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

Article 38 Decision and notification

Artigo 38.º · Decisão e notificação

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. A decision refusing entry shall be taken after the foreign national has been heard, which counts for all purposes as the hearing of the person concerned, and shall be communicated immediately to the diplomatic or consular representation of their country of origin.

1 - A decisão de recusa de entrada é proferida após audição do cidadão estrangeiro, que vale, para todos os efeitos, como audiência do interessado, e é imediatamente comunicada à representação diplomática ou consular do seu país de origem.

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2. The decision refusing entry shall be notified to the person concerned, in a language that they may be presumed to understand, stating the grounds for it. The decision must state the right to bring a judicial challenge and the time limit for doing so.

2 - A decisão de recusa de entrada é notificada ao interessado, em língua que presumivelmente possa entender, com indicação dos seus fundamentos, dela devendo constar o direito de impugnação judicial e o respectivo prazo.

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3. The carrier shall also be notified for the purposes of Article 41.

3 - É igualmente notificada a transportadora para os efeitos do disposto no artigo 41.º

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4. Whenever it is not possible to re-embark the foreign national within forty-eight hours of the decision refusing entry, that fact shall be reported to the judge of the minor criminal jurisdiction division (juízo de pequena instância criminal) in its area of jurisdiction, or to the judge of the district court (tribunal de comarca) in the other areas of the country, so that an order can be made for the foreign national to be held in a temporary detention centre or equivalent facility.

4 - Sempre que não seja possível efectuar o reembarque do cidadão estrangeiro dentro de quarenta e oito horas após a decisão de recusa de entrada, do facto é dado conhecimento ao juiz do juízo de pequena instância criminal, na respectiva área de jurisdição, ou do tribunal de comarca, nas restantes áreas do País, a fim de ser determinada a manutenção daquele em centro de instalação temporária ou espaço equiparado.

What we checked in this article

Check the hearing requirement, the content of the notification (grounds, right to a judicial challenge and the time limit), the reference to Article 41, and the 48-hour re-embarkation period that triggers referral to the judge.

Moving to Portugal, or bringing a team or family? Article 38 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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