{"id":1017,"date":"2026-10-02T18:02:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T18:02:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/?ba_guide=recognition-foreign-qualifications-portugal"},"modified":"2026-10-02T18:02:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T18:02:24","slug":"recognition-foreign-qualifications-portugal","status":"publish","type":"ba_guide","link":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/?ba_guide=recognition-foreign-qualifications-portugal","title":{"rendered":"Recognition of foreign qualifications in Portugal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"ba-lead wp-block-paragraph\">A foreign diploma does <strong>not<\/strong> automatically need formal recognition just because you want to work in Portugal. For most non-regulated professions, the employer decides what qualifications it requires. Formal recognition matters when you need your foreign higher-education qualification to have recognised academic standing in Portugal, or when another authority specifically asks for it.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">First question: do you actually need recognition?<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Ordinary non-regulated job:<\/strong> often no formal recognition is legally required; ask the employer what evidence it wants.<\/li><li><strong>Need Portuguese academic recognition:<\/strong> use the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dges.gov.pt\/pt\/content\/reconhecimento-de-graus-e-diplomas-estrangeiros-diploma-recognition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DGES foreign degree recognition system<\/a>.<\/li><li><strong>Regulated profession:<\/strong> academic recognition alone may not give you the right to practise. Check the competent professional authority. See guide #49.<\/li><li><strong>Foreign secondary-school qualification:<\/strong> DGES is for higher education; consult the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dge.mec.pt\/equivalencias-estrangeiras\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dire\u00e7\u00e3o-Geral da Educa\u00e7\u00e3o (DGE)<\/a> for school-level equivalence.<\/li><\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The three higher-education recognition routes<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Route<\/th><th>What it recognises<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Automatic recognition<\/strong><\/td><td>For foreign degrees\/diplomas specifically included in the approved list; it recognises a corresponding Portuguese degree\/diploma generically.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Level recognition<\/strong><\/td><td>Individual comparison recognising the foreign qualification at a Portuguese higher-education level, such as licenciado, mestre or doutor.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Specific recognition<\/strong><\/td><td>Compares both the level and the specific scientific field\/course, for example recognition as a degree in Biology.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DGES states that all three forms have the same legal validity, but they serve different purposes. Use its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dges.gov.pt\/pt\/content\/recautomatico\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recognition checker<\/a> to see which route may fit your qualification.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where and how to apply<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Applications use the official online recognition form. Automatic recognition can be handled by DGES or a Portuguese public higher-education institution. <strong>Level and specific recognition are handled only by Portuguese public higher-education institutions<\/strong>, selected through the online application system.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DGES currently states maximum decision periods of <strong>30 working days<\/strong> for automatic recognition and <strong>90 working days<\/strong> for level or specific recognition, counted from a properly completed application. Fees vary by recognition type and institution.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Documents and translations<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You will need documentation proving the degree\/diploma, and the chosen route or institution may require additional academic records. Check the live form before arranging translations or certifications: document requirements vary. DGES publishes detailed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dges.gov.pt\/pt\/faq\/faqs-reconhecimento-de-graus-e-diplomas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recognition FAQs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Academic recognition is not professional recognition<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This distinction matters most for regulated professions. Having a foreign degree academically recognised does not necessarily authorise you to work as a doctor, nurse, architect, lawyer or another regulated professional. The competent Portuguese authority may require a separate professional-recognition procedure. <strong>Continue with guide #49 \u2014 Regulated professions.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Useful official links<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dges.gov.pt\/pt\/content\/reconhecimento-de-graus-e-diplomas-estrangeiros-diploma-recognition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DGES \u2014 foreign higher-education degree recognition<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dges.gov.pt\/pt\/content\/recautomatico\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DGES \u2014 check which recognition may apply<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dges.gov.pt\/pt\/faq\/faqs-reconhecimento-de-graus-e-diplomas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DGES \u2014 recognition FAQs<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dge.mec.pt\/equivalencias-estrangeiras\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DGE \u2014 foreign school qualifications<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Last verified: 2 October 2026. Recognition requirements depend on what you need the qualification for; check the current DGES system and, for regulated professions, the competent professional authority.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A short guide to when foreign qualifications need recognition in Portugal, the three DGES higher-education recognition routes, and the difference between academic and professional recognition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"template":"","ba_country":[3],"ba_topic":[831,833,673,35,674,832,655],"ba_audience":[719,261,16,308,710],"ba_section":[593,725],"ba_stage":[28,779],"ba_location":[],"class_list":["post-1017","ba_guide","type-ba_guide","status-publish","hentry","ba_country-portugal","ba_topic-degrees","ba_topic-dges","ba_topic-diplomas","ba_topic-education","ba_topic-qualifications","ba_topic-recognition","ba_topic-work","ba_audience-eu-eea","ba_audience-newcomers","ba_audience-non-eu","ba_audience-students","ba_audience-workers","ba_section-education","ba_section-work","ba_stage-getting-established","ba_stage-settled"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/ba_guide\/1017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/ba_guide"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/ba_guide"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/ba_guide\/1017\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1018,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/ba_guide\/1017\/revisions\/1018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"ba_country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_country&post=1017"},{"taxonomy":"ba_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_topic&post=1017"},{"taxonomy":"ba_audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_audience&post=1017"},{"taxonomy":"ba_section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_section&post=1017"},{"taxonomy":"ba_stage","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_stage&post=1017"},{"taxonomy":"ba_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_location&post=1017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}