Moving to Portugal with children and homeschooling

Many families who homeschool in Portugal arrived from somewhere else. Some come from countries where home education is common, others from countries where it is banned. Either way, the Portuguese system has its own rules, and they start to apply as soon as your family lives here. This guide covers what changes when you move, how your child is placed in a school year, and how the language rules work.

Compulsory schooling applies once you live here

Portugal has compulsory schooling from age 6 to 18. It ends when the young person obtains a secondary diploma or, failing that, at the point in the school year when they turn 18.22. Lei n.º 85/2009, de 27 de agostoDiário da República Parents must enrol the child, and the law says expressly that this duty to enrol "also applies to ensino doméstico".33. Decreto-Lei n.º 176/2012, de 2 de agostoDiário da República

This is the key idea for newcomers: home education (ensino doméstico) in Portugal is not a way out of the school system. It is a form of enrolment at a Portuguese school, the school of enrolment (escola de matrícula), which monitors your child and certifies each cycle through tests.11. Decreto-Lei n.º 70/2021, de 3 de agostoDiário da República If you are used to simply notifying an authority, or to no registration at all, expect more paperwork here.

Keeping a child registered only with a school in your home country or with a foreign online school is a different matter. We explain why that route does not, by itself, meet the Portuguese requirement in Online and umbrella schools.

Arriving during the school year

You do not have to wait for September. Pupils coming from foreign schools may enrol at any time of year, subject only to available places, and the 2026/27 enrolment rules apply this "with the necessary adaptations" to ensino individual, doméstico and distance education.44. Despacho n.º 4472-A/2026, de 6 de abril (matrículas 2026/27)Diário da República DL 70/2021 also allows a move into home education during the school year, using the normal request procedure.1

In practice you can either enrol your child at the local school first and then apply for home education, or apply for home education directly. The steps are the same as for any family: see How to start.

Placing your child in the right year (DL 7/2025)

Since February 2025, the director of the school can place (posicionar) a pupil with foreign or international schooling in a year of basic education (ensino básico) without a formal equivalence process.55. Decreto-Lei n.º 7/2025, de 11 de fevereiroDiário da República The director looks at:

• the years your child has completed abroad;
• the usual age for each school year in Portugal;
• any other evidence you provide, such as reports or samples of work;
• if you have no documents, short tests in Portuguese, a foreign language and Maths or science.5

The school can waive the legalisation or translation of foreign documents. If your child arrives mid-year, they may be placed one year below, but only with your written consent.5 The placement does not certify completion of 9.º ano.5

For secondary education (10.º to 12.º ano), placement still goes through the equivalence of foreign qualifications under DL 227/2005, which DL 7/2025 leaves in place.5 Only the general academic secondary courses can be done at home: see Secondary school and university.

How the Portuguese years and cycles fit together

Source: Despacho Normativo 3/2026.66. Despacho Normativo n.º 3/2026, de 23 de fevereiro (Regulamento das Provas 2025-2028)Direção-Geral da Educação / EduQA The exams guide explains each test.

Language: Portuguese is the language of schooling

The collaboration agreement (protocolo de colaboração) you sign with the school must state that Portuguese is the language of schooling.1 A partly bilingual approach is only possible in a foreign language that is part of the national curriculum, with proof of the educator's proficiency, and only where the school itself offers that bilingual provision.1

All tests are taken in Portuguese, except foreign-language tests.6

The law does not say in so many words that the portfolio (portefólio) must be written in Portuguese. Because Portuguese is the language of schooling and the tutor teacher reads it, most families should plan to present it in Portuguese, or at least to label and summarise it in Portuguese. Agree this with the school when you negotiate the protocol.

Português Língua Não Materna (PLNM)

Children still learning Portuguese can take Portuguese as a non-native language (Português Língua Não Materna) versions of the Portuguese tests instead of the standard ones.6

Source: Despacho Normativo 3/2026.6

The level is set by a language diagnosis done by the school of enrolment. The 2024/25 rules said this expressly for homeschoolers in ensino básico, and the current rules say it for the secondary exam.88. Despacho Normativo n.º 2-A/2025, de 3 de março (exam rules 2024/25, revoked)Diário da República6 Ask for the diagnosis early in the year, well before the March test registration window. The choice between Português and PLNM follows that diagnosis, not the child's nationality.

Two further points:

• For pupils at level zero or A1, the director decides, after consulting the pedagogical council, whether they sit the ModA.6
• Newly arrived pupils in 9.º ano at PLNM level zero to B1 may exceptionally be exempted from the provas finais by the director. The rule refers to pupils who "entered the Portuguese education system", so it is unclear whether it covers homeschoolers.6

The teaching parent's degree

Under ensino doméstico, the educator must hold at least a bachelor's degree (licenciatura), in any field.1 DL 70/2021 does not say whether a degree earned abroad must first be recognised in Portugal. Schools may take different views.

If you decide to seek recognition, the Direção-Geral do Ensino Superior (DGES) describes three types: automatic, level and specific. Automatic recognition takes up to 30 working days from a complete application; level and specific recognition take up to 90 working days. Automatic recognition can be requested from DGES or a public higher education institution; level and specific recognition only from public universities.77. FAQ, Reconhecimento de graus e diplomas estrangeirosDGES Level recognition, which confirms only that your degree is a bachelor's, may be enough for this purpose, but no official text confirms this. Who can teach has more on the qualification rules.

Practical tips for new arrivals

• Get a NIF for both adults. The request must identify the guardian and the educator with their civil identification number and tax number (NIF).1
• Apply to the right school. The request goes to the director of the state school serving your home address that offers your child's year, or to a private school of your choice. Email is the preferred channel.1
• Bring your child's records. Reports, certificates and work samples from abroad help the director with placement.5
• Budget time. For ensino doméstico the director decides within 15 working days, and the protocol negotiation follows.1
• Plan Portuguese from day one. The end-of-cycle tests are in Portuguese, and PLNM tests still assess Portuguese.
• Keep copies. Keep your request, the proof of when it was sent, and every reply.

Our templates include a request letter in Portuguese with an English mirror.