Chapter II · Entry into and exit from national territory · Section IV · Travel documents · Subsection I · Travel documents issued by the Portuguese authorities to foreign nationals

Article 23 Application for a refugee travel document

Artigo 23.º · Pedido de título de viagem para refugiados

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 application for a travel document is made by the applicants themselves.

1 - O pedido de título de viagem é formulado pelo próprio requerente.

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2. An application for a travel document for a minor is made:

2 - O pedido relativo a título de viagem para menores é formulado:

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a) By either parent, while the marriage subsists;

a) Por qualquer dos progenitores, na constância do matrimónio;

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b) By the parent exercising parental authority under a court decision;

b) Pelo progenitor que exerça o poder paternal, nos termos de decisão judicial;

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c) In the absence of the parents, by whoever exercises parental authority in accordance with the law.

c) Por quem, na falta dos progenitores, exerça, nos termos da lei, o poder paternal.

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3. In the case of persons declared legally incapacitated (interditos) or partially incapacitated (inabilitados), the application is made by the person exercising guardianship or curatorship over them.

3 - Tratando-se de indivíduos declarados interditos ou inabilitados, o pedido é formulado por quem exercer a tutela ou a curatela sobre os mesmos.

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4. The board of directors of AIMA may, in justified cases, dispense by order (despacho) with the interventions provided for in paragraphs 2 and 3.

4 - O conselho diretivo da AIMA, I. P., pode, em casos justificados, suprir, por despacho, as intervenções previstas nos n.os 2 e 3.

What we checked in this article

Check who applies for minors and for persons under guardianship or curatorship, and the AIMA board’s power to dispense with those interventions in justified cases (paragraphs 2 and 3).

Moving to Portugal, or bringing a team or family? Article 23 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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