Chapter I · General provisions

Article 5 Special regimes

Artigo 5.º · Regimes especiais

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. This Law is without prejudice to the special regimes laid down in:

1 - O disposto na presente lei não prejudica os regimes especiais constantes de:

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a) Bilateral or multilateral agreements concluded between the European Union, or the European Union and its Member States, on the one hand, and one or more third States, on the other;

a) Acordos bilaterais ou multilaterais celebrados entre a União Europeia ou a União Europeia e os seus Estados membros, por um lado, e um ou mais Estados terceiros, por outro;

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b) International conventions to which Portugal is a party or by which it becomes bound, in particular those concluded or to be concluded with countries whose official language is Portuguese, bilaterally or within the framework of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP).

b) Convenções internacionais de que Portugal seja parte ou a que se vincule, em especial os celebrados ou que venha a celebrar com países de língua oficial portuguesa, a nível bilateral ou no quadro da Comunidade dos Países de Língua Oficial Portuguesa.

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c) Mobility agreements concluded between Portugal and third States;

c) Acordos de mobilidade celebrados entre Portugal e Estados terceiros;

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d) Protocols and memoranda of understanding concluded between Portugal and third States.

d) Protocolos e memorandos de entendimento celebrados entre Portugal e Estados terceiros.

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2. This Law is without prejudice to the obligations arising from the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, adopted in Geneva on 28 July 1951, as amended by the Additional Protocol to the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, adopted in New York on 31 January 1967, from international conventions on human rights and from international conventions on the extradition of persons to which Portugal is a party or by which it becomes bound.

2 - O disposto na presente lei não prejudica as obrigações decorrentes da Convenção Relativa ao Estatuto dos Refugiados, adoptada em Genebra em 28 de Julho de 1951, alterada pelo Protocolo Adicional à Convenção Relativa ao Estatuto dos Refugiados, adoptado em Nova Iorque em 31 de Janeiro de 1967, das convenções internacionais em matéria de direitos humanos e das convenções internacionais em matéria de extradição de pessoas de que Portugal seja parte ou a que se vincule.

What we checked in this article

Check the four categories of special regimes in paragraph 1 and the dates and places of the Refugee Convention and its Protocol in paragraph 2.

Moving to Portugal, or bringing a team or family? Article 5 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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