FAQ · Economy & Work 17

Galp Energia is the largest oil and gas group in Portugal. Headquartered in Lisbon, this multinational energy corporation consists of more than 100 companies. Their activities cover every aspect of the oil and natural gas supply, including exploration, production, refining, and retailing. They also engage in logistics, co-generation, and renewable energy. The company was formed in 1999 through the merger of Petrogal, Gás de Portugal, and Transgás.

Portugal faces several challenges regarding the enforcement of labor regulations. There are reported issues involving violations of wage, hour, and overtime laws. Additionally, the country deals with restrictions on collective bargaining and freedom of association. These issues contribute to ongoing concerns regarding worker protections. Such deficiencies highlight persistent structural and institutional challenges within the system.

In Portugal, all wages are paid 14 times a year, which includes twelve monthly salaries. The minimum monthly wage is set to be 920 euros starting from January 1, 2026. This follows a previous rate of 870 euros. The government aims to increase this minimum wage to 1020 euros by the year 2028. Since 2015, the minimum wage has seen a steady increase from 505 euros.

The Portuguese economy faces systemic problems that hinder robust growth, such as persistent low wages and low productivity. These issues often lead to a brain drain where young, skilled workers leave the country to find better opportunities elsewhere. Additionally, the public sector is considered expensive and inefficient, which creates difficulties in hiring skilled workers. Problems like excessive bureaucracy and a lack of planning also contribute to a paralyzed public administration. These structural challenges impact the overall economic landscape for professionals.

Portugal has an advanced economy that follows the Mediterranean model. As of 2024, the service sector contributed the most to the country's economic output. This sector is followed by the industrial sector and then the primary sector. The economic model has focused on exports, private investment, and the development of its high-tech sector since the 1990s. Consequently, business services have overtaken other areas in importance.

The history of technical education in Portugal includes the Instituto Industrial e Comercial de Lisboa, which operated from 1869 to 1911. This institution was formed by merging the Instituto Industrial de Lisboa with the Escola de Comércio to expand technical teaching into economy and administration. It provided secondary level courses to train personnel for technical tasks in commercial activities. In 1884, a higher level technical course known as the Curso Superior de Comércio was added to the curriculum. Eventually, in 1911, the institution was divided into the Instituto Superior Técnico and the Instituto Superior de Comércio.

In January 2024, Isabel dos Santos was accused by the Angolan high court of using various illegal methods to pocket millions. These accusations included the use of offshore companies, forged documents, and fraudulent invoices. This legal situation follows years of investigations and asset freezes involving her interests in Portugal. She has faced significant legal battles in multiple jurisdictions regarding these financial allegations. Her legal history includes an Interpol warrant for her arrest issued in late 2022.

Storm Kristin was recognized as the biggest natural disaster in the country's contemporary history. The storm caused wind gusts in excess of 200 km/h, floodings, and landslides. Hundreds of thousands of homes were damaged and thousands of homes were destroyed. It also caused the largest blackout in history, affecting approximately a million households and businesses. Additionally, the storm caused significant damage to cultural heritage and the agricultural and forestry sections.

When inspecting a rental vehicle, you should conduct the inspection with the agent and ensure every defect is noted from the interior to the engine bay. You must compare your copy of the report with the agent's copy to ensure they match exactly before signing. Regarding road travel, Portugal uses an electronic toll system known as Via Verde. Most rental companies have arrangements for toll payments, but you may need to register your license plate or obtain a tag. If needed, Via Verde offices can be found at the Loja do Cidadão.

The Portuguese economy underwent radical changes following its adhesion to the European Economic Community in 1986. Economic growth and the development of many main exporting companies were major factors in the country's progress. These companies became leading world players in sectors such as ceramics, textiles, footwear, and fine wine. This economic development led to improvements in the standard of living and quality of life. Additionally, the presence of highly productive multinational subsidiaries has contributed to the national economy.

In Portugal, private school tuition may be refunded by the State in part or fully. This occurs specifically when state-run schools in the area are filled to capacity. Basic education in the country consists of nine years of schooling divided into three cycles. While state-run schools are free of charge, these specific refund conditions apply to private education. This system ensures that educational needs are met even when public options are unavailable.

On 7 October 2026 the Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, told parliament that a regulated labour-migration protocol announced a year earlier had granted 12,000 visas from 21,600 applications. The average decision took 20 days, and about 10 percent of applications were rejected. Employers' confederations help screen the files. He said irregularities led to the Portuguese consular post in Guinea-Bissau being suspended from the protocol in early September 2026, after which the partner confederations were called in and the procedures reviewed. The same hearing did not publish a fixed annual ceiling for these work visas. What it reported was the number granted and the number of applications received.

Portugal's national accounting system, the SNC, was approved by Decree-Law 158/2009 of 13 July and was updated by Decree-Law 98/2015 of 2 June, which brought Directive 2013/34/EU of 26 June 2013 into Portuguese law. It stays close to European accounting law and to the IAS and IFRS issued by the IASB, while keeping local features such as an auxiliary chart of accounts. It is compulsory for companies under the commercial-companies code, sole traders under the commercial code, limited-liability individual establishments, public companies, cooperatives, complementary business groupings and European economic-interest groupings, and non-profit entities. The system has three layers: listed companies have had to use the international standards adopted in the European Union since 2005, while unlisted companies use the national financial-reporting standards known as NCRF. A simpler set, the NCRF-PE, is for small entities that do not exceed two of three limits stated on this account, namely 8 million euros of net sales and other income, 4 million euros of total assets, and 50 workers on average. An entity inside those limits may still choose the full NCRF.

On new leases in the second quarter of 2026, INE put the median rent at 10,17 euros per square metre nationally and 17,79 euros in Lisbon. Over the 12 months to June 2026 the same median was 17,43 euros in Lisbon, 8,68 euros in Braga and 5,32 euros in Castelo Branco, against 9,76 euros for Portugal as a whole. A guide last checked in October 2026 treats a 50 square metre flat at those medians as a rough one-bedroom guide, not a quoted rent. In INE's household survey for 2022 and 2023, families in the Lisbon metropolitan area spent the most, 26,891 euros a year on average, and households in the Azores the least, 19,431 euros. The same note says prices have risen since that survey, so the totals show the shape of spending rather than today's bill. There is no official national grocery price list, and listing sites often ask more than the rent people actually sign.

The Certified Accountants' Order says the duty to issue a receipt does not come from tax law but from the Civil Code and the Commercial Code. Under article 787 of the Civil Code, the person who pays may demand a discharge from the person who receives the money, and may refuse to pay until that discharge is given. Article 476 of the Commercial Code says the seller may not refuse the buyer an invoice for the goods sold and delivered, together with a receipt for the price already paid. Whenever a debtor pays what is owed, that person can demand a receipt of discharge with no special legal form, so long as it shows that the sum is paid and when it was paid. The shop cannot refuse that receipt merely because it has already issued an invoice. The opinion, dated February 2024, was published by the order on 20 May 2024.

A note dated 2 August 2026 says Lisbon does not shut down in August, even though many people take their summer holiday then. Hotels, museums, major attractions, shopping centres, supermarkets, transport and many restaurants stay open. What often closes is the smaller independent place: a traditional tasca, a family cafe, a neighbourhood pastry shop, a small grocery or a market stall, sometimes for a few days and sometimes for weeks. The same family or a very small staff may take the break together, and the only notice is often a handwritten sign reading fechado para férias. Online maps can still show the place as open, so the note advises a phone call before you go to one particular restaurant. The historic centre and the beaches on the Cascais train line are busy at the same time, especially at peak hours.

Article 269 of the Labour Code, as explained in a note updated on 18 October 2026, says a worker is paid for a public holiday even if no work is done that day. The employer may not offset that pay by demanding extra hours later. If the person works a normal shift on the holiday at a firm that is not required to close, the employer chooses the compensation. That choice is either paid rest equal to half the hours worked, or an extra 50 percent of the pay for those hours, on top of ordinary pay. The worker does not get to pick between the two. Hours outside the normal schedule, or a call-in on a day that was not on the rota, follow the overtime rules of article 268 instead.