RelyOn Relocation® News

Portugal’s President has signed the so-called “return law”, after the Constitutional Court unanimously found the contested provisions to be in line with the Constitution.

The law governs the departure and removal of foreign nationals who remain in the country without a valid basis for residence, as well as the handling of international protection claims.

It speeds up administrative procedures: the duty to leave now rests with the individual, and in most cases a court appeal no longer suspends a removal decision.

For residents who hold valid permits and renew them on time, day-to-day processes stay the same, but the cost of delays or gaps in status is now considerably higher.

The practical takeaway: track your renewal dates early, keep proof of every application you submit, and when changing status or legal basis, plan the transition without a gap.

If you are planning to study in Portugal for the first time, it helps to understand the logic of the academic calendar in advance, because it differs from the pattern many families are used to.

The academic year begins in September, sometimes only towards the end of the month, but there is no single national start date. Portuguese universities and polytechnic institutes have full institutional autonomy and set their own schedules.

The first semester generally starts between the first and third week of September and ends in February. The second runs from February until late July. There are two exam periods: late January to early February, and June to July.

Two predictable breaks fall within the year: a Christmas break in December, usually seven to ten days, and an Easter break in March or April, lasting one to two weeks. Their dates shift from year to year because they follow religious holidays rather than fixed calendar dates.

The practical takeaway is straightforward: the academic year effectively ends in late July, so for most students the genuinely free month is August. That matters when planning trips home, seasonal work, or a family holiday.

If you are comparing several institutions, small differences in start dates are normal and not a cause for concern. The two-semester structure with winter and spring breaks is stable almost everywhere, but the exact calendar should always be confirmed directly with the chosen university.

A petition has been published on the Portuguese parliament’s official participation portal asking to withdraw the rule under which a foreign resident’s driving licence cannot be valid for longer than their residence permit. The rule was introduced by Decree-Law no. 114/2026 and applies both to new licences and to those already issued.

The petition argues that the link is disproportionate, since the ability to drive does not depend on immigration status. It also points to the practical risk for people who drive for a living — ride-hailing drivers and couriers — where a delay in renewing a residence permit could temporarily prevent them from working.

The requests are to restore the standard validity period for foreign drivers, not to apply the new regime to licences already issued, and to verify residence status automatically through data sharing between public authorities. While the rule remains in force, it is worth planning residence permit renewals early and checking the expiry date shown on your licence.

The recent wave of account restrictions affecting Russian nationals at state-owned bank Caixa Geral de Depósitos stems from the wording of the European Union’s 19th sanctions package. The document uses the term “residence permit” rather than the broader concept of “legal right of residence” — and the bank is applying it literally. As a result, clients who are legally residing in Portugal but do not currently hold a valid residence card may find their accounts restricted. If you are affected, it is advisable to visit your bank branch with documents confirming your legal status in the country.

Portugal’s immigration authority has presented parliament with a progress report covering its work since 2024. During this period, 763,000 appointments were held, 525,000 cases were closed, 473,000 positive decisions were issued, and 225,000 residence cards were delivered. Under the expression of interest regularisation programme, 229,000 out of 256,000 applications were approved. Through the simplified scheme for citizens of Portuguese-speaking countries, more than 136,000 residence cards were issued. The figures point to a steady reduction in the administrative backlog that had built up over previous years.

Staff at Portugal’s immigration authority will be on strike from 1 to 5 June. During this period, delays or temporary suspension of appointment processing, document handling, and other administrative procedures are to be expected. Those with appointments scheduled during these dates are advised to check the status of their visit in advance on the authority’s official website. Applications already submitted will continue to be processed in the normal order once the strike concludes.