Chapter II · Entry into and exit from national territory · Section VII · Refusal of entry and stay · Subsection I · General provisions

Article 33 Alerts for the purposes of refusal of entry and stay

Artigo 33.º · Indicação para efeitos de recusa de entrada e de permanência

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. For the purposes of refusal of entry and stay, alerts shall be entered in the UCFE Integrated Information System (SII UCFE) on foreign nationals:

1 - Para efeitos de recusa de entrada e de permanência, são indicados no SII UCFE os cidadãos estrangeiros:

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a) Who have been the subject of a decision of forced removal or judicial expulsion from the country;

a) Que tenham sido objeto de uma decisão de afastamento coercivo ou de expulsão judicial do país;

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b) Who have been transferred to another country under a readmission agreement;

b) Que tenham sido reenviados para outro país ao abrigo de um acordo de readmissão;

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c) In respect of whom there are strong indications that they have committed serious punishable acts;

c) Em relação aos quais existam fortes indícios de terem praticado factos puníveis graves;

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d) In respect of whom there are strong indications that they intend to commit serious punishable acts or that they constitute a threat to public policy, national security or the international relations of a Member State of the European Union or of States in which the Implementing Convention is in force;

d) Em relação aos quais existam fortes indícios de que tencionam praticar factos puníveis graves ou de que constituem uma ameaça para a ordem pública, para a segurança nacional ou para as relações internacionais de um Estado membro da União Europeia ou de Estados onde vigore a Convenção de Aplicação;

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e) Who have been escorted to the border under Article 147.

e) Que tenham sido conduzidos à fronteira, nos termos do artigo 147.º

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2. Alerts for the purposes of refusal of entry and stay shall also be entered in the SII UCFE on persons who have received support for voluntary return under Article 139; the alert shall be deleted in the case provided for in paragraph 3 of that Article.

2 - São ainda indicados no SII UCFE para efeitos de recusa de entrada e de permanência os beneficiários de apoio ao regresso voluntário nos termos do artigo 139.º, sendo a indicação eliminada no caso previsto no n.º 3 do mesmo artigo.

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3. Alerts for the purposes of refusal of entry and stay may be entered on foreign nationals who have been sentenced by a final judgment to a custodial sentence of not less than one year, even if it has not been served, or who have received more than one such sentence, even if its enforcement was suspended.

3 - Podem ser indicados, para efeitos de recusa de entrada e de permanência, os cidadãos estrangeiros que tenham sido condenados por sentença com trânsito em julgado em pena privativa de liberdade de duração não inferior a um ano, ainda que esta não tenha sido cumprida, ou que tenham sofrido mais de uma condenação em idêntica pena, ainda que a sua execução tenha sido suspensa.

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4. (Repealed.)

4 - (Revogado.)

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5. (Repealed.)

5 - (Revogado.)

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6. (Repealed.)

6 - (Revogado.)

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7. (Repealed.)

7 - (Revogado.)

What we checked in this article

Check the mandatory (paragraphs 1 and 2) versus discretionary (paragraph 3) nature of the alerts, the one-year sentence threshold, and the references to Articles 139 and 147.

Moving to Portugal, or bringing a team or family? Article 33 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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