Schools and universities
School enrolment from year 1 to year 12, and access to higher education in Portugal.
State school — years 1 to 12
- STEP 1
Request recognition of previous schooling (if coming from another country)
If your child already attended school in your home country, you need to request recognition (equivalência) of their school record before enrolling, at the school or with the Directorate-General for Education.
- STEP 2
Enrol on the Enrolment Portal (or in person)
Preferably online, on the Enrolment Portal (Portal das Matrículas). You can also go in person to the main school of the school cluster (agrupamento) for your area.
Documents:
- Passport of the child and of the parent/guardian
- NIF (recommended, but not having one does not prevent enrolment)
- Proof of address
- Recognition of previous studies (if applicable)
- STEP 3
PLNM — Portuguese as a Non-Native Language
If your child does not speak Portuguese, they are entitled to free PLNM support at state schools — ask the school’s management directly.
- Enrolment calendar 2026/2027
- 22 Apr – 1 Jun: pre-school and 1st year
- 16 – 29 Jun: 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 11th years
- 1 – 13 Jul: 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th years
- 15 – 22 Jul: 10th and 12th years
Dates from Order 4472-A/2026. If you arrive mid-year, you can enrol your child at any time — talk to the school cluster for your area.
University
General requirements
If you are from outside the EU, the usual route is the Special Admission for International Students: you need a qualification that gives you access to higher education in your country (or a Portuguese secondary diploma). Each institution sets its own calendar, exams and required level of Portuguese; some accept foreign exams such as ENEM (Brazil). EU citizens apply on the same terms as Portuguese students, and PALOP scholarship holders have their own rules. More information from DGES (Directorate-General for Higher Education).
CPLP vs. other nationalities — tuition fees
International students pay tuition fees set by each institution, with no legal cap and usually much higher than those paid by Portuguese and EU students. Some institutions offer reductions to students from CPLP countries, but the rules and amounts vary from university to university — always check the website of the institution you are applying to.
Still have a question about schools and education?
Ask the community — other immigrants have been through the same, and you will get an email when someone replies. Most answers are in Portuguese.