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Services - Portugal

Updated 02/2011

Legal requirements

In response to the Directive on services in the internal market , Portugal has taken the following steps:

  • publication of the law transposing this Directive;
  • creation of a one-stop shop for service-providers to obtain authorisation in order to access and engage in activities (part of the Business Gateway);
  • harmonisation of national legislation with the new Directive, including the implementation of ‘Zero Licensing ’, which is intended to cut red tape by eliminating licences, authorisations, validations, authentications, certifications, documents issued as a result of prior notifications subject to a time-limit, registrations and other permissive acts, and replacing these with enhanced inspection;
  • publication of lists of services covered by the Services Directive, and implementation of an electronic information exchange system between the competent authorities of the Member States. The Directorate-General for Economic Activities (DGAE) is responsible for implementing the objectives of the Services Directive in Portugal. Its website describes the measures taken.
  • Directorate-General for Economic Activities português

Types of service

  Economic operators are categorised by the Decree-Law defining business activities (wholesale, retail and similar) and laying down the basic conditions for accessing such activities.

  • Decree-Law – categorisation of economic operators pdf [185 KB] português

Consumer rights

The Constitution of the Portuguese Republic and the Consumer Protection Law give consumers a series of rights with regard to protection of health and safety, quality of goods and services, protection of economic interests, prevention and compensation of damage, consumer training and education, consumer information, representation and consultation, legal protection, and accessible and prompt justice.

  • Constitution of the Portuguese Republic português
  • Consumer Protection Law pdf [73 KB] português

Consumer issues affect everyone, and everything that can be bought and sold. As a result, there is extensive general and sectoral legislation to guarantee consumer protection.

  • Legislation on consumer protection português

Labour market

  NETemprego is an on-line employment service, managed by the Institute of Employment and Vocational Training (IFEP), which is totally free of charge and available 24 hours a day.

This platform allows businesses to publish their recruitment needs (vacancies) on-line, view CVs, use the automatic CV manager so that they are sent an e-mail whenever a CV meets their selected search criteria, directly contact candidates who have posted a CV, access information on employment support (non-profit enterprises and bodies), and access the respective forms.

  • NETemprego português
  • View CVs português
  • Businesses – Employment support and incentives português

Complaints

All goods suppliers and service-providers who have fixed or permanent establishments and who have contact with the public are required to keep a complaints register.

Anyone who considers that their rights have been infringed can record the situation in the Complaints Register. Making a complaint is one way of protecting consumer rights. This register informs the competent bodies about consumer problems and enables economic operators to adapt their offer to the needs expressed by their customers.

  • Complaints Register português
  • Supervisory Bodies português

Administrative procedures

‘Points of Single Contact’

The Business Centres offer a comprehensive service to business operators wanting to set up, alter, convert or close their business.

At these centres, business operators can use the ‘On-the-Spot Company ’ service or the ‘On-line Certificate Request ’ service, as well as other services such as information on business legislation and on setting up your own business, and other services associated with business life.

  • Business Centre português

The On-Line Company system allows various business-related services to be provided wholly over the Internet, such as: company formation, On-the-Spot Trade Mark, company name request, On-line Certificate request and viewing, Business Card/Company Card request, viewing of accounts submission status, and various trade registrations.

Most types of company can be formed in this way, i.e. private limited companies, public limited companies and civil-law commercial partnerships.

  • On-Line Company português         Online government service

Qualification certificates

The Directorate-General for Economic Activities (DGAE) is the certification body responsible for issuing Vocational Training Certificates (CAP) for business qualifications and experience, and also for approving the respective vocational training courses.

The DGAE website also indicates which bodies are involved in vocational training in specific areas of trade and services, their main areas of training and their respective contact details.

  • Training Bodies português

  Vocational training and certification in the areas of trade and services are governed by a range of legislation, legal rules on vocational certification, and general conditions for the issue of training and skills certificates.

  • Legal rules on vocational certification pdf [333 KB] português
  • Conditions for the issue of training and skills certificates pdf [395 KB] português
  • Rules for the issue of vocational training certificates and conditions for the approval of vocational training courses leading to various sales qualifications pdf [495 KB] português
  • Rules for the issue of vocational training certificates and conditions for the approval of vocational training courses leading to various warehousing qualifications pdf [264 KB] português

Work permit applications

An application for a Residence Certificate/Card for the EU/EEA/Switzerland can be made by European Union (EU) citizens who move to or live in Portugal, and also their family members who accompany or join them, by nationals of countries belonging to the European Economic Area and Switzerland and their family members, and by family members of nationals of countries belonging to the European Economic Area and Switzerland, regardless of their nationality. The national measures contained in the Law on the legal rules for the entry, residence, exit and removal of foreign nationals from the national territory apply as amended.

  • Legal rules for the entry, residence, exit and removal of foreign nationals from the national territory pdf [313 KB] português
  • Law regulating the right of European Union citizens and their family members to move and reside freely within the national territory pdf [134 KB] português

EU citizens who remain within the national territory for more than three months must register in order to formalise their right of residence – Certificate of Registration – within 30 days of the end of the first three months spent within the national territory.

  • Application for Residence Card pdf [192 KB] português  Online government service
  • Application for Residence Certificate for the EU/EEA/Switzerland português
  • Application for Permanent Residence Card for the EU/EEA/Switzerland português

Check also the legislation on this topic in:

  • References

    Legal texts

    • Directive 2006/123/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council – Services Directive português
    • Decree-Law No 339/85 of 21 August 1985 – defining business activities (wholesale, retail and similar) and laying down the basic conditions for accessing such activities pdf [185 KB] português
    • Law No 24/96 of 31 July 1996 – Consumer Protection Law pdf [73 KB] português
    • Decree-Law No 95/92 of 23 May 1992 – Legal rules on vocational certification pdf [333 KB] português
    • Regulatory Decree No 68/94 of 26 November 1994 – Conditions for the issue of training and skills certificates pdf [395 KB] português
    • Order No 659/2003 of 30 July 2003 – Rules for the issue of vocational training certificates and conditions for the approval of vocational training courses leading to various sales qualifications pdf [495 KB] português
    • Order No 245/2005 of 9 March 2005 – Rules for the issue of vocational training certificates and conditions for the approval of vocational training courses leading to various warehousing qualifications pdf [264 KB] português
    • Law No 23/2007 of 4 July 2007 – Legal rules for the entry, residence, exit and removal of foreign nationals from the national territory pdf [313 KB] português
    • Law No 37/2006 of 9 August 2006 – regulating the right of European Union citizens and their family members to move and reside freely within the national territory and transposing Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 pdf [134 KB] português
    • Decree-Law No 125/2006 of 29 June 2006 – creating the ‘on-line company’ through a special system for the on-line formation of companies and civil-law commercial partnerships português
    • Order No 657-C/2006 of 29 June 2006 – regulating the special system for the on-line formation of companies pdf [121 KB] português

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Further help

SOLVIT helps businesses deal with problems that arise when national authorities wrongly apply EU market rules.

If you wish to establish a business or perform temporary cross-border services in the EU/EEA area (the 27 EU member states, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), turn to the ‘Points of Single Contact (PSC)’ – Members of the EUGO network – that will help you to complete all necessary administrative procedures on-line! Get the information you need and submit your applications to the responsible authorities online. You no longer have to worry about contacting several different authorities one by one – the PSC will do it for you!