing and check whether it concerns training.

Where to look for work

The public employment service is the IEFP. Registering for employment gives access to job and traineeship offers, vocational training, support measures for entering the labour market and help with your CV and interview preparation.

Conditions. Be able and available to work, be at least 16 and have a valid identity document. For anyone who is not a citizen of the European Union, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Andorra or Switzerland, the IEFP asks for a document that allows you to live and work in Portugal, for example a residence permit or a job-search visa. Today that visa is for seeking qualified work (see the visas guide).

How to register. Online at iefponline, using Segurança Social Direta (NISS) or the Digital Mobile Key (Chave Móvel Digital), or in person at an IEFP employment service:

1. Register as a user, with personal details, contacts and additional data (employment situation, qualifications, driving licence, household).
2. Create your CV, filling in the 9 tabs.
3. In the “Emprego” area, choose “Inscreva-se para emprego”, say where you are available to work and submit. The IEFP validates the registration and may contact you for more information or an interview.

In-person service does not need an appointment, but one can be booked on the SIGA platform, and there is video-call service for registration and job searches, according to gov.pt. Registration brings rights and duties: if you do not meet your duties towards the IEFP, it can be cancelled.

The EURES network, part of the IEFP on the mainland, helps people look for work in the European Economic Area and Switzerland. If your profession is regulated in Portugal, you must apply for recognition of your qualifications to the competent authority, as explained in the degree recognition guide.

When your rights are not respected

The ACT provides information on the rights and duties of workers and employers and takes requests for labour inspectors to intervene when rights are violated. gov.pt gives the telephone number 300 069 300 and the ACT’s Digital Counter (Balcão Digital). On the portal, the request starts with the virtual assistant: type “Quero fazer uma denúncia” (“I want to file a complaint”).

Before contacting the ACT, gather the contract (if there is one), your payslips and any message that shows what was agreed. For in-person help, see the service points, and for terms such as NISS, the glossary.