Before paying for diploma recognition, translations or professional registration, answer one question: is the profession you want to practise regulated in Portugal? If Portuguese law reserves access, activities or a professional title to people meeting specific requirements, you normally need the relevant Portuguese competent authority to recognise or accept your professional qualifications before you practise.

Step 1: check whether your profession is regulated

Use the official DGERT list of regulated professions and competent authorities. It covers professions ranging from doctors, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, architects and engineers to certified accountants, lawyers, real-estate professionals, teachers, private-security professionals, transport occupations and numerous technical activities.

  1. Search for the profession you actually intend to practise, not merely the title printed on your diploma.
  2. Open the DGERT entry and identify the competent authority — for example a professional order, directorate or regulator.
  3. Follow that authority’s current recognition/registration route.
  4. If the profession is absent or the Portuguese title is unclear, check the EU regulated-professions database or ask DGERT/the national assistance contact before assuming recognition is required.
Not regulated? There is generally no professional-recognition procedure simply to work in an unregulated occupation. An employer can still require a particular degree, experience, language level or academic recognition. If you need recognition of the academic degree itself, use guide #48.

Academic recognition and permission to practise are different

DGES recognition can establish the Portuguese academic standing of a foreign higher-education qualification. A regulated profession can additionally require professional recognition, registration or authorisation from its competent authority. Do not assume a DGES recognition certificate by itself permits professional practice.

If your qualification is from the EU, EEA or Switzerland

EU rules facilitate recognition of professional qualifications across the EU/EEA and Switzerland, but the procedure depends on the profession and whether you are establishing yourself in Portugal or providing services temporarily. Start with the Portuguese competent authority identified by DGERT.

Seven professions with sectoral automatic-recognition rules

Under the EU professional-qualifications framework, qualifications meeting the harmonised conditions can benefit from automatic recognition for doctors, general-care nurses, midwives, dental practitioners, pharmacists, architects and veterinary surgeons. “Automatic recognition” does not mean you can simply begin practising without contact with Portugal: you still submit the required evidence and complete the competent authority’s procedure before exercising the regulated profession.

Other EU-qualified regulated professionals

For many other regulated professions, the authority compares the qualification and professional training under the applicable recognition regime. Depending on the case, materially different training can lead to a compensatory measure such as an adaptation period or aptitude test. Some professions and activities are also governed by specific EU rules, so use the profession-specific authority rather than a generic checklist.

European Professional Card (EPC/CPE): only five professions

The European Professional Card is not a plastic card and it is not available to every regulated professional. It is an electronic recognition procedure currently available only to:

  • general-care nurses;
  • pharmacists;
  • physiotherapists;
  • mountain guides; and
  • real-estate agents.

For other professions, use the ordinary profession-specific recognition route. Do not confuse EPC eligibility with the separate automatic-recognition system described above.

If your qualification is from outside the EU

A qualification obtained in a non-EU country is generally assessed under the Portuguese national rules applicable to that profession. Requirements can differ substantially between medicine, nursing, law, engineering, psychology and other regulated fields. The fact that the same qualification was sufficient to practise in the country of origin does not by itself authorise practice in Portugal.

If another EU country has already recognised a non-EU qualification and you later move to Portugal, EU rules can become relevant in particular circumstances; for example, Your Europe notes a route after at least three years’ professional experience in the EU country that first recognised the qualification. Ask the Portuguese competent authority how this applies to your case rather than assuming the earlier recognition transfers automatically.

What documents should you expect?

The exact list is profession-specific. Commonly requested evidence can include identity, diploma/qualification certificates, transcripts or training content, evidence of professional experience, proof that you are legally established or in good standing, and certified translations where required. Some authorities may require additional declarations, criminal-record or fitness documentation, insurance, fees, language evidence, an aptitude test or registration with a professional body.

Check before translating everything: obtain the competent authority’s current document list first. Translation, certification, apostille/legalisation and academic-recognition requirements are not identical for every profession.

Portuguese language requirements

Being professionally qualified and being able to work safely in Portuguese are separate issues. EU rules permit proportionate language controls where language knowledge is objectively necessary for the profession, and employers may impose legitimate language requirements for the job. Health, education, legal and public-facing roles can make Portuguese especially important. Check the competent authority and employer requirements rather than assuming an English-taught degree or English-speaking workplace removes them.

Examples: who regulates what?

Portugal does not have one recognition office for every profession. DGERT’s live list identifies the correct authority. Examples include professional orders for occupations such as nurses, architects and engineers, while other regulated activities are handled by sector-specific public authorities. Even closely related professions can have different competent bodies and procedures.

Practical checklist before accepting a job

  1. Write down the exact Portuguese profession/job title.
  2. Check DGERT and the EU database to establish whether it is regulated.
  3. Identify the Portuguese competent authority.
  4. Tell the authority where the qualification was obtained and whether you want permanent establishment or temporary service provision.
  5. Ask for the current document list, fees, translations and expected procedure.
  6. Check separately whether DGES academic recognition is also required.
  7. Confirm any Portuguese-language, professional-body, insurance or good-standing requirements.
  8. Do not advertise or practise under a protected title until the required recognition/registration is complete.

Useful official links

Last verified: 2 October 2026. Regulated-profession rules are profession-specific and can change. Use DGERT to identify the competent authority, then confirm the live requirements with that authority before applying or practising.