FAQ · Living & People 54

In Portugal, veterinary care centres are regulated by Decree-Law 184/2009 of 11 August as animal-health units that provide prevention, diagnosis and treatment of animal disease. The law, as set out by the food and veterinary directorate, is meant to raise the quality and safety of these establishments and to fix the requirements for premises, equipment and how they operate. A consulting room may open after a prior declaration, while a clinic or a hospital needs prior authorisation. The applicant sends the application form and a statement of responsibility to the regional food and veterinary service for the address of the centre. The national directorate keeps an up-to-date list of the centres it has authorised, and the regional agriculture services of the Azores and of Madeira approve the lists for those autonomous regions. A vehicle may be covered by the same procedure only if it is used solely to carry animals that need emergency veterinary care.

Life expectancy in Portugal has shown significant changes since the mid-1990s. In 1994, the life expectancy was recorded at 75.7296 years. This figure has generally increased over the following decades, reaching 82.3599 years by 2023. There were some minor fluctuations observed during the years 2020, 2021, and 2022. Overall, the data shows a long-term upward trend in longevity for the country.

Portugal adheres to all international protocols and guidelines concerning health care. Major cities are well served with medical and emergency facilities, and public hospitals are at European standards. For emergencies, the national emergency number is 112. You can also contact the Serviço Nacional de Saúde 24-hour hotline at 808 24 24 24. Additionally, many municipalities have pharmacies that are open late or even 24 hours.

Portugal features a predominantly universal tax-funded healthcare system known as the Serviço Nacional de Saúde (SNS). This public system operates alongside public-sector health insurance schemes called health subsystems which are funded mainly through employee and employer contributions. Additionally, private voluntary health insurance is available to residents. Both public and private entities provide primary and hospital care within the country. This structure allows for a mix of public and private sector involvement in healthcare delivery.

Emergency rooms have been overcrowded with people experiencing various health-related issues. These problems are often linked to heatwaves and extreme temperatures. Specifically, people are seeking care for conditions such as sunstrokes and heat exhaustion. Heatstrokes are also among the common issues being treated. These medical situations have led to significant pressure on emergency departments.

The Portuguese vaccination campaign is an ongoing mass immunisation effort during the pandemic. To manage this, a task force was appointed in November 2020 to develop a specific Vaccination Plan. This plan divided the vaccination process into three distinct phases based on the priority of the people being vaccinated. Following the approval of the first vaccine by the European Medicines Agency, Portugal began its vaccination process in late December 2020. The rollout included healthcare professionals who were in direct contact with COVID patients.

Historically, the 1963 Mental Health Act noted the need for facilities to treat drug abuse, though it lacked nationwide coverage or coordination. In 1983, drug laws were updated to soften penalties for consumption to encourage users to seek medical treatment. During the 1970s and 1980s, the government established several organizations to study and reduce drug use. By the late 1990s, a massive increase in heroin use created a public health crisis. This situation eventually led to a paradigm shift where drug use is approached as a health crisis rather than a criminal one.

Children may frequent a nursery, known as a Creche, from four months old until they are three years old. This period typically begins after the usual maternity leave ends. The large majority of these nurseries are private institutions. Other nurseries are run by the Portuguese Social Security and are partly financed by the state. In these specific nurseries, parents pay according to their income.

The availability of pediatric services in Portugal depends on the hospital group. Group I hospitals provide medical pediatrics but do not offer pediatric surgery or pediatric cardiology. Group II hospitals provide additional services like neonatology but still lack pediatric cardiology and pediatric surgery. Highly specialized services such as pediatric cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, and pediatric surgery are reserved exclusively for Group III hospitals. These Group III establishments are the only ones providing all medical and surgical specialties in their areas of influence.

Blood & Honour Portugal is the Portuguese chapter of the international neo-Nazi organization Blood & Honour. This local chapter emerged in 1998 from a Portuguese far-right organization known as Ordem Lusa. The name of the group refers to the Hitler Youth slogan of blood and honor. The organization has a strong connection to skinhead culture and various nationalist bands. This symbiosis between music and politics led to significant membership among the skinhead community.

During the police intervention in Porto on 15 October, several people were injured. The Movimento pela Habitação reported that 37 people were injured during the action. Among those injured, the movement noted that one person had a disability. Santo António Hospital confirmed the admission of seven individuals following the incident. These admissions included five people with minor injuries, a man with an epicranial hematoma, and a woman with a fractured radius.

Anderson is a recognized authority on Portugal, specifically regarding its food, wine, and folk art. She spent 40 years traveling throughout the country to study these subjects. Her expertise is reflected in her book Food of Portugal, which won the Best Foreign Cookbook award in 1986. Additionally, her work has earned her two commendations from the Portuguese government. She has also written approximately 30 books throughout her career.

Air pollution is currently one of the environmental issues facing the country. This pollution is caused by industrial emissions as well as emissions from vehicles. Portugal is a party to several international agreements regarding air pollution. However, some specific agreements like those concerning persistent organic pollutants and volatile organic compounds have been signed but not yet ratified. These issues remain part of the ongoing environmental landscape in Portugal.

Water supply and sanitation services in Portugal have improved significantly over recent decades due to European Union funds. While 93% of households have access to drinking water through house connections, this rate drops to 50% in rural areas. Drinking water quality is not consistently good, particularly in smaller systems, as the country does not comply with several EU drinking water parameters. Additionally, Portugal does not yet fully comply with EU regulations regarding wastewater discharges. Even where treatment plants exist, they do not always function properly, especially during heavy rains in cities with combined sewers.

High temperatures can cause heat-induced bending of rail tracks and catenary wires, leading to many train cancellations. Much of the European train network was not designed for such high heat, and a lack of air conditioning can create dangerous situations. While air conditioning is a solution, its mass adoption could set the European Union back from its goal of climate neutrality by 2050. Additionally, energy costs present a significant barrier to wider adoption for many people. Some residents even report that they cannot afford to cool their homes.

The national emergency telephone number in Portugal is 112. You can use this number to contact the national call centre for any emergency or to report an accident or fire. This number covers police, fire, and medical assistance services. It is recommended to register this number in your communication devices or note it down in case you need to notify authorities. For health-related inquiries, the National Health Service also operates a 24-hour hotline at 808 24 24 24.

To protect aquatic biodiversity, systematic waste collection is carried out along riverbanks. This measure is part of an action plan designed to support priority species like the desman. Such efforts aim to limit habitat loss and population decline in these areas. These conservation actions are expected to benefit a broader range of aquatic species. The plan also includes improving water quality through restrictions on agrochemical use near watercourses.

Water for baths, sinks, and basins can be provided by separate hot and cold high-pressure taps. This specific arrangement is common in older installations, particularly in utility rooms, laundries, and public washrooms. In kitchens and bathrooms, mixer taps are more commonly used instead. These taps mix hot and cold water from two valves before it reaches the outlet. This allows the water to emerge at any temperature between the hot and cold supplies.

On April 28, 2025, a major power blackout occurred across the Iberian Peninsula, affecting mainland Portugal. This outage interrupted electric power for about ten hours in most areas. Leading up to the event, the grid was supplied with sufficient power to meet demand. During this time, more than half of the power supply came from solar energy. Consequently, the electricity price was slightly negative at that time.

Portugal utilizes the Sines LNG import terminal to facilitate its gas imports. This facility includes three LNG storage tanks with a total capacity of 390,000 cbm and a regasification capacity of 5.6 mtpa. In 2021, the country imported 2.8 billion cubic meters of LNG from Nigeria. This amount represented almost 50% of the total gas imports for that year. Additionally, Portugal has developed a hydrogen strategy to decrease its reliance on natural gas imports.

A major power blackout occurred across the Iberian Peninsula on Monday, 28 April 2025. This outage affected mainland Portugal and peninsular Spain, lasting about ten hours in most areas. The power cut caused severe difficulties for telecommunications, transportation systems, and essential services like emergency responders. Traffic lights stopped working in many places and metro lines required evacuation. Tragically, at least one person in Portugal and seven in Spain may have died due to circumstances related to the outage.

To call Portugal from abroad, you must dial the country code 351 before the city code. When calling abroad from Portugal, you should dial 00 before the country code. Telephone numbers are nine digits long, which includes the city code. Mobile numbers in the country begin with the digit 9. For major cities, the dialing code for Lisbon is 21 and for Porto is 22. All other city codes consist of three digits starting with 2.

Jardim Mário Soares offers a variety of activities including visiting an artificial lake where rowboats are available for the public. The park features the first dedicated dog park in Lisbon along with several tennis courts and a large fitness centre. Visitors can enjoy several restaurants, including one located on an island reached via a small stone bridge. The garden is also home to numerous public artworks and statues. You can explore various sculptures such as the bronze bust of Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro or the piece titled Childhood.

In the city of Póvoa de Varzim, the economy is driven by several sectors including tourism, manufacturing, and fishing. Gambling is specifically mentioned as one of the components of the tourism industry that drives the local economy. This sector, along with hotels and restaurants, plays a significant role in the region. While fisheries have lost some importance over time, tourism and related industries are now more relevant to the economy. The city's geography as a seaside location continues to shape these economic activities.

Portugal features several notable media outlets including newspapers such as JN, DN, 24 Horas, O Jogo, and Global Notícias. The media landscape also includes the news radio station TSF and the magazine Ocasião. Regional press titles include Açoriano Oriental, which is the oldest newspaper in the country, along with Jornal do Fundão and Diário de Notícias da Madeira. Additionally, the media environment includes magazines like Evasões and Volta ao Mundo. These various publications are part of the diverse media offerings available in the country.

The origins of television in Portugal began in 1953 when a group examined the feasibility of a television service. This group conducted preliminary work for a network of signals and published a report in July 1954. Following this, a Commission was appointed to coordinate studies and define the future broadcasting scenario. Eventually, Radiotelevisão Portuguesa (RTP) was established on 15 December 1955. It was created as the national television service under the form of a government limited liability company.

Football is the most popular sport in Portugal. This sport began to become well known in the country during the final decades of the 19th century. It was brought to the nation by Portuguese students who had returned from England. Guilherme Pinto Basto is credited as the first person responsible for its implementation. He organized an exhibition of the new game in Cascais in October 1888.

Football is the most popular sport in Portugal and became well known in the final decades of the 19th century. It was brought to the country by Portuguese students returning from England. Guilherme Pinto Basto is credited with its implementation and organized the first exhibition in October 1888. The first official match took place in January 1889 at the Campo Pequeno Bullring in Lisbon between teams from Portugal and England. This match resulted in a 2–1 victory for the Portuguese team. Following this, the sport spread through colleges and led to the foundation of clubs across the country.

The University Stadium at Campo Alegre was the first university stadium in Portugal and opened in 1953. It is managed by the University of Porto Sports Centre, which also oversees three other facilities. The university has achieved significant success in national university championships, winning the University Clubs Trophy for several consecutive seasons. Students and former students from this institution have also competed in every Summer Olympics since 2008.

The Cascata do Poço do Bacalhau features a natural pool below a 90-metre waterfall. This pool is located on Flores Island within the Azores. The water in this natural pool is clear and suitable for swimming. It is a frequent destination for visitors, especially those hiking the Trilho dos Lagos. The area is surrounded by endemic vegetation such as the Azores laurel.

Historical metal artefacts found in the region include Montefortino helmets that feature local decoration. These items were part of a culture where metallurgy was highly developed. Artisans used various metals like gold, iron, copper, tin, and lead to create different objects. Besides helmets, other metal products included antenna-hilted swords and knives. These artifacts often displayed complex decorative motifs such as spirals and rosettes.

The Integrated System of Medical Emergency (SIEM) is the main emergency medical service in Portugal. This system is managed by the National Medical Emergency Institute (INEM) and can be activated by calling 1-1-2. Under the coordination of the CODU, several specialized mobile resources operate throughout the country. These resources include ambulances, fly cars, air ambulances, and specifically motorcycle ambulances. This ensures that various types of medical emergencies can be addressed by specialized teams.

Smoking on public beaches is banned outside of designated zones. If you violate these regulations, fines for the violation can be as high as €2,000. It is important to follow these rules to avoid such significant penalties. Always look for designated areas where smoking is permitted. Staying informed about local laws helps ensure a safe and pleasant trip.

In 2025 Portugal's fertility rate was one point four births per woman, below the replacement level of two point one, and it has stayed under that replacement level since the 1980s. That long decline is tied to a median age of forty-five point eight years, among the highest in the world. In the same year 23,3 percent of the population was aged 65 or older, close to one fourth of the country. The 2025 population was 11,424,031 people, of whom 9,826,492 were Portuguese nationals and 1,597,539 were foreign residents. Even with net migration, the low birth rate is projected to pull the population down to eight point three million by 2100. In 2024, 24,5 percent of registered births were to foreign-born women.

The SNS 24 line can book a medical video consultation after the caller has been triaged, and the published number is 808 24 24 24. The booking is made only when the service can offer care that matches the person's needs. Once it is booked, the visit is opened in the SNS 24 app under consultations and referrals, then the line's video consultation. Before it starts, the person fills in a clinical form sent by text, gathers tests and current medicines, and sits somewhere quiet. The doctor can prescribe medicines and request tests, because the same prescribing tools used in a face-to-face visit are available. If the doctor sees an emergency during the call, the person is sent to the emergency medical service and the address is checked at the start.

A prescription in Portugal is the document a health professional issues so a pharmacy can dispense the medicine or health product. Since 2015 the paperless prescription has covered the whole cycle, from the doctor writing it to the pharmacy dispensing it and the health service checking the invoice. After it is signed it is stored in the national prescription database and can be seen in the SNS 24 channels. The person receives it by text message, by email or on a printed treatment guide from the doctor. At the pharmacy the usual pair of details is the prescription number plus the access and dispensing code. Short and medium treatments limited to two packs, or four unit-dose packs, stay valid for 30 days.

Not every medicine in Portugal needs a prescription. Infarmed, the medicines authority, separates prescription-only medicines, called MSRM, from non-prescription medicines, called MNSRM. An MSRM product can be dispensed only in a pharmacy and only with a prescription from a qualified prescriber. An MNSRM product is the class sold without that prescription. Which rule applies depends on the legal class of the product, not on whether the buyer thinks the complaint is mild.

Residential homes in Portugal take in older people, and people with a disability, for a temporary or permanent stay when they can no longer get the support and nursing care they need at home. For people aged 65 or over, the residential structure, called a lar, offers nursing care, and a place under 65 is considered by the institution case by case. Family placement starts at 60 and houses someone who cannot stay at home for lack of family conditions or other social support, inside a household that can keep a stable and safe setting. You apply to the institution or to the Social Security attendance service for the area where you live, and Carta Social lists licensed homes once you choose the parish and the kind of support. After you register you may sit on a waiting list until the home calls because a place has opened. People living in these homes pay a monthly family contribution calculated from the household income, while private institutions set their own charges freely.

Portugal has venomous snakes, but meeting one in the countryside is not by itself a serious danger. The Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests names two vipers on Portuguese territory, the horned viper and Seoane's viper, and these are the species that call for the most caution because of their venom. Seoane's viper lives mainly in the far north, while the horned viper has a wider but broken range, and both usually avoid people, so bites are uncommon. Other snakes include the ladder snake, the horseshoe whip snake, the Montpellier snake and the water snakes, and the viperine water snake can mimic a viper without being one. If you see a snake, keep your distance, move children and pets away, and do not grab it, move it, or step closer for a photo. After a bite, keep the area still, call the poison centre on 800 250 250, and call 112 if the situation is urgent.

In a life-threatening emergency in Portugal, dial 112, which INEM says is free, and for a health problem that is not an emergency call SNS 24 on 808 24 24 24. A 112 health call is passed to a medical dispatch centre staffed around the clock, which decides whether to send an ambulance, a doctor-crewed vehicle, a motorcycle or a helicopter. On the mainland SNS 24 line you can press 9 for English, while the pages behind this guide do not say which languages 112 operators speak. A hospital emergency visit that follows a referral from SNS 24, a health centre or INEM is not charged the user fee, and the same waiver applies if you are admitted through the emergency department. The 2016 fee table still cited in the February 2025 ministry guide lists 18 euros at a polyvalent emergency service, 16 euros at a medical-surgical one and 14 euros at a basic one, so confirm the amount at the hospital. Minors, pregnant women, people with a disability of 60 percent or more, and several other groups pay no user fee for this care.

A healthcare guide checked on 15 October 2026 says the emergency departments of the main public hospitals are open day and night. You are assessed first by how urgent the problem is, so the wait is not the same for every patient. If a life is at risk, call 112 at once, and you do not need to be registered with the health service to do that. For urgent symptoms that are not immediately life-threatening, the guide says to call SNS 24 on 808 24 24 24 first, under the slogan call first, save lives. A referral from that line, from your health centre or from INEM means no user charge at the emergency department, and the same waiver applies if you are admitted. Among the hospitals it names with an emergency department are Santa Maria and São José in Lisbon, São João and Santo António in Porto, and the hospitals in Faro, Portimão and Lagos.

The Directorate-General for Health says that in recent years the greatest flu activity has been seen between December and February. Seasonal flu usually clears on its own, but it can become serious in people with chronic illness, young children and older people. The viruses change and vaccine immunity does not last, so the page says people should be vaccinated every year. The 2026 to 2027 seasonal campaign runs from 30 September 2026 to 31 March 2027. Free vaccine is for the target groups in the current norm, chosen by age, by clinical risk, by living in a vulnerable setting, or by a job with higher exposure. Those free doses are given at SNS health units, at community pharmacies registered with Infarmed for the campaign, and at other listed sites such as care homes and prisons.

A Hospital da Luz note of 4 October 2024, drawing on the 2023 REVIVE survey, says Portugal has 22 hard-tick species in the genera Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis, Hyalomma, Ixodes and Rhipicephalus. The dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, made up about 75,6 percent of the relevant finds and is found across the country, and it can carry the agent of Mediterranean spotted fever. Ixodes ricinus made up about 10,5 percent, also nationwide, and it is the main vector of the bacteria that cause Lyme borreliosis. Adults of that species are most active from October to April, while the immature stages peak in spring and summer in humid places. Mediterranean spotted fever and Lyme borreliosis are described as the most important tick-borne diseases in Portugal. People who walk in tall vegetation are told to cover the skin, use repellent, stay on trails, and check the scalp, groin, armpits and skin folds afterwards.

A guide dated 16 October 2026 says a self-service laundry is a shop with washers and dryers you pay for by the cycle, and that some have a staff member on duty. The usual order is to sort clothes by colour and temperature at home, pick a machine by size, pay at the terminal or on the machine, then move the load to a dryer. An 8 kilogram machine is described as a normal load and a 16 kilogram machine as the one for duvets or two loads together. In most shops the detergent and softener go in automatically. For Lisbon, the guide cites a local range of 3 to 6 euros a wash and 2 to 4 euros a dry, and says a wash cycle often takes 30 to 40 minutes and a dry cycle 20 to 30 minutes. You leave with unfolded clothes, and the same page says a pickup service in Lisbon, Porto and Setúbal is a separate option that returns folded laundry in two or three working days.

A survey by Irrivio, published on 13 September 2026 and updated the next day, collected base prices that barbers in Lisbon, Porto, Braga, Coimbra and Faro had posted on Treatwell on 13 September 2026. A men's haircut had a median of 15 euros, with half of 41 shops charging between 13 and 19 euros, while a beard had a median of 8 euros and half of 27 shops charged between 6,50 and 12 euros. A cut plus beard had a median of 22 euros, and half of 16 shops charged between 19,50 and 25 euros. Lisbon and Porto were only a little higher, with a cut median of 15 euros against 13,50 euros outside those two cities, and the sample is limited to platform listings concentrated in the larger cities. The same page notes that a public Fixando figure also puts the average barber service at 15 euros, and that hairdressers and barbers must display prices before the service is requested under Portaria 796/93 and Decree-Law 138/90. In large cities and premium shops the page says a cut can go above 25 euros.

In the Medio Tejo area, Antena Livre reported on 17 June 2025 that the local health unit would give out menstrual hygiene products free of charge at every primary-care unit in the region. The report places the move inside the national Dignidade Menstrual project run by the Directorate-General of Health, whose stated aim is fairer access and a reduction in menstrual poverty. A person asks at a family health unit or a personalised care unit, and a nursing appointment is booked first so that other needs, such as vaccination, family planning or screening, can be noted. Products are then given according to the person's preference, enough for one month, or for three months where vulnerability is greater, and nursing teams record the handover and watch the stock. The items named are winged pads for day and night, applicator tampons in sizes S, M and L, and menstrual cups in sizes M and L. The same report says any user may ask, with no age or income bar, and it quotes nursing director Piedade Pinto, who also sits on the unit's board.

A family guide to Porto says children are expected in restaurants, high chairs are common, and a certain amount of noise is tolerated. The meals it recommends are in tascas, traditional neighbourhood restaurants, where a lunch dish of the day is often 8 to 12 euros and children usually take a half portion because a separate children's menu is not the norm. A neighbourhood dinner for four, with proper food, wine and dessert, is put at 45 to 75 euros, while a charcoal chicken is often 8 to 12 euros and can feed two or three children. Ask for a high chair with the phrase cadeira para bebe, because most neighbourhood restaurants are said to have at least one, and arriving around 7 pm is quieter than the usual dinner hour of 8 to 9 pm. Bread, butter and olives set down automatically are a couvert, typically 1 to 3 euros a person, and they can be sent back if unwanted. Tipping is not required, rounding up or leaving 2 to 5 euros is described as generous, and the guide is about Porto rather than a rule for the whole country.

A Cultural Atlas note on Portuguese communication, written by Chara Scroope in 2018, says people can be expressive and emotive and may speak quite fast and in a louder tone. That louder style is described as common and as something that typically does not mean anger or displeasure, although people may be more restrained and formal around strangers. Answers tend to be direct, but they are usually given politely and gently, and open confrontation is generally avoided. Formal address uses senhor for a man and senhora for a woman, especially with someone senior by age or profession, and a professional title plus the surname is also common. The informal voce is for people who already know each other, so the safer choice with someone new is the formal form. Direct eye contact is treated as respect between adults, while a child holding direct eye contact with an older person, such as a parent, may be read as disrespectful.

According to Similarweb's ranking of free communication apps on Google Play in Portugal, last updated on 10 November 2026, WhatsApp by WhatsApp LLC was in first place and its rank was unchanged from the previous month. Messenger, published by Meta Platforms, was second, and WhatsApp Business was third, also with no change from the month before. Snapchat was fifth and Discord was sixth after moving up four places, while Signal Private Messenger stood at twelfth. Telegram does not appear anywhere in the fifty apps listed on that ranking. The page is a store-rank list for Android communication apps, not a survey of how many people send messages each day. For everyday chat, the top of this Portugal ranking is therefore WhatsApp, followed by Messenger and the business version of WhatsApp.

A MySelf Studio comparison of gyms in Lisbon, dated 11 February 2026 and checked against operators' own pages in May 2026, lists eight mainstream chains in Greater Lisbon. Monthly prices in its table run from a Solinca entry plan at 12,99 euros to a Holmes Place premium plan at 85,90 euros, with Holmes Place also offering no-lock-in memberships from 56,90 euros. Fitness UP is described as the only chain in the list that locks every plan for 52 weeks, and its entry and premium figures are 16,90 and 42,50 euros a month. Solinca, with 19 clubs in Greater Lisbon, and TTF, from 19,99 to 45 euros, are presented as having no lock-in, as is Vivagym, whose price was not published online. The same guide says GoGym, Anytime and Basic Fit do not operate in Lisbon, and it warns that a joining fee of 25 to 99 euros plus yearly insurance can put the first-year bill 50 to 100 euros above the advertised price. Cancelling a Fitness UP plan early means paying the remaining total except for legally recognised reasons such as serious illness, involuntary unemployment or a change of address.

Ride-hailing is lawful in Portugal as TVDE, the regime for passenger trips booked through an electronic platform, and Law 45/2018 was the first statute to cover services such as Uber and Bolt. A guide updated on 30 August 2026 says Law 59/2026 was published on 25 August 2026 and has been in force since 1 September 2026, after parliamentary approval on 17 July 2026 and promulgation on 18 August 2026. Under the revised wording on that page, TVDE means paid passenger transport in a vehicle made available electronically, and taxis may also operate on the digital platforms. New drivers need 50 hours of initial training, a functional command of Portuguese, and 27 correct answers out of 30 on the certification exam. The page also sets a maximum vehicle age of 10 years, or 12 years if the vehicle is electric, a platform fee of 25 percent of the trip value excluding VAT, and an end to the old legal cap on dynamic pricing so long as the passenger is told the price in advance. Company fines under the revised regime are described as reaching 44,000 euros.

A Portugal Brief guide last verified in October 2026 says everyday courtesy includes greeting each person and using a formal title until you are invited to drop it. Common titles on that page are Senhor, Dona with a woman's first name, Doutor and Engenheiro. Priority at a counter is described as a legal right, not only a custom, for every public or private service that deals with people in person. The people served first are those with a disability certificate of at least 60 percent, people aged 65 or over who have an evident physical or mental limitation, pregnant women, and anyone carrying or accompanying a child up to two years old. When two people both have priority, they are served in the order they arrived, and a refusal can be recorded by the police or taken to the National Institute for Rehabilitation or the body that inspects that service. The guide's source note ties this queue rule to Decree-Law 58/2016, and it does not say that age alone, without an evident limitation, moves someone to the front.

A Cultural Atlas greetings note by Chara Scroope, updated in 2025, says the most common appropriate greeting for anyone in Portugal is a handshake, usually firm, though some people prefer a lighter one. Among friends and relatives, women, and men greeting women, usually give beijinhos, little kisses on each cheek, starting on the right, and sometimes the cheeks only brush while the kiss is in the air. Close male friends often add a light hug or a pat on the back to the handshake, and friends in general may simply hug. A man greeting a woman is described as waiting for her to offer her hand before a handshake, and the person who arrives in a group is expected to greet everyone and to say goodbye to each person when leaving. Children in the extended family are expected to offer adults a kiss on the cheek, while strangers are usually greeted in passing in small villages rather than in larger towns or cities. Adults you do not know, and people older than you, are addressed as Senhor or Senhora, or by a title with the surname, and everyday words on the page are ola, tudo bem, bom dia, boa tarde and boa noite.

An Expatica guide to social etiquette in Portugal, written by Ruth Vargas and last updated on 14 October 2025, lists politics among the topics it says to avoid. The same list names religion, the Portuguese Colonial War, personal finances and racism. Safer everyday subjects on that page are soccer, food and wine, family and children, culture, music and travel. The guide also says it is inappropriate to ask what someone paid for an item, or to ask about salary, even among close friends. In work meetings it expects a stretch of small talk before business, and it says agreements should be put in writing. It adds that writing in red ink is treated as offensive.