Recruitment agencies and temporary-work agencies can both help you find work in Portugal, but they do different legal jobs. A recruiter may introduce you to a company that then hires you directly. An Empresa de Trabalho Temporário (ETT) is a licensed temporary-work company that can hire you itself and temporarily assign you to work for a client company (the utilizador).
First question: who is actually employing you?
| Arrangement | Who employs you? | What happens? |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary recruitment | Usually the company offering the job | The agency finds/screens candidates; after hiring, your employment relationship is normally with the client company. |
| Temporary agency work (ETT) | The licensed ETT | The ETT contracts and pays you, then assigns you temporarily to a user company where you perform the work. |
Do not infer the arrangement from the agency’s brand. Some large staffing companies provide both recruitment and temporary-work services. Ask explicitly: “Who will be named as my employer on the employment contract and payslip?”
Check an ETT before accepting
Temporary-work companies must be licensed. IEFP maintains the Registo Nacional das Empresas de Trabalho Temporário. It shows licensed companies as well as licences that are suspended, expired, ceased or revoked. The register was last updated 1 October 2026 when this guide was verified.
- Search the legal company name, NIPC or licence/alvará number.
- Check the licence status, not merely whether the company name appears.
- Match the legal entity on the contract with the entity in the register.
- If an agency claims to be an ETT but cannot identify its licence, stop and verify before starting work.
Your temporary-work contract must be written
Article 181 of the Labour Code requires the temporary employment contract to be in writing and in two copies. It must include, among other things, the parties and the ETT licence details, the concrete reason justifying temporary work, the activity, workplace and normal working period, remuneration, start date and contract term. One copy stays with the worker.
“Temporary” is not itself a sufficient reason. Temporary work is permitted for legally defined temporary needs. The contract should state the actual facts that justify using temporary labour.
Why the licence and paperwork matter
Article 173 gives defective or illegal temporary-worker supply potentially serious consequences. If an unlicensed ETT supplies a worker, or in certain cases a licensed ETT supplies a worker without the required employment contract, the law can treat the work as being performed for the user company under an indefinite employment contract, subject to the statutory rules and worker options. Do not assume an illegal agency arrangement simply leaves the worker with no rights.
Who pays salary, Social Security and insurance?
In genuine ETT work, the ETT is your employer. IEFP describes the ETT as recruiting and hiring the worker, temporarily assigning them to another company, and handling administrative/legal matters such as the employment contract, salary, Social Security deductions and insurance. The user company directs the day-to-day work within the lawful assignment, but that does not automatically make it your contractual employer.
Pay and treatment while assigned
Temporary status does not put you outside Portuguese labour law. The Labour Code contains specific rules on remuneration and working conditions for temporary workers. Check the applicable statutory rules and any collective agreement, especially where the user company’s comparable employees receive particular pay, working-time arrangements, meal support or other conditions. If the payslip does not match the contract or hours actually worked, challenge it in writing and use the ACT routes in guide #46.
How long can temporary work last?
The legal maximum depends on the reason for the temporary need. Under Article 178, the user/ETT temporary-work arrangement cannot last longer than the underlying justification and is generally capped at two years, with shorter limits for certain reasons, including six months for filling a vacancy while recruitment is already under way and 12 months for an exceptional increase in activity. Do not read these maxima as a guarantee that every assignment may lawfully last that long.
Using ordinary recruitment agencies
With ordinary recruitment, the agency may advertise the vacancy, screen your CV, interview you and introduce you to the employer. If the client then hires you directly, read the eventual employment contract as a direct-employment offer rather than assuming the recruiter’s earlier description is contractual. Confirm gross salary, location, schedule, contract type, probation, benefits and start date with the actual employer.
Examples of staffing/recruitment businesses active in Portugal include Randstad, Adecco, ManpowerGroup, Hays and Michael Page/PageGroup. This is not an endorsement and services vary by office and vacancy. Where the arrangement is temporary agency work, verify the relevant legal entity in IEFP’s register rather than relying on brand recognition.
Should a worker pay a recruitment agency?
Be very cautious if someone demands money from you simply to obtain a normal vacancy, interview or job placement. Legitimate staffing models normally earn their fee from the employer/client. Never send money, bank credentials, card details or identity documents merely because a WhatsApp, social-media or classified-ad contact claims it can secure a job. Verify the company independently first.
Before accepting: 10 checks
- Is this direct recruitment or ETT temporary work?
- What exact legal entity will employ and pay you?
- If it is an ETT, is that entity currently licensed in the IEFP register?
- What is the concrete temporary reason for the assignment?
- Do you have the written contract and your own copy?
- What are the gross pay, allowances, working hours and overtime rules?
- Where will you work and who supervises the day-to-day work?
- What is the start date, term and expected assignment duration?
- Who handles Social Security, insurance, absence reporting and payslips?
- Have you independently verified unexpected requests for money or sensitive documents?
If the agency or client company mistreats you
- Keep the ETT contract, assignment details, schedules, payslips, messages and hours worked.
- Raise payroll/contract errors with the ETT in writing; copy the user company where its conduct is relevant.
- Check the ETT’s current IEFP licence status.
- For labour-law breaches, ask ACT for information or file a complaint as explained in guide #46.
- For serious questions about an illegal assignment, indefinite-contract status, unpaid wages or dismissal, get union or employment-law advice promptly.
Useful official links
- IEFP — National Register of Temporary Work Companies (ETT)
- IEFP — temporary-work companies, licensing and information
- Código do Trabalho — consolidated Labour Code, especially Articles 172–192
- ACT — make a labour complaint
Last verified: 2 October 2026. Always check the live IEFP register before relying on an ETT licence status; staffing companies can change legal entities, licences and services.