Chapter VIII · Removal from national territory · Section I · General provisions

Article 139 Support for voluntary return

Artigo 139.º · Apoio ao regresso voluntário

Lei n.º 23/2007, de 4 de julho (Lei de Estrangeiros) · consolidated text, as amended by Law No. 62/2026, checked 26 October 2026

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1. The State may support the voluntary return of foreign nationals to their country of origin or to another third country in which they are legally accepted, under voluntary return programmes.

1 - O Estado pode apoiar o regresso voluntário de cidadãos estrangeiros ao país de origem ou a outro país terceiro onde sejam legalmente aceites, no âmbito de programas de regresso voluntário.

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2. Foreign nationals who receive support granted under the preceding paragraph and who hold a residence permit surrender it at the border crossing point on embarkation.

2 - Os cidadãos estrangeiros que beneficiem do apoio concedido nos termos do número anterior, quando titulares de autorização de residência, entregam-na no posto de fronteira no momento do embarque.

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3. For a period of three years after leaving, beneficiaries of voluntary return support may be admitted to national territory and to the territory of the Member States of the European Union or of the States party to or associated with the Implementing Convention only if they repay the amounts received, plus interest at the statutory rate.

3 - Durante um período de três anos após o abandono, os beneficiários de apoio ao regresso voluntário só podem ser admitidos em território nacional e no dos Estados membros da União Europeia ou Estados parte ou associados na Convenção de Aplicação se restituírem os montantes recebidos, acrescidos de juros à taxa legal.

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4. The preceding paragraph is without prejudice to the possibility of exceptionally issuing a short-stay visa on humanitarian grounds, as laid down in Article 68.

4 - O disposto no número anterior não prejudica a possibilidade de emissão excepcional de visto de curta duração, por razões humanitárias, nos termos definidos no artigo 68.º

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5. Persons who have benefited from a temporary protection regime are not subject to the requirement laid down in paragraph 3.

5 - Não são sujeitos à exigência prevista no n.º 3 os cidadãos que tenham beneficiado de um regime de protecção temporária.

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6. The Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) may manage programmes supporting the voluntary return of foreign nationals under paragraph 1, without prejudice to the powers conferred on the PSP.

6 - A AIMA, IP, pode gerir programas de apoio ao regresso voluntário de cidadãos estrangeiros, nos termos do n.º 1, sem prejuízo das competências atribuídas à PSP.

What we checked in this article

Check the three-year re-admission bar and the repayment-with-statutory-interest condition, the exceptions for humanitarian short-stay visas under Article 68 and for beneficiaries of temporary protection, and AIMA’s role alongside the PSP.

Moving to Portugal, or bringing a team or family? Article 139 may decide what you can apply for.

We map the visa and residence route that fits your activity, prepare the company side (contracts, payroll, registrations) and coordinate with immigration lawyers for the application itself. A written answer and a fixed quote within one working day.

Unofficial English translation prepared by BCA Portugal for reference. Only the Portuguese text published in the Diário da República has legal force. Editorial notes are ours and are not part of the statute.

Applying the law

Visas and residence in Portugal, planned together with the company

The permit depends on what you will do here: employment, your own company, remote work for a foreign employer or investment. Tell us the plan, and we will set out which route the Act gives you and what the company needs to have in place.

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