EUROPAM

European Public Accountability Mechanisms

Portugal

Country score (EU Average*)
  • 91(72) Political Financing
  • 76(57) Financial Disclosure
  • 59(49) Conflict of Interest
  • 54(59) Freedom of Information
  • 59(63) Public Procurement
  • 59(66) Anti Money Laundering
  • 67(71) Asset Recovery

Country Facts

IncomeHigh
GNI per capita (2011 PPP $)26498.18
Population, total10324611.00
Urban population (% of total)64.02
Internet users (per 100 people)70.42
Life expectancy at birth (years)81.52
Mean years of schooling (years)8.9
Global Competitiveness Index4.6
Sources: World Bank, UNDP, WEF.

Political Financing

The law on the Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns (2003, amended 2013) is the main law regulating the financing of political parties in Portugal.

There are comprehensive limits on the private income of political parties. Donations are banned from foreign interests, corporations, trade unions and anonymous donors in addition to a number of other sources which are prohibited. There are also specific rules on how many can be raised and there are limits on the amount that can be donated.

There is public funding available for political parties which is allocated based on the shares of votes in the previous election, representation in the elected body, participation in the election and the number of candidates. Public funding is allocated for parties to use in election spending. Indirect public funding is available in the form of subsidized media access and tax relief. There are funding provisions to encourage gender equality.

For regulations on spending, vote buying is banned but the use of state resources for and against a candidate or party is not. There are specific limits on what a political party or candidate can spend.

Parties are required to keep accounts which must reveal information regarding the finances in relation to election campaigns and must reveal the identity of donors. The information is required to be made public. Accounts are overseen by the Supervisory Body of Political Party Accounting and Funding. There are sanctions for breaches of the provisions of the law which include fines, forfeiture and imprisonment.

Quantitative Data

Primary Metric

201220152016201720202024Trend
Bans and limits on private income838383838392
Public funding626262627588
Regulations on spending100100100100100100
Reporting, oversight and sanctions9210010010010083

Values lie in range between 0 and 100, higher values implying higher legislation comprehensiveness


Qualitative Data

We are frequently reviewing and refining our data, so in case you notice any mistake in our assessment, feel free to send us an email by clicking the button ()

Bans and limits on private income

Is there a ban on donations from foreign interests to political parties? Yes. 1 - Political parties are prohibited from receiving anonymous donations and are prohibited from receiving gifts or loans of a monetary nature or in kind from national or foreign legal persons, except as provided for in the following paragraph. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 8(1))
Is there a ban on donations from foreign interests to candidates? Yes. Political parties may not receive anonymous donations or receive donations or loans of a pecuniary or in kind nature of national or foreign legal persons (Decree of the Assembly of the Republic No. 194 / XIII: Political Funding -Alteration to the Law aproved Friday, March 9, 2018 Series II-A - Number 82)
Is there a ban on corporate donations to political parties? Yes. Art 8 "1 -‌ Political parties are prohibited from.‌.‌.‌ receiving gifts or loans of a monetary nature or in kind from national or foreign legal persons, except as provided for in the following paragraph.‌ 2 -‌ Political parties may contract loans from credit institutions and financial companies in accordance with the conditions set out in point f) of paragraph 1 of article 3.‌" (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 8(1))
Is there a ban on corporate donations to candidates? Yes. Political parties may not receive anonymous donations or receive donations or loans of a pecuniary or in kind nature of national or foreign legal persons (Decree of the Assembly of the Republic No. 194 / XIII: Political Funding -Alteration to the Law aproved Friday, March 9, 2018 Series II-A - Number 82)
Is there a ban on donations from corporations with government contracts to political parties? Yes. 1 - Political parties are prohibited from receiving anonymous donations and are prohibited from receiving gifts or loans of a monetary nature or in kind from national or foreign legal persons, except as provided for in the following paragraph. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 8(1))
Is there a ban on donations from corporations of partial government ownership to political parties? Yes. 1 - Political parties are prohibited from receiving anonymous donations and are prohibited from receiving gifts or loans of a monetary nature or in kind from national or foreign legal persons, except as provided for in the following paragraph. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 8(1))
Is there a ban on donations from corporations with government contracts to candidates? Yes. Political parties may not receive anonymous donations or receive donations or loans of a pecuniary or in kind nature of national or foreign legal persons (Decree of the Assembly of the Republic No. 194 / XIII: Political Funding -Alteration to the Law aproved Friday, March 9, 2018 Series II-A - Number 82)
Is there a ban on donations from corporations of partial government ownership to candidates? Yes. Political parties may not receive anonymous donations or receive donations or loans of a pecuniary or in kind nature of national or foreign legal persons (Decree of the Assembly of the Republic No. 194 / XIII: Political Funding -Alteration to the Law aproved Friday, March 9, 2018 Series II-A - Number 83)
Is there a ban on donations from Trade Unions to political parties? Yes. 1 - Political parties are prohibited from receiving anonymous donations and are prohibited from receiving gifts or loans of a monetary nature or in kind from national or foreign legal persons, except as provided for in the following paragraph. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 8(1))
Is there a ban on donations from Trade Unions to candidates? No. Absent from legal framework
Is there a ban on anonymous donations to political parties? Yes. 1 - Political parties are prohibited from receiving anonymous donations and are prohibited from receiving gifts or loans of a monetary nature or in kind from national or foreign legal persons, except as provided for in the following paragraph. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 8(1))
Is there a ban on anonymous donations to candidates? Yes. Political parties may not receive anonymous donations or receive donations or loans of a pecuniary or in kind nature of national or foreign legal persons (Decree of the Assembly of the Republic No. 194 / XIII: Political Funding -Alteration to the Law aproved Friday, March 9, 2018 Series II-A - Number 82)
Is there a ban on state resources being given to or received by political parties or candidates (excluding regulated public funding)? Yes. Political parties can only receive assistance from individuals, and would so be banned from receiving state resources - Further, appears to be no mention in the law of state resources being allowed as a benefit under Art 10.
Is there a ban on any other form of donation? Yes. Political parties are specifically prohibited from: a) Acquiring goods or services at prices which are below those practiced in the market; b) Receiving payments in respect of goods or services which they provide at prices which are clearly above market value; c) Receiving or accepting any indirect contribution or donation that result in the payment of costs which they incur by third parties. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 8(3))
Is there a limit on the amount a donor can contribute to a political party over a time period (not election specific)? Yes. 1 - Donations of a financial nature made by identified individual persons are subject to an annual limit of 25 times the value of the IAS per donor and must be transacted by cheque or bank transfer. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 7(1))
Is there a limit on the amount a donor can contribute to a political party in relation to an election? Yes. Limit is 60 monthly minimum wages 3 - Revenues covered by points c) and d) of paragraph 1 may be obtained by means of fundraising, even in the context of a campaign conducted for the purpose, subject to a limit of 60 IAS per donor, and are to be transacted by cheque or other banking mechanisms that enable identification of the amount and origin. c) Donations from individual supporters of candidates for election to President of the Republic and supporters of groups of voting citizens of the governing bodies of local authorities; d) Proceeds of campaign fundraising. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 16(1) & (3))
Is there a limit on the amount a donor can contribute to a candidate? Yes. Direct donations to candidates are prohibited. (GRECO (2010) Evaluation Report on Portugal Transparency of Party Funding (Theme II)))

Public funding 

Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties Yes. See sub-indicators
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Share of votes in previous election Yes. for general grant 2 – This grant consists of a sum of money which is equivalent to the 1/ 135 of the value of the IAS, for each vote obtained in the most recent election of members to the Assembly of the Republic. For Election grant 2 - Parties which contest elections to the European Parliament or at least 51% of the seats up for election in the Assembly of the Republic or to the Regional Legislative Assemblies and which obtain representation, as well as candidates to the Presidency of the Republic which obtain at least 5% of the vote, are entitled to a grant. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 5(2) 17(2))
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Representation in elected body Yes. 2 - Parties which contest elections to the European Parliament or at least 51% of the seats up for election in the Assembly of the Republic or to the Regional Legislative Assemblies and which obtain representation, as well as candidates to the Presidency of the Republic which obtain at least 5% of the vote, are entitled to a grant. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 17(2))
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Participation in election Yes. 2 - Parties which contest elections to the European Parliament or at least 51% of the seats up for election in the Assembly of the Republic or to the Regional Legislative Assemblies and which obtain representation, as well as candidates to the Presidency of the Republic which obtain at least 5% of the vote, are entitled to a grant. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 17(2))
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Number of candidates Yes. 2 - Parties which contest elections to the European Parliament or at least 51% of the seats up for election in the Assembly of the Republic or to the Regional Legislative Assemblies and which obtain representation, as well as candidates to the Presidency of the Republic which obtain at least 5% of the vote, are entitled to a grant. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 17(2))
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Share of seats in previous election No. Absent from legal framework
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Share of votes in next election No. Absent from legal framework
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Registration as a political party No. Absent from legal framework
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Share of seats in next election No. Absent from legal framework
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Number of members No. Absent from legal framework
Eligibility criteria for direct public funding to political parties: Other No. Absent from legal framework
Allocation calculations for direct public funding to political parties Yes. See sub-indicators
Allocation calculations for direct public funding to political parties: Proportional to votes received Yes. Election grant 1 - The grant will be distributed as follows: 20% will be distributed equally between the parties and candidates who fulfil the requirements of paragraph 2 of the preceding article and the remaining 80% will be distributed in proportion to the electoral results obtained. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 18(1))
Allocation calculations for direct public funding to political parties: Equal Yes. 1 - The grant will be distributed as follows: 20% will be distributed equally between the parties and candidates who fulfil the requirements of paragraph 2 of the preceding article and the remaining 80% will be distributed in proportion to the electoral results obtained. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 18(1))
Allocation calculations for direct public funding to political parties: Proportional to seats received No. Absent from legal framework
Allocation calculations for direct public funding to political parties: Flat rate by votes received Yes. For general grant 2 – This grant consists of a sum of money which is equivalent to the 1/ 135 of the value of the IAS, for each vote obtained in the most recent election of members to the Assembly of the Republic. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 5(2))
Allocation calculations for direct public funding to political parties: Share of expenses reimbursed No. Absent from legal framework
Allocation calculations for direct public funding to political parties: Proportional to candidates fielded No. Absent from legal framework
Allocation calculations for direct public funding to political parties: Number of members No. Absent from legal framework
Allocation calculations for direct public funding to political parties: Other No. Absent from legal framework
Earmarking provisions for direct public funding to political parties Yes. However, the amount of public campaign assistance cannot exceed the amount spent on the campaign. Art 18.‌4, "The grant will not, in any case, exceed the actual value of expenses incurred.‌" (Law on the Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, No.​ 19/​2003) P 8, "The public funding is, in general, provided to the political parties themselves; for the development of the purposes of the political parties and their activities (articles 3-‌5 of Law no.‌ 19/‌2003), as well as for the financing of election campaigns (articles 4 and 16-‌18 of Law no.‌ 19/‌2003).‌" (GRECO (2010) Evaluation Report on Portugal Transparency of Party Funding (Theme II)) (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art. 4 & Art. 16-18 )
Earmarking provisions for direct public funding to political parties: Campaign spending Yes. 1 - Political parties which submit candidates for election to the Assembly of the Republic, to the European Parliament, to the Regional Legislative Assemblies and to local authorities, as well as groups of voting citizens of the governing bodies of local authorities and candidates for election of the President of the Republic are entitled to a state grant to cover the costs of election campaigns (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 17(1))
Earmarking provisions for direct public funding to political parties: Ongoing party activities No. Absent from legal framework
Earmarking provisions for direct public funding to political parties: Intra-party institution No. Absent from legal framework
Earmarking provisions for direct public funding to political parties: Other No. Absent from legal framework
Allocation criteria for free or subsidized access to media for political parties Yes. See sub-indicators
Allocation criteria for free or subsidized access to media for political parties: Equal Yes. Art. 56 "Candidates and the political parties or coalitions that put them forward have the right to equal treatment by public and private entities, so that they can conduct their election campaigns freely and under the best conditions." (Electoral Law, 1979, amended 2016, Art. 56)
Allocation criteria for free or subsidized access to media for political parties: Number of candidates No. Absent from legal framework
Allocation criteria for free or subsidized access to media for political parties: Share of seats No. Absent from legal framework
Allocation criteria for free or subsidized access to media for political parties: Share of votes in preceding election No. Absent from legal framework
Allocation criteria for free or subsidized access to media for political parties: Other Yes. 1 - The parties are not subject to IRC (Corporate Income Tax) and also benefit, beyond that specified by special law, from exemption from the following taxes: g) Value added tax on the acquisition and transfer of goods and services that have the aim of disseminating their political message or their own identity, through any media, print, audio-visual or multimedia, including those used as publicity materials and means of communication and transport, which exemption is effected by the exercise of the right to tax refunds; (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 10(1)(g))
Are there provisions for free or subsidized access to media for candidates? Yes. Art. 56 "Candidates and the political parties or coalitions that put them forward have the right to equal treatment by public and private entities, so that they can conduct their election campaigns freely and under the best conditions." (Electoral Law, 1979, amended 2016, Art. 56)
Are there provisions for any other form of indirect public funding? Yes. See sub-indicators
Provisions for any other form of indirect public funding: Premises for campaign meetings No. Absent from legal framework
Provisions for any other form of indirect public funding: Space for campaign materials No. Absent from legal framework
Provisions for any other form of indirect public funding: Tax relief Yes. 1 - The parties are not subject to IRC (Corporate Income Tax) and also benefit, beyond that specified by special law, from exemption from the following taxes: a) Stamp duty; b) Tax on inheritance and donations c) Municipal tax on onerous transfer of property, due on the acquisition of property to be used for their own activity and on transfers resulting from merger or demerger; d) Municipal property tax on the taxable value of properties or parts of properties which they own or which are to be used for their activity; e) Other taxes on property referred to in paragraph 3 of article 104 of the Constitution; f) Vehicle tax due on vehicles which they acquire for their business; g) Value added tax on the acquisition and transfer of goods and services that have the aim of disseminating their political message or their own identity, through any media, print, audio-visual or multimedia, including those used as publicity materials and means of communication and transport, which exemption is effected by the exercise of the right to tax refunds; h) Value added tax on the transfers of goods and services in the course of special fundraising initiatives with sole benefit thereto, provided that such exemption does not distort competition. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 10(1))
Provisions for any other form of indirect public funding: Free or subsidised transport No. Absent from legal framework
Provisions for any other form of indirect public funding: Free or subsidised postage cost No. Absent from legal framework
Provisions for any other form of indirect public funding: Other No. Absent from legal framework
Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? Yes. Parties that do not have a balance between the genders among its candidates can lose between 25% and 80% of its public funding. Art 2.1-2, "1 - It is understood parity, for the application of this law, a minimum representation of 33.3% of each sex in listas. 2 - In compliance with the preceding paragraph the multi-member lists submitted must not contain more than two candidates of the same sex placed consecutively in the order of lista. "Article 7" 1 - If they violate the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article 2, parties, coalitions or groups of voters, as the case may suffer a reduction in participation in the 80% or 75% of public subsidy for the relevant election campaigns, respectively, in paragraphs 1 and 3 of article 18 of Law No. 19 / 2003 of 20 June as follows: 1 a) If one gender is represented in the application list in percentage of less than 20% is reduced to participation in that public subsidy by 50%; b) If one sex is represented in the list of candidates as a percentage equal to or greater than 20% but less than 33.3%, the interest in that public subsidy is reduced by 25%. 2 - The preceding paragraph shall not apply to lists with a number of candidates less than tręs. 3 - If they violate the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 2, parties, coalitions or groups of voters, as the case may suffer a 50% stake in 80% or 75% of Public subsidies for electoral campaigns to which they are entitled under paragraphs 1 and 3 of Article 18 of Law No. 19/2003 of 20 Junho. 4 - In the elections for the National Assembly, the election results obtained by the party in the constituency where there was breach of paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 2 are slaughtered for national election results in equivalent proportion to the reduction of government subsidies for election campaigns calculated according to the provisions of paragraphs anteriores. 5 - In the elections to the organs of the municipality and the parish, with different types and degrees of breaches of the lists presented by a party, coalition or group of voters to the various organs, is taken as a reference the list by applying the criteria of the previous paragraphs implies a further reduction of public subsidy for eleitorais. campaigns "(Parity Law establishes that the lists for the National Assembly to the European Parliament and Local Authorities are composed so as to ensure minimal representation 33% of each sex. Statute No. 3/2006) (Organic Law No.​ 3/​2006, amended 2016)
Are there provisions for other financial advantages to encourage gender equality in political parties? No. Absent from legal framework

Regulations on spending 

Is there a ban on vote buying? Yes. Who in election: a) Upon fraudulent artifice, lead voter to vote, prevents you from voting, or to take him to vote for certain sense; or b) Buying or selling votes; It shall be punished with imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 120 days. 2 - The attempt is punishable. (Art.341, Penal Code, amended in 2015 )
Are there bans on state resources being used in favour or against a political party or candidate? Yes. The transfer of free space of spaces owned or managed by the State or by legal entities governed by public law, including local authorities, public sector entities corporate or social economy entities, such as those defined in article 4 of Law no. 30/2013, of May 8. 2 - The transfer of the spaces referred to in the preceding paragraph may not result in discrimination between political parties or candidatures (Decree of the Assembly of the Republic No. 194 / XIII: Political Funding -Alteration to the Law approved Friday, March 9, 2018 )
Are there limits on the amount a political party can spend? Yes. 1 - The maximum limits on allowable expenses which may be incurred for any national or regional election campaign are established as follows: a) 10 000 times the amount of IAS in the election campaign for President of the Republic, and a further 2500 times the value of the IAS in the case of a second round contest; b) 60 times the value of the IAS for each candidate presented in the electoral campaign for the Assembly of the Republic; c) 100 times the value of the IAS for each candidate presented in the election campaign for the Regional Legislative Assemblies; d) 300 times the value of the IAS for each candidate presented in the election campaign for the European Parliament; (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 20(1))
Are there limits on the amount a candidate can spend? Yes. Article 341’Electoral fraud and corruption- 1 - Who, in the election referred to in no. 1 of article 338: a) By fraudulent deception, to take voters to vote, prevent them from voting, or cause them to vote in a sense; or b) Buy or sell vote; shall be punished with imprisonment for up to one year or with a fine of up to 120 days. 2 - The attempt is punishable.’ Penal Code 2007 Article 20. Limits on election campaign expenses 1 - The maximum allowable amount of expenses incurred in each election campaign, national or regional, shall be set at the following values: a) 10 000 times the value of the IAS in the electoral campaign for President of the Republic, plus 2500 times the value of IAS in the in case of competing for the second round; b) 60 times the value of the IAS for each candidate presented in the electoral campaign to the Assembly of the Republic; c) 100 times the value of the IAS for each candidate presented in the electoral campaign for the Regional Legislative Assemblies; (d) 300 times the value of the IAS for each candidate submitted for the European Parliament campaign. 2 - The maximum admissible limit of expenses incurred in the electoral campaigns for local authorities is set at the following values: a) 1350 times the value of the IAS in Lisbon and Porto; b) 900 times the value of IAS in municipalities with 100,000 or more voters; c) 450 times the value of the IAS in municipalities with more than 50,000 and less than 100,000 voters; d) 300 times the value of IAS in municipalities with more than 10,000 and up to 50,000 voters; e) 150 times the value of the IAS in municipalities with 10 000 or fewer voters. (Decree of the Assembly of the Republic No. 194 / XIII: Political Funding -Alteration to the Law aproved Friday, March 9, 2018)

Reporting, oversight and sanctions 

Do political parties have to report regularly on their finances? Yes. 1 - Political parties are required to keep organised accounts, so that it is possible to ascertain their financial position and verify compliance with the obligations set forth by the present law. (annual) (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 12(1) & (2))
Do political parties have to report on their finances in relation to election campaigns? Yes. 1 - Within a period of not more than 90 days, in the case of local authority elections, and 60 days, in other cases, following full payment of the public grant, each candidature shall provide the Constitutional Court with itemised accounts of their election campaign, under the terms of the present law. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 27(1))
Do candidates have to report on their campaign finances? Yes. 1 - Within a period of not more than 90 days, in the case of local authority elections, and 60 days, in other cases, following full payment of the public grant, each candidature shall provide the Constitutional Court with itemised accounts of their election campaign, under the terms of the present law. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 27(1))
Is information in reports from political parties and/​or candidates to be made public? Yes. 2 - The rulings of the Constitutional Court in respect of the accounts referred to in the preceding paragraph, and the respective accounts with revenues and expenses properly specified will be published, free of charge, in 2J series of the Diário da República (Official Journal) and will be made available on the official website of the Constitutional Court. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 23(2))
Must reports from political parties and/​or candidates reveal the identity of donors? Yes. Art 7 "1 -‌ Donations of a financial nature made by identified individual persons are subject to an annual limit of 25 times the value of the IAS per donor and must be transacted by cheque or bank transfer.‌ 2 -‌ Donations which are pecuniary in nature are to be deposited in bank accounts intended solely for that purpose and in which only deposits having this origin may be made.‌ 3 -‌ Notwithstanding the acts and own personal contributions of activist activity, donations in kind, and property transferred on loan, are considered, for the purposes of the limit specified in paragraph 1, at their current market value and are to be itemised on the list referred to in point b) of paragraph 3 of article.‌ 12 4 -‌ Acquisitions of goods from political parties at a value which clearly exceeds market value shall be considered donations and shall be subject to the regime set out in paragraph 1.‌" Art 12, "3 -‌ Their specific accounting system has the following special requirements: a) An annual inventory of the party's assets in terms of real estate property subject to registration; b) A breakdown of revenues, which includes: 23 i) Those covered by each of the points of article 3; ii) Those covered by each of the points of article 4;" Art 12,"7 -‌ The breakdowns and annexes to the accounts of the parties are to comprise: a) Bank statements listing account transactions and credit card account statements ; b) Revenues arising from fundraising activities, with identification of the type of activity and date of conclusion; c) The real estate property of the parties, without prejudice to the provisions of point a) of paragraph 3.‌" (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 7(1) & Art 12)
Institutions receiving financial reports from political parties and/​or candidates
Institutions receiving financial reports from political parties and/​or candidates: Electoral Management Board Yes. 1 - The Entidade das Contas e Financiamentos Políticos (Supervising Body of Political Party Accounting and Funding) is an independent body which works with the Constitutional Court, providing it with technical assistance in the examination and auditing of the accounts of political parties and election campaigns. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 24(1))
Institutions receiving financial reports from political parties and/​or candidates: Auditing agency No. Absent from legal framework
Institutions receiving financial reports from political parties and/​or candidates: Ministry No. Absent from legal framework
Institutions receiving financial reports from political parties and/​or candidates: Special institution Yes. Supervising Body of Political Party Accounting and Funding (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 24(1))
Institutions receiving financial reports from political parties and/​or candidates: Court Yes. Constitutional Court (EMB in relation to referenda) (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 24(1))
Institutions receiving financial reports from political parties and/​or candidates: Other No. Absent from legal framework
Is it specified that a particular institution(s) is responsible for examining financial reports and/​or investigating violations?
Institution responsible for examining financial reports and/or investigating violations: Court No. Absent from legal framework
Institution responsible for examining financial reports and/or investigating violations: Ministry No. Absent from legal framework
Institution responsible for examining financial reports and/or investigating violations: Auditing agency No. Absent from legal framework
Institution responsible for examining financial reports and/or investigating violations: Electoral Management Body No. Absent from legal framework
Institution responsible for examining financial reports and/or investigating violations: Institution for this purpose Yes. 2 - As part of the functions referred to in the preceding paragraph, the Supervising Body of Political Party Accounting and Funding is responsible for examining the procedures that the Constitutional Court reviews, as well as for verifying correspondence between reported expenditures and actual costs. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 24(2))
Institution responsible for examining financial reports and/or investigating violations: Other No. Absent from legal framework
Other institutions with a formal role in political finance oversight
Institutions with a formal role in political finance oversight: Court No. Absent from legal framework
Institutions with a formal role in political finance oversight: Ministry No. Absent from legal framework
Institutions with a formal role in political finance oversight: Auditing agency No. Absent from legal framework
Institutions with a formal role in political finance oversight: EMB No. Absent from legal framework
Institutions with a formal role in political finance oversight: Institution for this purpose No. Absent from legal framework
Institutions with a formal role in political finance oversight: Other No. Absent from legal framework
Sanctions for political finance infractions
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Fines Yes. 1 - Political parties which fail to comply with the obligations set out under Chapter II shall be punished with a fine of not less than 10 times the value of the IAS and not more than 400 times the value of the IAS, whereas, in addition, the unlawfully received values will be forfeit in favour of the State. Numerous other fines listed (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 29(1))
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Loss of public funding No. Absent from legal framework
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Penal/Criminal Yes. 2 - Leaders of political parties, individuals and directors of corporations who personally participate in allocating and obtaining prohibited financing shall be punished with imprisonment from 1 to 3 years. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 28(1))
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Forfeiture Yes. 1 - Political parties which obtain revenue for the election campaign in manners not permitted by the present law or which do not comply with the limits specified in Article 20 will be punished with a fine of not less than 20 times the value of the IAS and not more than 400 times the value of the IAS, whereas unlawfully received values will be forfeit in favour of the State. (Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015, Art 30(1))
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Deregistration of party No. Absent from legal framework
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Loss of elected office No. Absent from legal framework
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Suspension of political party No. Absent from legal framework
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Loss of nomination of candidate No. Absent from legal framework
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Loss of political rights No. Absent from legal framework
Sanctions for political finance infractions: Other No. Absent from legal framework

Legislation

Law on Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015 (Portuguese)pdf
Electoral Law, 1979, amended 2016 (Portuguese)pdf
Organic Law No.​ 3/​2006, amended 2016 (Portuguese)pdf
Penal Code, 1982, amended 2015 (Portuguese)pdf

*Last update: 2017


Financial Disclosure

The Portuguese Public Oversight of Political Posts (1983, last amended in 2010) sets down the same financial disclosure regulations for all public officials. Thus, the Head of State, Ministers, Members of Parliament, and Civil Servants are obliged to declare real estate, movable assets, cash, debts, and received gifts. In addition, net income from outside employment as well as shareholdings in a private or public company must be declared. There is no constant filling requirement for public officials, but statements are made only upon taking and leaving office.

The Head of State and Ministers face sanctions only in the case of making false disclosure. While MPs and Civil Servants also face these sanctions, they may additionally be punished by inhibition if they fail to submit disclosure statements. The Constitutional Court functions as depository body for all officials’ declarations and together with the Public Prosecutor ensures law enforcement. However, no body is specified to ensure the accuracy of statements. All statements are made available to citizens upon request, given that the Constitutional Court deems a publication appropriate.

Quantitative Data

Primary Metric

201220152016201720202024Trend
Disclosure items654848486875
Filing frequency626969696975
Sanctions5050505050100
Monitoring and Oversight818181818175
Public access to declarations313838383856

Alternative Metric

201220152016201720202024Trend
Head of State616161616375
Ministers242727274175
Members of Parliament857979797975
Civil servants616161616380

Values lie in range between 0 and 100, higher values implying higher legislation comprehensiveness


Qualitative Data

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Head of State

Disclosure items

Spouses and children included in disclosure Yes. Companies in which the capital participates for itself or for the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom they live in a de facto union (Art 13.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Income and Assets
Real estate Yes. The description of the elements of your patrimonial assets, of which they are holders or co-holders, namely through undivided inheritance, as well as of the patrimonial elements of which you are the owner, holder, manager, lending or tenant, by you or by an intermediary person or existing in the country or abroad, ordered by major items, namely real estate, quotas, shares or other social capital of civil or commercial companies, rights over boats, aircraft or motor vehicles, as well as securities, fixed-term bank accounts, equivalent financial investments and provided that it exceeds 50 minimum wages, current bank accounts and credit rights (Art 13.2 (b) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Movable assets Yes. The description of the elements of your patrimonial assets, of which they are holders or co-holders, namely through undivided inheritance, as well as of the patrimonial elements of which you are the owner, holder, manager, lending or tenant, by you or by an intermediary person or existing in the country or abroad, ordered by major items, namely real estate, quotas, shares or other social capital of civil or commercial companies, rights over boats, aircraft or motor vehicles, as well as securities, fixed-term bank accounts, equivalent financial investments and provided that it exceeds 50 minimum wages, current bank accounts and credit rights (Art 13.2 (b) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Cash Yes. The description of the elements of your patrimonial assets, of which they are holders or co-holders, namely through undivided inheritance, as well as of the patrimonial elements of which you are the owner, holder, manager, lending or tenant, by you or by an intermediary person or existing in the country or abroad, ordered by major items, namely real estate, quotas, shares or other social capital of civil or commercial companies, rights over boats, aircraft or motor vehicles, as well as securities, fixed-term bank accounts, equivalent financial investments and provided that it exceeds 50 minimum wages, current bank accounts and credit rights (Art 13.2 (b) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Loans and Debts Yes . The description of your liabilities, namely in relation to the State or any natural or legal persons, namely credit institutions and any companies, public or private, in the country or abroad (Art 13.2 (c) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Income from outside employment/assets Yes. The total indication of gross income, with an indication of its source, contained in the last declaration submitted for the purposes of the assessment of the income tax on natural persons, or which, when released, should be included and, when applicable, subsequent breakdown by income category; (Art 13.2 (a) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Incompatibilities
Gifts received as a public official Yes. Offers for material goods or services with an estimated value of more than 150 (euro), received within the scope of the exercise of a position or function, must be submitted to the body defined in the respective Code of Conduct. (Art 16.1 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Private firm ownership and/or stock holdings Yes. The referred declaration must also include the acts and activities that may generate incompatibilities and impediments, namely: a) The registration of activities performed, regardless of their form or regime, namely: i) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, exercised in the last three years; ii) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, to be carried out cumulatively with the mandate; b) The registration of relevant financial interests, which includes the identification of the acts that generate, directly or indirectly, payments, namely: i) Public and private legal persons to whom the services were provided; ii) Participation in advisory councils, inspection commissions or other collegiate bodies, when provided for by law or in the exercise of inspection and control of public funds; iii) Companies in which the capital participates for itself or for the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom they live in a de facto union; iv) Subsidies or financial support received by you, the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom you live in a partnership or by a company in which you participate; (Art 13.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Ownership of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) Yes. The referred declaration must also include the acts and activities that may generate incompatibilities and impediments, namely: a) The registration of activities performed, regardless of their form or regime, namely: i) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, exercised in the last three years; ii) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, to be carried out cumulatively with the mandate; b) The registration of relevant financial interests, which includes the identification of the acts that generate, directly or indirectly, payments, namely: i) Public and private legal persons to whom the services were provided; ii) Participation in advisory councils, inspection commissions or other collegiate bodies, when provided for by law or in the exercise of inspection and control of public funds; iii) Companies in which the capital participates for itself or for the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom they live in a de facto union; iv) Subsidies or financial support received by you, the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom you live in a partnership or by a company in which you participate; (Art 13.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Holding government contracts No. Absent from legal framework. (Absent from legal framework.)
Board member, advisor, or company officer of private firm Yes. The referred declaration must also include the acts and activities that may generate incompatibilities and impediments, namely: a) The registration of activities performed, regardless of their form or regime, namely: i) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, exercised in the last three years; ii) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, to be carried out cumulatively with the mandate; b) The registration of relevant financial interests, which includes the identification of the acts that generate, directly or indirectly, payments, namely: i) Public and private legal persons to whom the services were provided; ii) Participation in advisory councils, inspection commissions or other collegiate bodies, when provided for by law or in the exercise of inspection and control of public funds; iii) Companies in which the capital participates for itself or for the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom they live in a de facto union; iv) Subsidies or financial support received by you, the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom you live in a partnership or by a company in which you participate; (Art 13.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Post-employment No. Absent from legal framework.
Simultaneously holding policy-making position and policy-executing position No. Absent from legal framework.
Participating in official decision-making processes that affect private interests No. Absent from legal framework.
Concurrent employment of family members in public sector No. Absent from legal framework.

Filing frequency

Filing required upon taking office Yes. The holders of political office and equivalent and the senior public officials have the Constitutional Court, within 60 days from the date of commencement of the performance of their duties, declaration of their income as well as its assets and social positions (Art 14.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Filing required upon leaving office Yes. The declaration to be presented at the end of the term of office must reflect the equity evolution that occurred during the term. (Art 14.1 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Filing required annually No. Absent from legal framework.
Ad hoc filing required upon change in assets or conflicts of interest Yes. A new declaration must be submitted within 30 days, whenever during the exercise of functions: a) There is an effective equity change that changes the declared value referring to any of the paragraphs of Art 13.2 in an amount greater than 50 minimum monthly wages; b) There are facts or circumstances that require new registrations under the terms of paragraph 3 of the previous article. (Art 14.2 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))

Sanctions

Sanctions stipulated for late filing (fines, administrative, and/or criminal) Yes. In case of non-submission of declarations provided for in Articles 1 and 2, the competent authority for your deposit shall notify the holder of the office to which it applies this law to be submitted within 30 calendar days under penalty. (Art 18.1 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Sanctions stipulated for non-filing (fines, administrative, and/or criminal) Yes. The former position holder covered by the declaratory obligations provided for in articles 13 and 14, who, after the notification provided for in paragraph 1, does not present the respective declarations, incurs a disqualification for a period of one to five years for the exercise of office that requires the said declaration and that does not correspond to the exercise of functions as a career magistrate. Without prejudice to the provisions of the preceding paragraphs, failure to intentionally submit the declarations provided for in articles 13 and 14, after notification, is punished for a crime of qualified disobedience, with a prison sentence of up to 3 years. When the intentional non-presentation of the declarations referred to in the previous number has not been accompanied by any omission of the declaration of income or equity elements before the tax authority during the period of exercise of the duties, the conduct is punishable by a fine of up to 360 days . Anyone who, even after the notification provided for in paragraph 1, omits from the declaration presented, with the intention of hiding them, assets or income that he was obliged to declare in an amount exceeding 50 minimum monthly wages, is punished with a prison sentence. up to 3 years. (Art 18.3-6 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Sanctions stipulated for false disclosure (fines, administrative, and/or criminal) Yes. Unjustified equity accruals calculated under the tax regime, exceeding 50 minimum monthly wages, are taxed, for IRS purposes, at the special rate of 80% (Art 18.7 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))

Monitoring and Oversight

Depository body explicitly identified Yes. While the electronic platform for the delivery of the single declaration is not in operation, the holders of political and high public positions, and the like, deliver it to the Constitutional Court, in paper format. When the electronic platform enters into operation, the holders of political and high public positions, and the like, must deliver their declaration through the electronic platform, within 60 days. For the purposes of the preceding paragraph, the entity responsible for the operation of the electronic platform issues a notice giving publicity for its entry into operation, to be published in the 2nd series of the Diário da República and on the respective website. Until the electronic platform enters into operation, Members of the Assembly of the Republic and members of the Government also complete the registration of interests existing with that sovereign body. (Art 25.1 and 25.3-5 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Enforcement body explicitly identified No. Absent from legal framework.
Some agency assigned responsibility for verifying submission Yes. The analysis and inspection of the declarations submitted under the terms of this law is for the entity to identify in its own law, which defines its competences, organization and operating rules.  (Art 20 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Some agency assigned responsibility for verifying accuracy Yes. The analysis and inspection of the declarations submitted under the terms of this law is for the entity to identify in its own law, which defines its competences, organization and operating rules.  (Art 20 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))

Public access to declarations

Public availability Yes. The single declarations of income, assets and interests referred to in paragraph 1 of article 13 and paragraph 1 of article 14 are publicly accessible under the terms of this article. (Art 17.1 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Timing of information release specified No. Absent from legal framework.
Location(s) of access specified Yes. The Assembly of the Republic and the Government must publish on the respective websites the elements of the single declaration relating to the registration of interests of the respective holders. The other local authorities not mentioned in the previous number may create a register of interests through deliberation of the respective assemblies. (Art 15.2 and 15.4 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Cost of access specified No. The legal framework provides for public accessibility of declarations, but does not specify any fee or cost regime for access. (Article 17(1) of Law No. 52/2019: “The single declarations of income, assets and interests […] are publicly accessible under the terms of this article.”) (Article 17(1) of Law No. 52/2019)

Ministers

Disclosure items

Spouses and children included in disclosure Yes. Companies in which the capital participates for itself or for the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom they live in a de facto union (Art 13.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Income and Assets
Real estate Yes. The description of the elements of your patrimonial assets, of which they are holders or co-holders, namely through undivided inheritance, as well as of the patrimonial elements of which you are the owner, holder, manager, lending or tenant, by you or by an intermediary person or existing in the country or abroad, ordered by major items, namely real estate, quotas, shares or other social capital of civil or commercial companies, rights over boats, aircraft or motor vehicles, as well as securities, fixed-term bank accounts, equivalent financial investments and provided that it exceeds 50 minimum wages, current bank accounts and credit rights (Art 13.2 (b) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Movable assets Yes. The description of the elements of your patrimonial assets, of which they are holders or co-holders, namely through undivided inheritance, as well as of the patrimonial elements of which you are the owner, holder, manager, lending or tenant, by you or by an intermediary person or existing in the country or abroad, ordered by major items, namely real estate, quotas, shares or other social capital of civil or commercial companies, rights over boats, aircraft or motor vehicles, as well as securities, fixed-term bank accounts, equivalent financial investments and provided that it exceeds 50 minimum wages, current bank accounts and credit rights (Art 13.2 (b) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Cash Yes. The description of the elements of your patrimonial assets, of which they are holders or co-holders, namely through undivided inheritance, as well as of the patrimonial elements of which you are the owner, holder, manager, lending or tenant, by you or by an intermediary person or existing in the country or abroad, ordered by major items, namely real estate, quotas, shares or other social capital of civil or commercial companies, rights over boats, aircraft or motor vehicles, as well as securities, fixed-term bank accounts, equivalent financial investments and provided that it exceeds 50 minimum wages, current bank accounts and credit rights (Art 13.2 (b) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Loans and Debts Yes . The description of your liabilities, namely in relation to the State or any natural or legal persons, namely credit institutions and any companies, public or private, in the country or abroad (Art 13.2 (c) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Income from outside employment/assets Yes. The total indication of gross income, with an indication of its source, contained in the last declaration submitted for the purposes of the assessment of the income tax on natural persons, or which, when released, should be included and, when applicable, subsequent breakdown by income category; (Art 13.2 (a) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Incompatibilities
Gifts received as a public official Yes. Offers for material goods or services with an estimated value of more than 150 (euro), received within the scope of the exercise of a position or function, must be submitted to the body defined in the respective Code of Conduct. (Art 16.1 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Private firm ownership and/or stock holdings Yes. The referred declaration must also include the acts and activities that may generate incompatibilities and impediments, namely: a) The registration of activities performed, regardless of their form or regime, namely: i) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, exercised in the last three years; ii) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, to be carried out cumulatively with the mandate; b) The registration of relevant financial interests, which includes the identification of the acts that generate, directly or indirectly, payments, namely: i) Public and private legal persons to whom the services were provided; ii) Participation in advisory councils, inspection commissions or other collegiate bodies, when provided for by law or in the exercise of inspection and control of public funds; iii) Companies in which the capital participates for itself or for the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom they live in a de facto union; iv) Subsidies or financial support received by you, the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom you live in a partnership or by a company in which you participate; (Art 13.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Ownership of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) Yes. The referred declaration must also include the acts and activities that may generate incompatibilities and impediments, namely: a) The registration of activities performed, regardless of their form or regime, namely: i) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, exercised in the last three years; ii) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, to be carried out cumulatively with the mandate; b) The registration of relevant financial interests, which includes the identification of the acts that generate, directly or indirectly, payments, namely: i) Public and private legal persons to whom the services were provided; ii) Participation in advisory councils, inspection commissions or other collegiate bodies, when provided for by law or in the exercise of inspection and control of public funds; iii) Companies in which the capital participates for itself or for the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom they live in a de facto union; iv) Subsidies or financial support received by you, the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom you live in a partnership or by a company in which you participate; (Art 13.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Holding government contracts No. Absent from legal framework. (Absent from legal framework.)
Board member, advisor, or company officer of private firm Yes. The referred declaration must also include the acts and activities that may generate incompatibilities and impediments, namely: a) The registration of activities performed, regardless of their form or regime, namely: i) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, exercised in the last three years; ii) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, to be carried out cumulatively with the mandate; b) The registration of relevant financial interests, which includes the identification of the acts that generate, directly or indirectly, payments, namely: i) Public and private legal persons to whom the services were provided; ii) Participation in advisory councils, inspection commissions or other collegiate bodies, when provided for by law or in the exercise of inspection and control of public funds; iii) Companies in which the capital participates for itself or for the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom they live in a de facto union; iv) Subsidies or financial support received by you, the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom you live in a partnership or by a company in which you participate; (Art 13.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Post-employment No. Absent from legal framework.
Simultaneously holding policy-making position and policy-executing position No. Absent from legal framework.
Participating in official decision-making processes that affect private interests No. Absent from legal framework.
Concurrent employment of family members in public sector No. Absent from legal framework.

Filing frequency

Filing required upon taking office Yes. The holders of political office and equivalent and the senior public officials have the Constitutional Court, within 60 days from the date of commencement of the performance of their duties, declaration of their income as well as its assets and social positions (Art 14.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Filing required upon leaving office Yes. The declaration to be presented at the end of the term of office must reflect the equity evolution that occurred during the term. (Art 14.1 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Filing required annually No. Absent from legal framework.
Ad hoc filing required upon change in assets or conflicts of interest Yes. A new declaration must be submitted within 30 days, whenever during the exercise of functions: a) There is an effective equity change that changes the declared value referring to any of the paragraphs of Art 13.2 in an amount greater than 50 minimum monthly wages; b) There are facts or circumstances that require new registrations under the terms of paragraph 3 of the previous article. (Art 14.2 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))

Sanctions

Sanctions stipulated for late filing (fines, administrative, and/or criminal) Yes. In case of non-submission of declarations provided for in Articles 1 and 2, the competent authority for your deposit shall notify the holder of the office to which it applies this law to be submitted within 30 calendar days under penalty. (Art 18.1 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Sanctions stipulated for non-filing (fines, administrative, and/or criminal) Yes. The former position holder covered by the declaratory obligations provided for in articles 13 and 14, who, after the notification provided for in paragraph 1, does not present the respective declarations, incurs a disqualification for a period of one to five years for the exercise of office that requires the said declaration and that does not correspond to the exercise of functions as a career magistrate. Without prejudice to the provisions of the preceding paragraphs, failure to intentionally submit the declarations provided for in articles 13 and 14, after notification, is punished for a crime of qualified disobedience, with a prison sentence of up to 3 years. When the intentional non-presentation of the declarations referred to in the previous number has not been accompanied by any omission of the declaration of income or equity elements before the tax authority during the period of exercise of the duties, the conduct is punishable by a fine of up to 360 days . Anyone who, even after the notification provided for in paragraph 1, omits from the declaration presented, with the intention of hiding them, assets or income that he was obliged to declare in an amount exceeding 50 minimum monthly wages, is punished with a prison sentence. up to 3 years. (Art 18.3-6 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Sanctions stipulated for false disclosure (fines, administrative, and/or criminal) Yes. Unjustified equity accruals calculated under the tax regime, exceeding 50 minimum monthly wages, are taxed, for IRS purposes, at the special rate of 80% (Art 18.7 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))

Monitoring and Oversight

Depository body explicitly identified Yes. While the electronic platform for the delivery of the single declaration is not in operation, the holders of political and high public positions, and the like, deliver it to the Constitutional Court, in paper format. When the electronic platform enters into operation, the holders of political and high public positions, and the like, must deliver their declaration through the electronic platform, within 60 days. For the purposes of the preceding paragraph, the entity responsible for the operation of the electronic platform issues a notice giving publicity for its entry into operation, to be published in the 2nd series of the Diário da República and on the respective website. Until the electronic platform enters into operation, Members of the Assembly of the Republic and members of the Government also complete the registration of interests existing with that sovereign body. (Art 25.1 and 25.3-5 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Enforcement body explicitly identified No. Absent from legal framework.
Some agency assigned responsibility for verifying submission Yes. The analysis and inspection of the declarations submitted under the terms of this law is for the entity to identify in its own law, which defines its competences, organization and operating rules.  (Art 20 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Some agency assigned responsibility for verifying accuracy Yes. The analysis and inspection of the declarations submitted under the terms of this law is for the entity to identify in its own law, which defines its competences, organization and operating rules.  (Art 20 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))

Public access to declarations

Public availability Yes. The single declarations of income, assets and interests referred to in paragraph 1 of article 13 and paragraph 1 of article 14 are publicly accessible under the terms of this article. (Art 17.1 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Timing of information release specified No. Absent from legal framework.
Location(s) of access specified Yes. The Assembly of the Republic and the Government must publish on the respective websites the elements of the single declaration relating to the registration of interests of the respective holders. The other local authorities not mentioned in the previous number may create a register of interests through deliberation of the respective assemblies. (Art 15.2 and 15.4 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Cost of access specified No. The legal framework provides for public accessibility of declarations, but does not specify any fee or cost regime for access. (Article 17(1) of Law No. 52/2019: “The single declarations of income, assets and interests […] are publicly accessible under the terms of this article.”) (Article 17(1) of Law No. 52/2019)

Members of Parliament

Disclosure items

Spouses and children included in disclosure Yes. Companies in which the capital participates for itself or for the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom they live in a de facto union (Art 13.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Income and Assets
Real estate Yes. The description of the elements of your patrimonial assets, of which they are holders or co-holders, namely through undivided inheritance, as well as of the patrimonial elements of which you are the owner, holder, manager, lending or tenant, by you or by an intermediary person or existing in the country or abroad, ordered by major items, namely real estate, quotas, shares or other social capital of civil or commercial companies, rights over boats, aircraft or motor vehicles, as well as securities, fixed-term bank accounts, equivalent financial investments and provided that it exceeds 50 minimum wages, current bank accounts and credit rights (Art 13.2 (b) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Movable assets Yes. The description of the elements of your patrimonial assets, of which they are holders or co-holders, namely through undivided inheritance, as well as of the patrimonial elements of which you are the owner, holder, manager, lending or tenant, by you or by an intermediary person or existing in the country or abroad, ordered by major items, namely real estate, quotas, shares or other social capital of civil or commercial companies, rights over boats, aircraft or motor vehicles, as well as securities, fixed-term bank accounts, equivalent financial investments and provided that it exceeds 50 minimum wages, current bank accounts and credit rights (Art 13.2 (b) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Cash Yes. The description of the elements of your patrimonial assets, of which they are holders or co-holders, namely through undivided inheritance, as well as of the patrimonial elements of which you are the owner, holder, manager, lending or tenant, by you or by an intermediary person or existing in the country or abroad, ordered by major items, namely real estate, quotas, shares or other social capital of civil or commercial companies, rights over boats, aircraft or motor vehicles, as well as securities, fixed-term bank accounts, equivalent financial investments and provided that it exceeds 50 minimum wages, current bank accounts and credit rights (Art 13.2 (b) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Loans and Debts Yes . The description of your liabilities, namely in relation to the State or any natural or legal persons, namely credit institutions and any companies, public or private, in the country or abroad (Art 13.2 (c) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Income from outside employment/assets Yes. The total indication of gross income, with an indication of its source, contained in the last declaration submitted for the purposes of the assessment of the income tax on natural persons, or which, when released, should be included and, when applicable, subsequent breakdown by income category; (Art 13.2 (a) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Incompatibilities
Gifts received as a public official Yes. Offers for material goods or services with an estimated value of more than 150 (euro), received within the scope of the exercise of a position or function, must be submitted to the body defined in the respective Code of Conduct. (Art 16.1 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Private firm ownership and/or stock holdings Yes. The referred declaration must also include the acts and activities that may generate incompatibilities and impediments, namely: a) The registration of activities performed, regardless of their form or regime, namely: i) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, exercised in the last three years; ii) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, to be carried out cumulatively with the mandate; b) The registration of relevant financial interests, which includes the identification of the acts that generate, directly or indirectly, payments, namely: i) Public and private legal persons to whom the services were provided; ii) Participation in advisory councils, inspection commissions or other collegiate bodies, when provided for by law or in the exercise of inspection and control of public funds; iii) Companies in which the capital participates for itself or for the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom they live in a de facto union; iv) Subsidies or financial support received by you, the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom you live in a partnership or by a company in which you participate; (Art 13.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Ownership of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) Yes. The referred declaration must also include the acts and activities that may generate incompatibilities and impediments, namely: a) The registration of activities performed, regardless of their form or regime, namely: i) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, exercised in the last three years; ii) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, to be carried out cumulatively with the mandate; b) The registration of relevant financial interests, which includes the identification of the acts that generate, directly or indirectly, payments, namely: i) Public and private legal persons to whom the services were provided; ii) Participation in advisory councils, inspection commissions or other collegiate bodies, when provided for by law or in the exercise of inspection and control of public funds; iii) Companies in which the capital participates for itself or for the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom they live in a de facto union; iv) Subsidies or financial support received by you, the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom you live in a partnership or by a company in which you participate; (Art 13.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Holding government contracts No. Absent from legal framework. (Absent from legal framework.)
Board member, advisor, or company officer of private firm Yes. The referred declaration must also include the acts and activities that may generate incompatibilities and impediments, namely: a) The registration of activities performed, regardless of their form or regime, namely: i) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, exercised in the last three years; ii) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, to be carried out cumulatively with the mandate; b) The registration of relevant financial interests, which includes the identification of the acts that generate, directly or indirectly, payments, namely: i) Public and private legal persons to whom the services were provided; ii) Participation in advisory councils, inspection commissions or other collegiate bodies, when provided for by law or in the exercise of inspection and control of public funds; iii) Companies in which the capital participates for itself or for the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom they live in a de facto union; iv) Subsidies or financial support received by you, the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom you live in a partnership or by a company in which you participate; (Art 13.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Post-employment No. Absent from legal framework.
Simultaneously holding policy-making position and policy-executing position No. Absent from legal framework.
Participating in official decision-making processes that affect private interests No. Absent from legal framework.
Concurrent employment of family members in public sector No. Absent from legal framework.

Filing frequency

Filing required upon taking office Yes. The holders of political office and equivalent and the senior public officials have the Constitutional Court, within 60 days from the date of commencement of the performance of their duties, declaration of their income as well as its assets and social positions (Art 14.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Filing required upon leaving office Yes. The declaration to be presented at the end of the term of office must reflect the equity evolution that occurred during the term. (Art 14.1 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Filing required annually No. Absent from legal framework.
Ad hoc filing required upon change in assets or conflicts of interest Yes. A new declaration must be submitted within 30 days, whenever during the exercise of functions: a) There is an effective equity change that changes the declared value referring to any of the paragraphs of Art 13.2 in an amount greater than 50 minimum monthly wages; b) There are facts or circumstances that require new registrations under the terms of paragraph 3 of the previous article. (Art 14.2 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))

Sanctions

Sanctions stipulated for late filing (fines, administrative, and/or criminal) Yes. In case of non-submission of declarations provided for in Articles 1 and 2, the competent authority for your deposit shall notify the holder of the office to which it applies this law to be submitted within 30 calendar days under penalty. (Art 18.1 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Sanctions stipulated for non-filing (fines, administrative, and/or criminal) Yes. The former position holder covered by the declaratory obligations provided for in articles 13 and 14, who, after the notification provided for in paragraph 1, does not present the respective declarations, incurs a disqualification for a period of one to five years for the exercise of office that requires the said declaration and that does not correspond to the exercise of functions as a career magistrate. Without prejudice to the provisions of the preceding paragraphs, failure to intentionally submit the declarations provided for in articles 13 and 14, after notification, is punished for a crime of qualified disobedience, with a prison sentence of up to 3 years. When the intentional non-presentation of the declarations referred to in the previous number has not been accompanied by any omission of the declaration of income or equity elements before the tax authority during the period of exercise of the duties, the conduct is punishable by a fine of up to 360 days . Anyone who, even after the notification provided for in paragraph 1, omits from the declaration presented, with the intention of hiding them, assets or income that he was obliged to declare in an amount exceeding 50 minimum monthly wages, is punished with a prison sentence. up to 3 years. (Art 18.3-6 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Sanctions stipulated for false disclosure (fines, administrative, and/or criminal) Yes. Unjustified equity accruals calculated under the tax regime, exceeding 50 minimum monthly wages, are taxed, for IRS purposes, at the special rate of 80% (Art 18.7 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))

Monitoring and Oversight

Depository body explicitly identified Yes. While the electronic platform for the delivery of the single declaration is not in operation, the holders of political and high public positions, and the like, deliver it to the Constitutional Court, in paper format. When the electronic platform enters into operation, the holders of political and high public positions, and the like, must deliver their declaration through the electronic platform, within 60 days. For the purposes of the preceding paragraph, the entity responsible for the operation of the electronic platform issues a notice giving publicity for its entry into operation, to be published in the 2nd series of the Diário da República and on the respective website. Until the electronic platform enters into operation, Members of the Assembly of the Republic and members of the Government also complete the registration of interests existing with that sovereign body. (Art 25.1 and 25.3-5 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Enforcement body explicitly identified No. Absent from legal framework.
Some agency assigned responsibility for verifying submission Yes. The analysis and inspection of the declarations submitted under the terms of this law is for the entity to identify in its own law, which defines its competences, organization and operating rules.  (Art 20 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Some agency assigned responsibility for verifying accuracy Yes. The analysis and inspection of the declarations submitted under the terms of this law is for the entity to identify in its own law, which defines its competences, organization and operating rules.  (Art 20 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))

Public access to declarations

Public availability Yes. The single declarations of income, assets and interests referred to in paragraph 1 of article 13 and paragraph 1 of article 14 are publicly accessible under the terms of this article. (Art 17.1 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Timing of information release specified No. Absent from legal framework.
Location(s) of access specified Yes. The Assembly of the Republic and the Government must publish on the respective websites the elements of the single declaration relating to the registration of interests of the respective holders. The other local authorities not mentioned in the previous number may create a register of interests through deliberation of the respective assemblies. (Art 15.2 and 15.4 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Cost of access specified No. Absent from legal framework. The legal framework provides for public accessibility of declarations, but does not specify any fee or cost regime for access. (Article 17(1) of Law No. 52/2019: “The single declarations of income, assets and interests […] are publicly accessible under the terms of this article.”) (Article 17(1) of Law No. 52/2019)

Civil servants

Disclosure items

Spouses and children included in disclosure Yes. Companies in which the capital participates for itself or for the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom they live in a de facto union (Art 13.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Income and Assets
Real estate Yes. The description of the elements of your patrimonial assets, of which they are holders or co-holders, namely through undivided inheritance, as well as of the patrimonial elements of which you are the owner, holder, manager, lending or tenant, by you or by an intermediary person or existing in the country or abroad, ordered by major items, namely real estate, quotas, shares or other social capital of civil or commercial companies, rights over boats, aircraft or motor vehicles, as well as securities, fixed-term bank accounts, equivalent financial investments and provided that it exceeds 50 minimum wages, current bank accounts and credit rights (Art 13.2 (b) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Movable assets Yes. The description of the elements of your patrimonial assets, of which they are holders or co-holders, namely through undivided inheritance, as well as of the patrimonial elements of which you are the owner, holder, manager, lending or tenant, by you or by an intermediary person or existing in the country or abroad, ordered by major items, namely real estate, quotas, shares or other social capital of civil or commercial companies, rights over boats, aircraft or motor vehicles, as well as securities, fixed-term bank accounts, equivalent financial investments and provided that it exceeds 50 minimum wages, current bank accounts and credit rights (Art 13.2 (b) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Cash Yes. The description of the elements of your patrimonial assets, of which they are holders or co-holders, namely through undivided inheritance, as well as of the patrimonial elements of which you are the owner, holder, manager, lending or tenant, by you or by an intermediary person or existing in the country or abroad, ordered by major items, namely real estate, quotas, shares or other social capital of civil or commercial companies, rights over boats, aircraft or motor vehicles, as well as securities, fixed-term bank accounts, equivalent financial investments and provided that it exceeds 50 minimum wages, current bank accounts and credit rights (Art 13.2 (b) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Loans and Debts Yes . The description of your liabilities, namely in relation to the State or any natural or legal persons, namely credit institutions and any companies, public or private, in the country or abroad (Art 13.2 (c) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Income from outside employment/assets Yes. The total indication of gross income, with an indication of its source, contained in the last declaration submitted for the purposes of the assessment of the income tax on natural persons, or which, when released, should be included and, when applicable, subsequent breakdown by income category; (Art 13.2 (a) of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Incompatibilities
Gifts received as a public official Yes. Offers for material goods or services with an estimated value of more than 150 (euro), received within the scope of the exercise of a position or function, must be submitted to the body defined in the respective Code of Conduct. (Art 16.1 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Private firm ownership and/or stock holdings Yes. The referred declaration must also include the acts and activities that may generate incompatibilities and impediments, namely: a) The registration of activities performed, regardless of their form or regime, namely: i) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, exercised in the last three years; ii) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, to be carried out cumulatively with the mandate; b) The registration of relevant financial interests, which includes the identification of the acts that generate, directly or indirectly, payments, namely: i) Public and private legal persons to whom the services were provided; ii) Participation in advisory councils, inspection commissions or other collegiate bodies, when provided for by law or in the exercise of inspection and control of public funds; iii) Companies in which the capital participates for itself or for the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom they live in a de facto union; iv) Subsidies or financial support received by you, the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom you live in a partnership or by a company in which you participate; (Art 13.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Ownership of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) Yes. The referred declaration must also include the acts and activities that may generate incompatibilities and impediments, namely: a) The registration of activities performed, regardless of their form or regime, namely: i) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, exercised in the last three years; ii) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, to be carried out cumulatively with the mandate; b) The registration of relevant financial interests, which includes the identification of the acts that generate, directly or indirectly, payments, namely: i) Public and private legal persons to whom the services were provided; ii) Participation in advisory councils, inspection commissions or other collegiate bodies, when provided for by law or in the exercise of inspection and control of public funds; iii) Companies in which the capital participates for itself or for the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom they live in a de facto union; iv) Subsidies or financial support received by you, the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom you live in a partnership or by a company in which you participate; (Art 13.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Holding government contracts No. Absent from legal framework. (Absent from legal framework.)
Board member, advisor, or company officer of private firm Yes. The referred declaration must also include the acts and activities that may generate incompatibilities and impediments, namely: a) The registration of activities performed, regardless of their form or regime, namely: i) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, exercised in the last three years; ii) Indication of positions, functions and activities, public and private, in the country or abroad, including in companies, foundations or associations, to be carried out cumulatively with the mandate; b) The registration of relevant financial interests, which includes the identification of the acts that generate, directly or indirectly, payments, namely: i) Public and private legal persons to whom the services were provided; ii) Participation in advisory councils, inspection commissions or other collegiate bodies, when provided for by law or in the exercise of inspection and control of public funds; iii) Companies in which the capital participates for itself or for the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom they live in a de facto union; iv) Subsidies or financial support received by you, the spouse not separated from persons and property or by a person with whom you live in a partnership or by a company in which you participate; (Art 13.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Post-employment No. Absent from legal framework.
Simultaneously holding policy-making position and policy-executing position No. Absent from legal framework.
Participating in official decision-making processes that affect private interests No. Absent from legal framework.
Concurrent employment of family members in public sector No. Absent from legal framework.

Filing frequency

Filing required upon taking office Yes. The holders of political office and equivalent and the senior public officials have the Constitutional Court, within 60 days from the date of commencement of the performance of their duties, declaration of their income as well as its assets and social positions (Art 14.3 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Filing required upon leaving office Yes. The declaration to be presented at the end of the term of office must reflect the equity evolution that occurred during the term. (Art 14.1 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Filing required annually No. Absent from legal framework.
Ad hoc filing required upon change in assets or conflicts of interest Yes. A new declaration must be submitted within 30 days, whenever during the exercise of functions: a) There is an effective equity change that changes the declared value referring to any of the paragraphs of Art 13.2 in an amount greater than 50 minimum monthly wages; b) There are facts or circumstances that require new registrations under the terms of paragraph 3 of the previous article. (Art 14.2 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))

Sanctions

Sanctions stipulated for late filing (fines, administrative, and/or criminal) Yes. In case of non-submission of declarations provided for in Articles 1 and 2, the competent authority for your deposit shall notify the holder of the office to which it applies this law to be submitted within 30 calendar days under penalty. (Art 18.1 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Sanctions stipulated for non-filing (fines, administrative, and/or criminal) Yes. The former position holder covered by the declaratory obligations provided for in articles 13 and 14, who, after the notification provided for in paragraph 1, does not present the respective declarations, incurs a disqualification for a period of one to five years for the exercise of office that requires the said declaration and that does not correspond to the exercise of functions as a career magistrate. Without prejudice to the provisions of the preceding paragraphs, failure to intentionally submit the declarations provided for in articles 13 and 14, after notification, is punished for a crime of qualified disobedience, with a prison sentence of up to 3 years. When the intentional non-presentation of the declarations referred to in the previous number has not been accompanied by any omission of the declaration of income or equity elements before the tax authority during the period of exercise of the duties, the conduct is punishable by a fine of up to 360 days . Anyone who, even after the notification provided for in paragraph 1, omits from the declaration presented, with the intention of hiding them, assets or income that he was obliged to declare in an amount exceeding 50 minimum monthly wages, is punished with a prison sentence. up to 3 years. (Art 18.3-6 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Sanctions stipulated for false disclosure (fines, administrative, and/or criminal) Yes. Unjustified equity accruals calculated under the tax regime, exceeding 50 minimum monthly wages, are taxed, for IRS purposes, at the special rate of 80% (Art 18.7 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))

Monitoring and Oversight

Depository body explicitly identified Yes. While the electronic platform for the delivery of the single declaration is not in operation, the holders of political and high public positions, and the like, deliver it to the Constitutional Court, in paper format. When the electronic platform enters into operation, the holders of political and high public positions, and the like, must deliver their declaration through the electronic platform, within 60 days. For the purposes of the preceding paragraph, the entity responsible for the operation of the electronic platform issues a notice giving publicity for its entry into operation, to be published in the 2nd series of the Diário da República and on the respective website. Until the electronic platform enters into operation, Members of the Assembly of the Republic and members of the Government also complete the registration of interests existing with that sovereign body. (Art 25.1 and 25.3-5 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Enforcement body explicitly identified No. Absent from legal framework.
Some agency assigned responsibility for verifying submission Yes. The analysis and inspection of the declarations submitted under the terms of this law is for the entity to identify in its own law, which defines its competences, organization and operating rules.  (Art 20 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Some agency assigned responsibility for verifying accuracy Yes. The analysis and inspection of the declarations submitted under the terms of this law is for the entity to identify in its own law, which defines its competences, organization and operating rules.  (Art 20 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))

Public access to declarations

Public availability Yes. The single declarations of income, assets and interests referred to in paragraph 1 of article 13 and paragraph 1 of article 14 are publicly accessible under the terms of this article. (Art 17.1 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Timing of information release specified No. Absent from legal framework.
Location(s) of access specified Yes. The Assembly of the Republic and the Government must publish on the respective websites the elements of the single declaration relating to the registration of interests of the respective holders. The other local authorities not mentioned in the previous number may create a register of interests through deliberation of the respective assemblies. (Art 15.2 and 15.4 of the Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers and Senior Public Officials (2019))
Cost of access specified Yes. The legal framework provides for public accessibility of declarations, and does not specify any fee or cost regime for access. (Article 17(1) of Law No. 52/2019: “The single declarations of income, assets and interests […] are publicly accessible under the terms of this article.”) (Article 17(1) of Law No. 52/2019)

Legislation

Law on Public Control and Sanctioning Regime for Political Officers of 2019_POR (Portugese)pdf

*Last update: 2017


Conflict of Interest

Portugal’s Law establishing the Code of Administrative Procedure (2015) states that anyone holding a public function must ask to be withdrawn from a decision-making process in which he holds a private interest. No further legislation on conflicts of interests exists for the Head of State or for Ministers. According to the Statute for Deputies (1993, last amended 2009), Members of Parliament may not exercise trading activities if they own over 10% of a company’s shares. Additionally, they cannot be members of public companies, or hold government contracts. The Law on career and remuneration schemes for public employees (2008) obliges Civil Servants to generally avoid conflicts of interests. It also includes limitations on owning state-owned enterprises, and holding government contracts.

No sanctions for violating laws on conflicts of interests are specified for the Head of State or Ministers. Members of Parliament and Civil Servants however may face a fine for violations. Additionally, breaking laws on conflicts of interests may lead to a loss of mandate for MPs. For Ministers, no enforcement or monitoring bodies are specified. Members of Parliament may turn to the Ethics Committee of the Assembly of Deputies for guidance, while no enforcement body is specified. All the while, the Supreme Court is responsible for enforcement with the Head of State. The President and Secretary of each administrative body are responsible for monitoring, guidance and enforcement amongst Civil Servants.

Quantitative Data

Primary Metric

201220152016201720202024Trend
Restrictions685757575268
Sanctions172525257533
Monitoring and Oversight02525251275

Alternative Metric

201220152016201720202024Trend
Head of State202828283951
Ministers201717173954
Members of Parliament385151517068
Civil servants344848483961

Values lie in range between 0 and 100, higher values implying higher legislation comprehensiveness


Qualitative Data

We are frequently reviewing and refining our data, so in case you notice any mistake in our assessment, feel free to send us an email by clicking the button ()

Head of State

Restrictions

General restriction on conflict of interest No. Absent from legal framework.
Accepting gifts Yes. Gifts of material goods or services of an estimated value in excess of EUR 150, received in the exercise of office or function, must be presented to the body defined in the respective Code of Conduct. Gifts addressed to a holder of political office (here included the President) are always registered and delivered to the aforementioned body, regardless of their value and final destination. Office holders who are invited in that capacity may also accept any other invitations from private entities up to the estimated maximum value of EUR 150: a) that are compatible with the institutional nature or representation relevance of the position; or b) that represent socially appropriate conduct in accordance with custom. (Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 16)
Private firm ownership and/or stock holdings Yes. Holders of political office and senior public office (here included the President) must submit a single declaration of income, assets, interests, incompatibilities and impediments. The registration of relevant financial interests includes, inter alia: i) participation in consultative boards, supervisory committees or other collegial bodies, when provided for by law or in the exercise of supervision and control of public money; ii) companies in whose capital s/he or his/her spouse or person with whom s/he lives in a de facto union has a shareholding; iii) subsidies or financial support received by themselves, by their spouse or by a company in whose capital they hold a stake. (Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Arts. 2 (1) (a) and 13 (3) (b))
Ownership of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) No. Absent from legal framework.
Holding government contracts Yes. Holders of political office and senior public office who, in the last three years prior to the date of their investiture in office, have held, a percentage of capital in companies referred to therein or have served on the governing bodies of any profit-making legal person may not intervene in: a) public procurement procedures for the supply of goods or services to the State and other public collective persons to which those companies and collective persons held by them are opponents; b) the execution of contracts of the State and other public legal persons entered into with them; c) any other formally administrative procedures, as well as legal transactions and their preparatory acts, in which those companies and legal persons are the addressees of the decision, that may generate doubts as to the exemption or correctness of their conduct, namely in those related to the granting or modification of authorisations or licences, expropriation acts, the granting of benefits with a patrimonial content and the donation of assets. Additionally, holders of political office or senior public office at national level, by themselves or in companies in which they exercise management functions, and the companies in which they hold more than 10% of the respective share capital, or whose share capital exceeds EUR 50,000, may not: a) participate in public procurement procedures; b) intervene as a consultant, specialist, technician or mediator, in any way, in acts related to the procurement procedures referred to in the preceding sub-paragraph. (Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Arts. 8 (1) and 9 (2) (3))
Board member, advisor, or company officer of private firm Yes. Holders of political office and senior public office shall exercise their functions on an exclusive basis. The exercise of duties on an exclusive basis is incompatible with any other professional duties, whether remunerated or not, as well as with being a member of the governing bodies of any profit-making legal person. Exceptions in specified legislation apply. (Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 6 (1) (2))
Post-employment Yes. Holders of political office of an executive nature may not, for a period of three years counted from the date of termination of their term of office, exercise functions in private companies that carry out activities in the sector directly under their responsibility and which, during that term of office, have been subject to privatisation operations, have benefited from financial incentives or incentive and tax benefit systems of a contractual nature, or in relation to which there has been a direct intervention by the holder of the political office. Additionally, they may not, for a period of three years from the date on which their term of office ends, perform any subordinate work or consultancy functions in international organisations with which they have established institutional relations on behalf of the Portuguese Republic. Exceptions apply. (Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 10)
Simultaneously holding policy-making position and policy-executing position Yes. Holders of political office and senior public office shall exercise their functions on an exclusive basis. The exercise of duties on an exclusive basis is incompatible with any other professional duties, whether remunerated or not, as well as with being a member of the governing bodies of any profit-making legal person. Exceptions in specified legislation apply. (Constitution of the Republic of Portugal of 1976, Art. 117 (2) Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 6 (1) (2))
Participating in official decision-making processes that affect private interests Yes. Holders of political office and senior public office who, in the last three years prior to the date of their investiture in office, have held, a percentage of capital in companies referred to therein or have served on the governing bodies of any profit-making legal person may not intervene in any formally administrative procedures, as well as legal transactions and their preparatory acts, in which those companies and legal persons are the addressees of the decision, that may generate doubts as to the exemption or correctness of their conduct, namely in those related to the granting or modification of authorisations or licences, expropriation acts, the granting of benefits with a patrimonial content and the donation of assets. (Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 8 (1) (c))
Assisting family or friends in obtaining employment in public sector No. Absent from legal framework.

Sanctions

Fines are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior No. Absent from legal framework.
Administrative sanctions are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior Yes. Breach of the provisions of Article 6 (2), Article 8 and Article 9 (2) to (5) and (11) by holders of high public office shall constitute grounds for judicial dismissal, which shall be incumbent upon the administrative courts. Violation of the provisions of Article 10 shall result in disqualification from holding political office and senior public office for a period of three years. It shall be incumbent upon the Constitutional Court, under the terms of the respective law of procedure, to apply the penalties provided for in Article 11 in respect of holders of political office. (Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 11 (2) (3) (5))
Penal sanctions are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior No. Absent from legal framework.

Monitoring and Oversight

Monitoring body specified (guidance, training, data tracking) No. Absent from legal framework.
Enforcement body specified (sanctions, hearings) Yes. Constitutional Court and administrative courts. (Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 11 (2) (5))

Ministers

Restrictions

General restriction on conflict of interest Yes. Any member of the Government who is faced with a conflict of interest shall communicate the situation to the Prime Minister, in the case of a minister or secretary of State who depends directly on him or her, or to the respective minister, in the case of a secretary of State, as soon as he or she detects the potential risk of conflict. Any member of the Government who is faced with a current or potential conflict of or potential conflict of interest shall immediately take the necessary measures to avoid, remedy or put an end to the the conflict in question, in accordance with the provisions of the Government Code of Conduct and the Law. (Government Code of Conduct of 2019 (as of 2020), Arts. 6 and 7)
Accepting gifts Yes. Members of the Government (Ministers) shall abstain from accepting any offer, under any title, from private individuals and legal persons, national or foreign, and from foreign public collective persons, of material, consumable or durable goods or services that may condition the impartiality and integrity of the exercise of their functions. It is understood that there is a conditioning of impartiality and integrity of the exercise of functions when there is acceptance of goods of an estimated value of EUR 150 or more. All gifts which constitute or may be interpreted, by their refusal, as a breach of inter-institutional respect, namely in the context of relations between States, must be accepted on behalf of the State, without prejudice to the duty of presentation and registration. (Government Code of Conduct of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 8)
Private firm ownership and/or stock holdings Yes. Holders of political office and senior public office (here included Members of the Government, i.e. Ministers) must submit a single declaration of income, assets, interests, incompatibilities and impediments. The registration of relevant financial interests includes, inter alia: i) participation in consultative boards, supervisory committees or other collegial bodies, when provided for by law or in the exercise of supervision and control of public money; ii) companies in whose capital s/he or his/her spouse or person with whom s/he lives in a de facto union has a shareholding; iii) subsidies or financial support received by themselves, by their spouse or by a company in whose capital they hold a stake. (Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Arts. 2 (1) (e) and 13 (3) (b))
Ownership of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) No. Absent from legal framework.
Holding government contracts Yes. Holders of political office and senior public office who, in the last three years prior to the date of their investiture in office, have held, a percentage of capital in companies referred to therein or have served on the governing bodies of any profit-making legal person may not intervene in: a) public procurement procedures for the supply of goods or services to the State and other public collective persons to which those companies and collective persons held by them are opponents; b) the execution of contracts of the State and other public legal persons entered into with them; c) any other formally administrative procedures, as well as legal transactions and their preparatory acts, in which those companies and legal persons are the addressees of the decision, that may generate doubts as to the exemption or correctness of their conduct, namely in those related to the granting or modification of authorisations or licences, expropriation acts, the granting of benefits with a patrimonial content and the donation of assets. Additionally, holders of political office or senior public office at national level, by themselves or in companies in which they exercise management functions, and the companies in which they hold more than 10% of the respective share capital, or whose share capital exceeds EUR 50,000, may not: a) participate in public procurement procedures; b) intervene as a consultant, specialist, technician or mediator, in any way, in acts related to the procurement procedures referred to in the preceding sub-paragraph. (Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Arts. 8 (1) and 9 (2) (3))
Board member, advisor, or company officer of private firm Yes. Holders of political office and senior public office shall exercise their functions on an exclusive basis. The exercise of duties on an exclusive basis is incompatible with any other professional duties, whether remunerated or not, as well as with being a member of the governing bodies of any profit-making legal person. Exceptions in specified legislation apply. (Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 6 (1) (2))
Post-employment Yes. Holders of political office of an executive nature may not, for a period of three years counted from the date of termination of their term of office, exercise functions in private companies that carry out activities in the sector directly under their responsibility and which, during that term of office, have been subject to privatisation operations, have benefited from financial incentives or incentive and tax benefit systems of a contractual nature, or in relation to which there has been a direct intervention by the holder of the political office. Additionally, they may not, for a period of three years from the date on which their term of office ends, perform any subordinate work or consultancy functions in international organisations with which they have established institutional relations on behalf of the Portuguese Republic. Exceptions apply. (Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 10)
Simultaneously holding policy-making position and policy-executing position Yes. Members of Parliament who are appointed as members of the Government may not exercise their mandate until they cease to hold office and shall be replaced in accordance with Article 153 of the Constitution. Additionally, holders of political office and senior public office shall exercise their functions on an exclusive basis. The exercise of duties on an exclusive basis is incompatible with any other professional duties, whether remunerated or not, as well as with being a member of the governing bodies of any profit-making legal person. Exceptions in specified legislation apply. (Constitution of the Republic of Portugal of 1976, Art. 154 Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 6 (1) (2))
Participating in official decision-making processes that affect private interests Yes. Holders of political office and senior public office who, in the last three years prior to the date of their investiture in office, have held, a percentage of capital in companies referred to therein or have served on the governing bodies of any profit-making legal person may not intervene in any formally administrative procedures, as well as legal transactions and their preparatory acts, in which those companies and legal persons are the addressees of the decision, that may generate doubts as to the exemption or correctness of their conduct, namely in those related to the granting or modification of authorisations or licences, expropriation acts, the granting of benefits with a patrimonial content and the donation of assets. (Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 8 (1) (c))
Assisting family or friends in obtaining employment in public sector No. Absent from legal framework.

Sanctions

Fines are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior No. Absent from legal framework.
Administrative sanctions are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior Yes. Breach of the provisions of Article 6 (2), Article 7 (2), Article 8 and Article 9 (2) to (6) and (11) by holders of political office shall, with the exception of the Prime Minister, lead to dismissal. Breach of the provisions of Article 6 (2), Article 8 and Article 9 (2) to (5) and (11) by holders of high public office shall constitute grounds for judicial dismissal, which shall be incumbent upon the administrative courts. Violation of the provisions of Article 10 shall result in disqualification from holding political office and senior public office for a period of three years. It shall be incumbent upon the Constitutional Court, under the terms of the respective law of procedure, to apply the penalties provided for in Article 11 in respect of holders of political office. (Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 11 (1) (b) (2) (3) (5))
Penal sanctions are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior No. No member of the Government may be detained or imprisoned without the authorisation of the Assembly of the Republic, except for intentional crimes carrying a prison sentence of more than three years and in flagrante delicto. (Constitution of the Republic of Portugal of 1976, Art. 196 (1))

Monitoring and Oversight

Monitoring body specified (guidance, training, data tracking) No. Absent from legal framework.
Enforcement body specified (sanctions, hearings) Yes. Constitutional Court and administrative courts. (Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 11 (2) (5))

Members of Parliament

Restrictions

General restriction on conflict of interest Yes. In the exercise of their mandate, notwithstanding the duties laid down in the Constitution and the Statute of Members, Members of the Assembly of the Republic must, within the period of time established by law, comply with the declaratory obligations to which they are subject, namely with regard to incompatibilities and impediments, assets and verification of conflicts of interest. Members of Parliament, when presenting a bill or participating in any parliamentary work, in Committee or in Plenary, must previously declare the existence of a private interest, where applicable, in the matter in question, whenever this interest is not already apparent from what was the subject of the single declaration of income, assets and interests. (Code of Conduct for Members of the Portuguese Parliament of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 9 Statute for Members of 1993 (as of 2020), Art. 27 (1))
Accepting gifts Yes. The Members of the Assembly of the Republic shall abstain from accepting gifts from individuals or legal entities, public or private, national or foreign, of any type of goods or services that may condition the independence in the exercise of their mandate. It is understood that there may be a conditioning of the independence of the exercise of the mandate when there is acceptance of goods or services of an estimated value equal to or greater than EUR 150. The General Secretariat is responsible for keeping a record of all gifts received and their destination. (Code of Conduct for Members of the Portuguese Parliament of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 10)
Private firm ownership and/or stock holdings Yes. Holders of political office and senior public office (here included Members of Parliament) must submit a single declaration of income, assets, interests, incompatibilities and impediments. The registration of relevant financial interests includes, inter alia: i) participation in consultative boards, supervisory committees or other collegial bodies, when provided for by law or in the exercise of supervision and control of public money; ii) companies in whose capital s/he or his/her spouse or person with whom s/he lives in a de facto union has a shareholding; iii) subsidies or financial support received by themselves, by their spouse or by a company in whose capital they hold a stake. (Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Arts. 2 (1) (d) and 13 (3) (b))
Ownership of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) No. Absent from legal framework.
Holding government contracts Yes. Companies whose capital is more than 10% owned by Members of Parliament are barred from participating in tenders for the supply of goods or services, in the exercise of commercial or industrial activity, in contracts with the State and other public entities. Additionally, Members of Parliament shall be prohibited from: 1. participating in public procurement procedures, under the terms provided for in the regime for the exercise of functions by holders of political office and senior public office; 2. providing services, exercising functions as a consultant, issuing opinions or acting as legal counsel in cases, in any jurisdiction, for or against the State or any other public entities; 3. integrating or providing any services to civil or commercial companies that carry out any of the activities referred to in the previous sub-paragraph; 4. sponsoring or performing functions in the service of foreign States; 5. benefiting, personally and unduly, from acts or take part in contracts in whose formation process organs or services under their direct influence intervene; 6. providing services or maintaining subordinate work relationships with institutions, companies or firms that are concessionaires of public services or that are party to a public-private partnership with the State. (Statute for Members of 1993 (as of 2020), Arts. 21 (6) and 21-A)
Board member, advisor, or company officer of private firm Yes. Holders of political office and senior public office shall exercise their functions on an exclusive basis. The exercise of duties on an exclusive basis is incompatible with any other professional duties, whether remunerated or not, as well as with being a member of the governing bodies of any profit-making legal person. Exceptions in specified legislation apply. (Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 6 (1) (2))
Post-employment No. Absent from legal framework.
Simultaneously holding policy-making position and policy-executing position Yes. Members of Parliament who are appointed as members of the Government may not exercise their mandate until they cease to hold office and shall be replaced in accordance with Article 153 of the Constitution. Additionally, they may not occupy several positions in the Executive. In general, holders of political office and senior public office shall exercise their functions on an exclusive basis. The exercise of duties on an exclusive basis is incompatible with any other professional duties, whether remunerated or not, as well as with being a member of the governing bodies of any profit-making legal person. Exceptions in specified legislation apply. (Constitution of the Republic of Portugal of 1976, Art. 154 Statute for Members of 1993 (as of 2020), Art. 20 Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 6 (1) (2))
Participating in official decision-making processes that affect private interests Yes. Holders of political office and senior public office who, in the last three years prior to the date of their investiture in office, have held, a percentage of capital in companies referred to therein or have served on the governing bodies of any profit-making legal person may not intervene in any formally administrative procedures, as well as legal transactions and their preparatory acts, in which those companies and legal persons are the addressees of the decision, that may generate doubts as to the exemption or correctness of their conduct, namely in those related to the granting or modification of authorisations or licences, expropriation acts, the granting of benefits with a patrimonial content and the donation of assets. (Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 8 (1) (c))
Assisting family or friends in obtaining employment in public sector No. Absent from legal framework.

Sanctions

Fines are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior No. Absent from legal framework.
Administrative sanctions are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior Yes. After the competent parliamentary committee has ascertained any impediment or incompatibility and the Plenary has approved the respective opinion, the Member shall be notified to remedy the situation within 30 days. Should the Member fail to put an end to the situation of incompatibility after being notified, he or she shall lose his or her seat. Continued breach of the provisions of Article 21(4), (5) and (6) after having been notified shall result in a warning and suspension of the Member from holding office for the duration of the breach, for a period of no less than 50 days, as well as the obligation to pay back the full amount of the remuneration which the Member has earned from the exercise of public duties since the beginning of the situation of incompatibility. (Statute for Members of 1993 (as of 2020), Art. 21-B Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 11 (1) (a) (2) (3) (5))
Penal sanctions are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior No. No Member may be detained or imprisoned without the authorisation of the Assembly, except for intentional crimes punishable by imprisonment as provided for in the preceding paragraph and in flagrante delicto. (Constitution of the Republic of Portugal of 1976, Art. 157 (3) Statute for Members of 1993 (as of 2020), Art. 11)

Monitoring and Oversight

Monitoring body specified (guidance, training, data tracking) Yes. Parliamentary Committee on Transparency and the Statute of Members. (Statute for Members of 1993 (as of 2020), Art. 27-A Code of Conduct for Members of the Portuguese Parliament of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 12)
Enforcement body specified (sanctions, hearings) Yes. Parliamentary Committee on Transparency and the Statute of Members, and administrative courts. (Statute for Members of 1993 (as of 2020), Art. 27-A Code of Conduct for Members of the Portuguese Parliament of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 12 Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (as of 2020), Art. 11 (1) (a) (2) (3) (5))

Civil servants

Restrictions

General restriction on conflict of interest Yes. Public entities must adopt measures to ensure the impartiality of board members, managers and workers and prevent conflicts of interest; in specified procedures, workers must sign a declaration of absence of conflicts of interest. (Regime Geral da Prevençăo da Corrupçăo, art. 13 (annex to Decree-Law No. 109-E/2021); Ordinance No. 185/2024/1.)
Accepting gifts No. Absent from legal framework.
Private firm ownership and/or stock holdings No. Absent from legal framework.
Ownership of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) No. Absent from legal framework.
Holding government contracts Yes. Civil servants may not provide to third parties, by themselves or through an intermediary person - including through a company in whose capital they hold, directly or indirectly, by him/herself or jointly with family members, a shareholding of not less than 10% -, autonomously or as a subordinate worker, services in the context of the study, preparation or financing of projects, applications or requests that must be submitted for their consideration or decision or to that of organs or services placed under their direct influence. Civil servants may not benefit, personally and unduly, from acts or take part in contracts in whose formation process organs or organic units under their direct influence intervene. (General Labour Law for Civil Servants of 2014 (as of 2020), Art. 24 (1) (2) (4) (b))
Board member, advisor, or company officer of private firm Yes. Public functions are, as a rule, exercised on an exclusive basis. The exercise of public functions may not be accumulated with private functions or activities, exercised in an autonomous or subordinate work regime, with or without remuneration, competing, similar or conflicting with public functions. (General Labour Law for Civil Servants of 2014 (as of 2020), Arts. 20 and 22)
Post-employment Yes. Provided that some conditions are met, the civil servant's professional activity may be limited for a maximum period of two years following termination of the contract, in case the activity in question is one whose performance can effectively cause damage to the public employer. (General Labour Law for Civil Servants of 2014 (as of 2020), Art. 77 (2))
Simultaneously holding policy-making position and policy-executing position No. The Constitution stipulates that the law should determine the incompatibilities between the exercise of public offices or positions and other activities. However, the Law is silent about this. (Constitution of the Republic of Portugal of 1976, Art. 269 (4) (5))
Participating in official decision-making processes that affect private interests Yes. Civil servants who are in the exercise of public powers shall request exemption from intervening in the procedure or in a public or private act or contract of the Public Administration when a circumstance occurs for which it is reasonably possible to seriously doubt the impartiality of their conduct or decision. Additionally, violating the provisions of article 22 (1) (2), regarding the prohibition to act for one's own benefit, constitutes a serious disciplinary offence. (Administrative Procedure Code of 2015 (as of 2020), Arts. 69 and 73 (1) General Labour Law for Civil Servants of 2014 (as of 2020), Art. 22 (1) (2) (5))
Assisting family or friends in obtaining employment in public sector No. Absent from legal framework.

Sanctions

Fines are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior No. Absent from legal framework.
Administrative sanctions are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior Yes. Acts or contracts in which civil servants have participated in violation of the rules on conflicts of interest shall be annulled. Failure to notify the existence of a conflict of interest shall constitute a serious misconduct for disciplinary purposes. The provision of services in violation of the rules on conflict of interest constitutes a duty on the part of the provider to compensate the Public Administration and bona fide third parties for damages resulting from the annulment of the act or contract. Additionally, the violation of restrictions on the accumulation of public service with private functions or activities determines the revocation of the authorisation to accumulate functions, and also constitutes a serious disciplinary offence. Serious disciplinary offences are punishable by suspension. (Administrative Procedure Code of 2015 (as of 2020), Arts. 69, 70 (1), 73 (1) and 76 (1) (2) (3) General Labour Law for Civil Servants of 2014 (as of 2020), Arts. 22 (5), 24 (5), 180 (1) and 186)
Penal sanctions are stipulated for violations of COI regulations restricting behavior No. Absent from legal framework.

Monitoring and Oversight

Monitoring body specified (guidance, training, data tracking) Yes. MENAC monitors implementation of the anti-corruption compliance regime, issues guidance and directives, and evaluates application of the RGPC. (Decree-Law No. 109-E/2021, arts. 2(1)-(3) and 4(1) of the RGPC.)
Enforcement body specified (sanctions, hearings) Yes. MENAC and the competent inspections oversee compliance with the RGPC, and violations are communicated to the competent disciplinary authority (Decree-Law No. 109-E/2021, arts. 33–34 of the RGPC and arts. 2–4 on MENAC.)

Legislation

Constitution of the Portuguese Republic of 1976 (Portuguese)pdf
Law on the Regime of Holders of Political Offices and High Public Positions of 2019 (Portuguese)pdf
Government Code of Conduct of 2019 (Portuguese)pdf
Statute for Members of 1993 (Portuguese)pdf
Code of Conduct for Members of the Portuguese Parliament of 2019 (Portuguese)pdf
Administrative Procedure Code of 2015 (Portuguese)pdf
General Labour Law for Civil Servants of 2014 (Portuguese)pdf

*Last update: 2017


Freedom of Information

The access to information framework in Portugal is established by the Constitution (1976) and the Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents (2016). The FOI law applies to state bodies at the national and autonomous regional level insofar as they carry out public administration, and broad range of public and private bodies which carry out public functions. However, only administrative documents relevant to the legislature and judiciary are covered by the FOI law.

Specific exemptions to disclosure are outlined in the aforementioned FOI law, the Constitution (1976), the Code of Criminal Procedure (1987), and the Protection of Personal Data Law (1998). No public interest test exists whereby exemptions to disclosure may be overridden in cases where disclosure of information benefits the public interest.

Complaints by applicants may be made to the Commission on Access to Official Documents (CADA), but its decisions are not binding. The decision of the CADA may be then brought before the administrative courts for an appeal. Appeals are not accepted by public bodies.

There are no sanctions specified in the law for violations of FOI provisions. CADA is responsible for ensuring compliance with the provisions of the freedom of information law, but it is not clear whether this includes management of the implementation process. 

Quantitative Data

Primary Metric

201220152016201720202024Trend
Scope and Coverage8282826969100
Information access and release717171424271
Exceptions and Overrides676750333367
Sanctions for non-compliance67673333330
Monitoring and Oversight0000033

Values lie in range between 0 and 100, higher values implying higher legislation comprehensiveness


Qualitative Data

We are frequently reviewing and refining our data, so in case you notice any mistake in our assessment, feel free to send us an email by clicking the button ()

Scope and Coverage

Scope of disclosure

Existence of legal right to access Yes. (1)Citizens shall possess the right to be in formed by the Administration whenever they so request as to the progress of the processes in which they are directly interested, as well as to be made aware of such decisi ons as are taken in relation to them. (2)Without prejudice to the law governing matters of internal and external security, criminal investigation and personal privac y, citizens shall also possess the right of access to administrative files and records. (Article 268 of the Constitution of Portugal, 1976, amended 2005)
"Information" or "Documents" is defined Yes. - For the purposes of this law, it is considered: (a) 'administrative document' means any content, or part thereof, which is held or held on behalf of the bodies and entities referred to in in the following article, be the information medium in written, visual, sound, electronic or other material form, including, in particular, those relating to; i) Procedures for issuing administrative acts and regulations; (ii) procurement procedures, including contracts concluded; iii) Budget and financial management of organs and entities; (iv) Human resources management, in particular the procedures for recruitment, evaluation, exercise of disciplinary powers and any modifications of their legal relations. b) 'Nominative document' means the administrative document containing personal data, defined in accordance with the legal regime for data protection personal; (c) 'open format' means a publicly available and reusable file format, regardless of the platform used, in accordance with the which regulates the adoption of open standards for digital information in the Public Administration; (d) 'Machine readable format' means a structured file format so that it is possible, through software applications, to identify, recognize and extract specific data, including declarations of fact, as well as their internal structure; (e) 'environmental information' means any information of an administrative nature in written, visual, sound, electronic or other physical form, relating to: (i) the condition of the elements of the environment, such as air and atmosphere, water, soil, land, landscape and areas of natural interest, including areas wetlands, coastal and marine areas, biological diversity and its components, including genetically modified organisms, and the interaction between these elements; (ii) to factors such as substances, energy, noise, radiation or waste, including radioactive waste, emissions, discharges and other releases for the environment, which affect or may affect the elements of the environment referred to in the previous paragraph; (iii) political, legislative and administrative measures, including plans, programs, environmental agreements and actions affecting or likely to affect elements or factors referred to in the previous sub-paragraphs, as well as measures or actions aimed at their protection; iv) Reports on the implementation of environmental legislation; (v) cost-benefit analyzes and other economic assessments and scenarios used within the framework of environmental measures and activities referred to in (iii); (vi) the health and safety of persons, including contamination of the food chain, living conditions, cultural interests and constructions insofar as they are or may be affected by the condition of the elements referred to in point (i) or, through those factors or measures referred to in points (ii) and (iii); (f) 'open formal standard' means a standard drawn up in written form, detailing specifications as regards the requirements to ensure the interoperability of software; (g) 're-use' means the use, by natural or legal persons, of administrative documents for commercial or non-commercial purposes other than the service for which the documents were produced. 2 - Administrative documents are not considered for the purposes of this law: a) Personal notes, sketches, notes, personal electronic communications and other records of a similar nature, whatever their support; b) Documents whose preparation does not depend on the administrative activity, namely those related to the meeting of the Council of Ministers and / or meeting of Secretaries of State and their preparation; c) Documents produced within the diplomatic relations of the Portuguese State. (Article 3 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)
Proactive disclosure is specified Yes. 1 - The bodies and entities to which this law applies shall advertise on their websites on a periodic and updated basis, at least every six months: a) Administrative documents, data or lists that invent them that they deem freely available for access and re-use under the terms of this law, without prejudice to the legal regime for the protection of personal data; b) The electronic address, place and time for on-site consultation, request model or other suitable means through which requests for access and re-use of the information and documents covered by this law may be sent; c) The information whose knowledge is relevant to guarantee the transparency of the activity related to its operation, at least the following: i) Activity plans, budgets, activity reports and accounts, social report and other similar management tools; ii) Composition of its management and supervisory bodies, organization chart or other internal organic model; iii) All documents, namely internal normative orders, circulars and guidelines, which carry a strategic framework of the administrative activity; iv) The enunciation of all documents that carry generalizing interpretation of positive law or generic description of administrative procedure, mentioning in particular their title, subject, date, origin and place where they can be consulted. d) The rules and conditions for the re-use of the information applicable in each case. 2 - The administrative information available on the Internet sites referred to in the preceding paragraph is indexed in the online public information search system, pursuant to article 49 of Decree-Law no. 135/99 of April 22 , amended by Decree-Laws No. 29/2000 of 13 March, 72-A / 2010 of 18 June and 73/2014 of 13 May. 3 - The information referred to in this article shall be made available in an open format and in terms that allow unrestricted access to the contents, giving priority to the availability in machine-readable formats that allow its automated processing. 4. The administrative information referred to in paragraph 1 (c) shall remain available for two years or, in the case of local authorities, for the duration of each term, excluding the period of validity, where applicable, or during the appropriate time for the satisfactory disclosure of its contents, if superior. 5 - The active disclosure of information should ensure respect for the access restrictions provided for in this law, and partial disclosure should be made whenever it is possible to purge the information related to the reserved matter. (Article 10 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)

Coverage of public and private sectors

Executive branch Yes. The freedom of information law applies to State bodies at the national and autonomous regional level insofar as they carry out Public Administration. (Article 4 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)
Legislative branch Yes. Administrative documents relevant to the legislature (Article 4 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)
Judicial branch Yes. Administrative documents relevant to the judiciary (Article 4 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)
Other public bodies Yes. The law covers administrative documents held by a broad range of public and private bodies which carry out public functions (Article 4 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)
Private sector Yes. The law covers administrative documents held by a broad range of public and private bodies which carry out public functions (Article 4 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)

Access to specific documents (subject to reactive and/or proactive disclosure)

Draft legal instruments Yes. 1 - The bodies and entities to which this law applies shall advertise on their websites on a periodic and updated basis, at least every six months: c) The information whose knowledge is relevant to guarantee the transparency of the activity related to its operation, at least the following: iii) All documents, namely internal normative orders, circulars and guidelines, which carry a strategic framework of the administrative activity; iv) The enunciation of all documents that carry generalizing interpretation of positive law or generic description of administrative procedure, mentioning in particular their title, subject, date, origin and place where they can be consulted. d) The rules and conditions for the re-use of the information applicable in each case. (Article 10 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)
Enacted legal instruments Yes. The Constitution requires that all laws must be published in the Diário da República (Official Gazette) in order to be binding. (Article 119, Constitution of Portugal, 1976, amended 2005)
Annual budgets Yes. The Government, regional and local governments must ensure publication of all documents necessary to guarantee appropriate dissemination and transparency of the State, regional and local budgets and their execution using the most advanced media at all times. (Article 73-74, Budgetary Framework Law Law No. 151/2015)
Annual chart of accounts (actual expenditures) Yes. The Government, regional and local governments must ensure publication of all documents necessary to guarantee appropriate dissemination and transparency of the State, regional and local budgets and their execution using the most advanced media at all times. (Article 73-74, Budgetary Framework Law Law No. 151/2015)
Annual reports of public entities and programs Yes. 1 - The bodies and entities to which this law applies shall advertise on their websites on a periodic and updated basis, at least every six months: c) The information whose knowledge is relevant to guarantee the transparency of the activity related to its operation, at least the following: iii) All documents, namely internal normative orders, circulars and guidelines, which carry a strategic framework of the administrative activity; iv) The enunciation of all documents that carry generalizing interpretation of positive law or generic description of administrative procedure, mentioning in particular their title, subject, date, origin and place where they can be consulted. d) The rules and conditions for the re-use of the information applicable in each case. (Article 10 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)

Information access and release

Procedural access

Universal access (agencies, citizens and non-citizens) Yes. The law gives everyone the right of access to administrative documents without the need to state any interest. (Article 5 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)
Type of request is specified (written, electronic, oral) Yes. Requests must be made in written form. Public bodies may also accept verbal applications if provided for by law. (Article 12 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)
Assistance to requesters must be provided by law (includes barriers due to language differences, illiteracy, complexity of requests, etc.) Partially. 1 - Access to health information by the holder, or third parties with their consent or according to the law, is exercised through a physician if the holder of the information so requests, with respect to the provisions of Law no. 12/2005, of January 26. 2 - If it is not possible to establish the will of the holder regarding access, it is always carried out with the intermediary of a physician. 3 - In the case of access by third parties with the consent of the data subject, only information expressly covered by the instrument of consent should be communicated. 4 - In other cases of access by third parties, only information that is strictly necessary for the direct, personal, legitimate and constitutionally protected interest that supports access can be transmitted. (Article 7 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)
Cost of access is specified (free, request fees, photocopying costs, other administrative costs) Yes. 1 - Access through the means provided for in points b) and c) of paragraph 1 of the previous article shall be made through a single copy, subject to payment, by applicant, of the fixed rate, which shall comply with the following principles: (a) correspond to the sum of the proportional charges with the use of machines and tools for the collection, production and reproduction of the costs of the materials used and with the service provided, not exceeding the average market value per corresponding service; b) In the case of issuance of a certificate, when the document made available constitutes the material result of an administrative activity for which fees or charges, the charges referred to in the previous paragraph may be increased by a reasonable amount, in view of the direct costs and investments and the good quality of the service, in accordance with the applicable legislation; (c) The fees collected may, where applicable and required by law, increase the cost of anonymizing documents and remittance charges, where this is be made by post; d) In the case of reproduction carried out by electronic means, namely sending by e-mail, no fee is due. (Article 14 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)

Deadlines for release of information

20-day response deadline Yes. The response deadline is 10 days. (Article 15.1 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)
Agency granted right to extend response time Yes. If justified by the volume or complexity of the information requested, the response time may be extended to a maximum of two months. (Article 15.1 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)
Maximum total response time of no more than 40 days No. The maximum response time for large or complex requests may be up to a maximum of two month. (Article 15.1 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)

Exceptions and Overrides

Exemptions to disclosure

Existence of secrecy/states secrets law No. There is no law although there is a provision defining a State Secret in the Code of Criminal Procedure (Article 137, Code of Criminal Procedure 1987, amended 2020)
Existence of personal privacy/data law Yes. The Constitution provides for a right to protection for personal data and a right protection of privacy of personal and family life. Law 67/1998 defines the scope of data protection, and outlines regulations for accessing, processing, and transferring personal data, as well as outlining the rights of the data subject. (Article 26 and Article 35, Constitution of Portugal, 1976, amended 2005 Law No. 58/2019 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free circulation of that data)
Specific exemptions to disclosure Yes. Exempted information includes: that which might endanger or damage the internal and external security of the State; preparatory administrative documents which are less than one year old; information about inquiries and investigations during the timeframe for where a disciplinary proceedings could take place; trade secrets; information about the confidentiality of legal proceedings (which is covered by separate legislation). Personal data can only be disclosed to a third party with written authorisation from the person to whom the data refer. Records in the historical archives are generally not released for public access until they are 30 years old. Personal or nominative data in the archives cannot be accessed until 50 years after the death of the person concerned. (Article 6 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents Law No. 58/2019 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free circulation of that data Legal diploma regulating the activity of the Commission for the Declassification of Diplomatic Records, 2004)
Public Interest test: Specified exemptions to disclosure may be overridden in cases where disclosure of information benefits the public interest.

Appeals

Appeals allowed within public entities Yes. Communicate in writing the reasons for the total or partial refusal of access to the document, as well as the guarantees of administrative and contentious appeal that the applicant has against this decision, namely the submission of a complaint to CADA and the judicial summons of the requested entity (Article 15 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)
Independent, non-judicial appeals mechanism, e.g., information commissioner. Does not include Ombudsman unless appeals decisions are binding. No. Complaints by applicants may be made to the CADA, which issues a formal opinion on its findings. This opinion is not binding. (Articles 15 and 30 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)
Judicial appeals mechanism Yes. The decision of the CADA may be brought before the administrative courts for an appeal. (Article 15 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)

Sanctions for non-compliance

Administrative sanctions are specified for violations of disclosure requirements No. There are sanctions for illegal re-use of information but not for failure to disclose.
Fines are specified for violations of disclosure requirements No. Absent from legal framework
Criminal sanctions are specified for violations of disclosure requirements No. Absent from legal framework

Monitoring and Oversight

Information officers must be appointed in public agencies Yes. Each body or entity referred to in Article 4 (1) shall designate a person responsible for compliance with the provisions of this law, which shall be responsible for organizing and promoting the obligations of active disclosure of information to which the body or entity is bound. , monitor the processing of requests for access and re-use and establish the necessary articulation for the exercise of the powers of the Commission for Access to Administrative Documents, hereinafter referred to as CADA. (Article 9 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)
Public body that is responsible for applying sanctions No. The Commission on Access to Official Documents (CADA) is an independent administrative body, which reports to the National Assembly and is responsible for ensuring compliance with the provisions of the freedom of information law. It applies sanctions for illegal re-use of information but not for failure to disclosure information.
Public body that is responsible for public outreach (raising public awareness) No. Absent from legal framework
Nodal agency for RTI (implementation support/compliance within public sector). Does not include Ombudsman. Yes. 1. CADA shall be an independent administrative body, which shall operate under the aegis of the Assembly of the Republic and shall be responsible for making its best efforts to ensure compliance with the provisions of the present Law. 2. 2. CADA shall dispose of an annual budget, provision for which shall be included in the budget of the Assembly of the Republic. (Article 25 Law No. 26/2016 on access to and the re-use of administrative documents)
Ombudsman involvement in implementation is specified by law No. Absent from legal framework
Reporting of data and/or implementation is required No. Absent from legal framework

Legislation

Constitution of the Portuguese Republic of 1976_POR (Portuguese)pdf
Law No. 26 of 2016 on Access to and the Re-use of Administrative Documents_POR (Portuguese)pdf
Budget Framework Law No. 151 of 2015_POR (Portuguese)pdf
Code of Criminal Procedure of 1987_POR (Portuguese)pdf
Law No. 58 of 2019 on the Protection of Personal Data_POR (Portuguese)pdf
Legal diploma regulating the activity of the Commission for the Declassification of Diplomatic Records of 2004_POR (Portuguese)pdf

*Last update: 2017


Public Procurement

The Portuguese public procurement system is regulated primarily by the Public Contracts Code (2012), and other legislations such as Administrative Procedural Law (2015), Procedural Code of the Administrative Courts (last amended in 2015). There is no independent public procurement body.

The lowest minimum thresholds for conducting a public procurement tender are:

▪         EUR 7,500 for goods

▪         EUR 15,000 for works

▪         EUR 7,500 for services

The minimum number of bidders is 5 for restricted procedures and 3 for negotiated procedures and competitive dialogue. The minimum submission period is 9 days for open procedures, 9 days for restricted procedures and 40 days for negotiated procedures from dispatch date. If tenders are above the EU threshold, the minimum period is 47 days.

There is no case for preferential treatment, but sustainability can be considered during the tendering process. However, there are several options for bid exclusion: bankruptcy, conviction on grounds of professional misconduct, outstanding tax or social security liabilities, having been sanctioned for labor misconduct, fraud, money laundering. Bids can be also excluded because of abnormally low bid prices.

In the bid evaluation phase, there are no conflict of interest restrictions on the composition of the evaluation committee and provisions on the  independence of  the contracting authority.

There is a payable fee in case of an arbitration procedure based on the value in dispute.

Quantitative Data

Primary Metric

201220152016201720202024Trend
Scope6260672191
Information availability1932443246
Evaluation8888888169
Open competition5656565661
Institutional arrangements3636363629

Values lie in range between 0 and 100, higher values implying higher legislation comprehensiveness


Qualitative Data

We are frequently reviewing and refining our data, so in case you notice any mistake in our assessment, feel free to send us an email by clicking the button ()

Scope

Threshold - lowest PP

What is the minimum contract value above which the public procurement law is applied? (Product type GOODS) EUR 20,000. The direct award procedure may be used for contracts with a value below EUR 20,000; prior consultation (invitation to at least 3 entities) is required for values below EUR 75,000; above EUR 75,000 national open procedure without OJEU is required; above EUR 143,000 (central government, from 1 January 2024) full EU procedures and OJEU publication are required. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 20, 127, 128(1)(3) and 465(1))
What is the minimum contract value above which the public procurement law is applied? (Product type WORKS) EUR 30,000. The direct award procedure may be used for works contracts with a value below EUR 30,000; prior consultation is required for values below EUR 150,000; above EUR 150,000 national open procedures without OJEU apply; above EU threshold (EUR 5,538,000 from 1 January 2024, reduced from EUR 5,538,000) full EU procedures and OJEU publication are required. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 19, 127, 128(1)(3) and 465(1))
What is the minimum contract value above which the public procurement law is applied? (Product type SERVICES) EUR 20,000. Same structure as goods: EUR 20,000 direct award threshold; EUR 75,000 prior consultation threshold; EU service thresholds EUR 143,000/216,000 for central/sub-central contracting authorities from 1 January 2024; light-touch regime for social services from EUR 750,000. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 20, 127, 128(1)(3) and 465(1))

Threshold - by PP type

What are the minimum application thresholds for the procurement type? (Entity: PUBLIC SECTOR) EUR 20,000. Classical contracting authorities may use direct award below EUR 20,000 (goods/services) or EUR 30,000 (works); prior consultation below EUR 75,000/150,000; above EU thresholds full EU obligations and OJEU publication apply. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 20, 127, 128(1)(3) and 465(1))
What are the minimum application thresholds for the procurement type? (Entity: UTILITIES) EUR 443,000. Utilities entities in water, energy, transport and postal services follow EU utilities thresholds; from 1 January 2024: EUR 443,000 for supply and service contracts (up from EUR 418,000 in 2020) and EUR 5,538,000 for works. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 11(1)(b)iv. and 474(4)(b))
What are the minimum application thresholds for the procurement type? (Entity: DEFENCE) EUR 443,000. Defence and security procurement under Decree-Law No. 104/2011 follows EU defence thresholds; from 1 January 2024: EUR 443,000 for goods/services (up from EUR 428,000 in 2020) and EUR 5,538,000 for works. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Art. 5(4)(h); Decree-Law No. 104/2011, Art. 1(4)(5))

Threshold - by product type

What are the minimum application thresholds for the procurement type? (Product type GOODS) EUR 20,000. Direct award below EUR 20,000; prior consultation below EUR 75,000; full EU procedures above EUR 143,000 (central government) or EUR 221,000 (sub-central) from 1 January 2024. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 20, 127 and 128)
What are the minimum application thresholds for the procurement type? (Product type WORKS) EUR 30,000. Direct award below EUR 30,000; prior consultation below EUR 150,000; full EU procedures above EUR 5,538,000 from 1 January 2024. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 19, 127 and 128)
What are the minimum application thresholds for the procurement type? (Product type SERVICES) EUR 20,000. Same as goods; light-touch regime for social services from EUR 750,000 from 1 January 2024. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 20, 127 and 128)

Information availability

Publishing and record keeping

Is there a requirement that tender documents must published in full? Yes. The contracting entities make available in the respective electronic public procurement platform, free of charge and in full the procurement documents from the date of publication of the respective announcement; procedural parts that cannot be fully made available (e.g. for security reasons) are made available by other appropriate means. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 133 and 465)
Are any of these documents published online at a central place? Yes. Public procurement web portal ("Base, Portal dos Contratos Públicos"): http://www.base.gov.pt/Base/pt/Homepage; above EU thresholds, simultaneous publication in OJEU/TED is also required. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 130(1), 131 and 465)
Is it mandatory to keep all of these records? -Public notices of bidding opportunities, -Bidding documents and addenda, -Bid opening records, -Bid evaluation reports, -Formal appeals by bidders and outcomes, -Final signed contract documents and addenda and amendments, -Claims and dispute resolutions, -Final payments, -Disbursement data (as required by the country’s financial management system) Yes. The contracting authority must keep for four years: a) the decision to choose the procedure and its grounds; b) the identification of candidates and competitors; c) the content of the applications and proposals submitted; d) the qualification decision and its grounds; e) the award decision and its grounds; f) grounds for exclusion; g) possible causes for non-award; h) the object of the contract and the contract price; additionally, the contracting authority must send a report to the European Commission at its request. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 107 and 384(4))
Are contracts awarded within a framework agreement published (ie mini contracts)? Yes. Contracts awarded within a framework agreement are published within 30 days after the end of each quarter. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 78(1)(5) and 465(1))

Sub-contracting

Is it mandatory to publish information on subcontractors (ie names) in some cases? No. For contracts above EU thresholds, information on subcontractors can be included in the contract award notice, which must follow the template contained in Annex V, Part D of Directive 2014/24/EU; for contracts below EU thresholds, there is no express requirement to publish subcontractor information. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 78(1), 127, 465 and Annex III)
If yes, what is the threshold for publication (i.e. the % of total contract value subcontracted)? For example, if the threshold is 75%, and you have subcontracted out only 40% of your contract, no disclosure is required. Consultant will insert 75% in the short answer column. 0%. No percentage or value threshold exists above which subcontractor names must be publicly disclosed; even where subcontractor information is included in contract award notices above EU thresholds, no mandatory percentage threshold triggers disclosure. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 78(1), 127 and 465)

Evaluation

Preferential treatment

Is there a ban on mentioning specific companies or brands in tender specification/call for tender? Yes. Unless the object of the contract so justifies, technical specifications cannot refer to a specific manufacture or source, to a specific procedure characterising the products or services of a specific supplier, or to trademarks, patents, types, origins or modes of production processes that have the effect of favouring or eliminating certain companies or products; these references are only authorised exceptionally, and must be accompanied by the words "or equivalent". (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Art. 49(8)(9))
Is there a preferential treatment for small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs)? Yes. The fact that a proposal has been submitted by social enterprises or by small and medium-sized companies shall be a tiebreaker criterion, in ascending order of the category of companies, aside from the factors and sub-factors established in Art. 75 of the CCP, which are provided in decreasing order of relative weighting; this tiebreaker preference is a distinct feature of the Portuguese system. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 74(6) and 472(1))
Is there a preferential treatment for local/national companies? (companies from other EU MS are considered foreign companies) No. In public procurement, general principles arising from the Constitution, the Treaties of the European Union and the Code of Administrative Procedure must be respected, in particular the principles of competition, advertising and transparency, equal treatment and non-discrimination; no preference for local or national companies is permitted. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Art. 1-A(1)(3))
Is there a specific set of rules for green/sustainable procurement? Yes. Contracting entities must ensure that economic operators respect applicable rules in force in social, labour, environmental and gender equality matters; in public works contracts, the execution project must be accompanied by environmental studies; environmental or social sustainability of the contract execution mode, time of transport and availability of the product or service, and designation of origin or geographical indication in the case of certified products are factors to be taken into account in awarding a contract; the DL 54/2023 amendment further reinforced green procurement criteria. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 1-A(1)(3), 42(6), 43(5), 49(7), 164(2), 165(1)(d), 246(4) and 428(2); Decree-Law No. 54/2023)

Bid evaluation

Are there restrictions on allowable grounds for tenderer exclusion? Yes. Main grounds for exclusion: a) insolvency declared by judicial decision; b) conviction by final judgment of any offence concerning professional conduct; c) administrative penalty for grave professional misconduct; d) debts to social security; e) tax debts; f) sanctions under competition law; g) labour law penalties for use of undeclared labour; h) convictions for corruption, fraud, money laundering, terrorism, child labour and human trafficking, or distortion of competition through advisory support; i) conflict of interests. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Art. 55)
Are some bids automatically excluded? e.g., lowest/highest price; unusually low price, etc. Yes. Bids are excluded where: a) necessary documents have not been submitted; b) they have attributes that violate the basic parameters laid down in the contract documents; c) it is impossible to assess the bid due to the form of presentation; d) the contract price would be higher than the base price; e) a total price is abnormally low and the justification is not satisfactory; f) the final contract would imply the violation of any legal requirements; g) strong evidence of acts, agreements or information likely to distort the rules of competition. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 70(2) and 71)
Is scoring criteria published? Yes. The tender announcement must indicate the scoring criteria; the CCP requires that the award criteria and their relative weighting be published in the tender documents. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 132(1)(n) and 139)
Are decisions always made by a committee? Yes. With the exception of direct award and cases of prior consultation or urgent public tender, procedures for the formation of contracts are conducted by a jury, designated by the competent body, composed in an odd number of at least three members, one of whom chairs, and two alternates; the jury may be excused in procedures in which only one proposal is submitted. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Art. 67(1))
Are there regulations on evaluation committee composition to prevent conflict of interest? Yes. Before the start of their duties, the members of the jury and all other stakeholders in the bid evaluation process, including experts, subscribe to a declaration that there are no conflicts of interest, according to the model set out in Annex XIII to the CCP; conflict of interest is considered to be any situation in which the manager or employee of a contracting authority has, directly or indirectly, a financial, economic or other personal interest likely to compromise their impartiality and independence. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 1-A(3)(4), 67(5) and Annex XIII)
Is some part of evaluation committee mandatorily independent of contracting authority? No. There is no mandatory requirement for evaluation committee members to be independent of the contracting authority; members are appointed by the head of the contracting entity. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Art. 67)
Are scoring results publicly available? No. There is no express provision requiring the full scoring results to be publicly disclosed to parties other than the tenderers themselves; tenderers receive the award decision with grounds and individual scores. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 74 and 147)
Does the law specify under which conditions the tender can be cancelled? Yes. The tender procedure is extinguished when: a) no candidate has turned up or no competitor has submitted a proposal; b) all applications or proposals have been excluded; c) unforeseen circumstances make it necessary to change fundamental aspects of the procedure; d) supervening circumstances justify it; e) all prices are unacceptable; f) in competitive dialogue, none of the solutions meets needs; g) the number of applications or proposals is less than the minimum; compensation is mandatory for competitors in cases (c) and (d). (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 79 and 80)

Open competition

CFT publication

Does the law specify the location for publicizing open calls for tenders? Yes. Diário da República (paper and electronic), Public Procurement Portal (http://www.base.gov.pt) and Official Journal of the European Union (above EU thresholds). (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 130(1), 131 and 465)
Does the law specify the location for publicizing restricted calls for tenders? Yes. Diário da República (paper and electronic), Public Procurement Portal (http://www.base.gov.pt) and Official Journal of the European Union (above EU thresholds). (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 130(1), 131, 167(1)(2) and 465)
Does the law specify the location for publicizing negotiated calls for tenders? Yes. Diário da República (paper and electronic), Public Procurement Portal (http://www.base.gov.pt) and Official Journal of the European Union (above EU thresholds). (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 130(1), 131, 197(1)(2) and 465)

Minimum # of bidders

What is the minimum number of bidders for restricted procedures? 5. The minimum number of bidders for restricted procedures (limited tender with prior qualification) is 5. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Art. 164(1)(m)ii.)
What is the minimum number of bidders for negotiated procedures? 3. For negotiated procedures, the minimum number of invited entities is 3. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Art. 196(a))
What is the minimum number of bidders for competitive dialogue procedures? 3. For competitive dialogue procedures, the minimum number of participants is 3. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Art. 206(2))

Bidding period length

What are the minimum number of days for open procedures? 6. For contracts below EU thresholds, the minimum applicable is 6 days for goods and services and 14 days for works; for contracts above EU thresholds, 30 days is the minimum; urgent derogations apply. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 135 and 136)
What are the minimum number of days for restricted procedures? 6. For contracts below EU thresholds, the minimum applicable is 6 days; for contracts above EU thresholds, 30 days is the minimum. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 173 and 174)
What are the minimum number of days  for competitive negotiated procedures? 30. Minimum of 30 days for competitive negotiated procedures. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Art. 198(1))

Institutional arrangements

Institutions and regulations

Does the law specify the main EXCEPTIONS preventing the application of the public procurement law for tenders/organisations? Yes. Main exceptions: a) contracts under international conventions communicated to the European Commission; b) contracts under specific procedures of international organisations; c) contracts governed by international organisations or financial institutions financing them in full; d) development cooperation instruments; e) Article 346 TFEU (essential security interests); f) stationing of troops agreements; and additional exceptions for: employment contracts; donations of movable property; purchase/sale of real estate; audiovisual/radio contracts; peripheral services outside national territory. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Art. 4)
Does the law specify the main types of institutions that must apply the public procurement law? Yes. Main types: 1) the State; 2) Autonomous Regions; 3) Local Governments; 4) Public Institutes; 5) Public Foundations; 6) Public Associations; 7) associations comprising one or more of the above, financed for the most part by those legal persons or subject to their management supervision; 8) state, regional or local government enterprises operating outside the logic of the market; 9) private entities operating in water, energy, transport and postal services sectors holding special or exclusive rights. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 2 and 3)
Does the law specify the main procedure types or procurement methods permitted? Yes. 1) Direct award; 2) Open tender procedure; 3) Open tender procedure – special regime; 4) Restricted tender procedure (with prior qualification); 5) Negotiation procedure; 6) Competitive dialogue; 7) Innovation partnership; additionally, simplified procedures under Law 30/2021 (as amended) for EU-funded projects. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Art. 16; Law 30/2021, as amended by Law 43/2024)
Is there a procurement arbitration court dedicated to public procurement cases? Yes. The Administrative Arbitration Centre ("CAAD – Centro de Arbitragem Administrativa") is the authority responsible for resolution of disputes concerning public contracts, as well as other administrative and tax disputes; disputes with a value greater than EUR 500,000 may be appealed to the competent administrative tribunal; other authorised arbitration tribunals are listed at base.gov.pt; administrative tribunals (TAFs) can also be directly accessed at first instance; Law 43/2024 introduced special mandatory arbitration provisions for EU-funded public contracts. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 267, 271(2) and 476; CPTA, Arts. 100 and 103; Law 43/2024, Art. 25-B)
Is there a procurement regulatory body dedicated to public procurement? No. There is no single dedicated procurement regulatory body in Portugal; the Instituto dos Mercados Públicos, do Imobiliário e da Construçăo (IMPIC) supervises public procurement markets and monitors compliance, but it is not exclusively a procurement regulator; it also regulates the construction and real estate sectors. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020)
Does the law specify procurement advisors' profession (i.e. degree to be obtained, official list of members of the professional association) and its role in the tendering process (e.g. right to draft tender documentations, conduct market research identifying bidders)? No. There is no specification of a procurement advisers' profession in the CCP; no official list, degree requirement or professional association registration is required for procurement advisers. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020)
Is disclosure of final, beneficial owners required for placing a bid? No. There is no requirement in the CCP for beneficial ownership disclosure as a condition for submitting a bid; exclusion ground declarations do not specifically require beneficial ownership identification. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020)

Complaints

Is there a fee for arbitration procedure? Yes. The Code of Court Fees ("Código das Custas Judiciais") stipulates amounts and methods to calculate court fees for proceedings initiated before administrative tribunals; proceedings before CAAD are also subject to a fee whose value can be calculated online at https://www.caad.org.pt/administrativo/simulador; the specific fee amount depends on the value of the dispute and the type of proceedings. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 267 and 476(4); CPTA, Art. 189(2))
Is there a ban on contract signature until arbitration court decision (first instance court)? Yes. The presentation of administrative challenges does not suspend the execution of subsequent phases; however, as long as the administrative challenge has not been decided or the deadline for decision has not elapsed, the award decision is suspended and the negotiation phase cannot start; in proceedings before administrative tribunals, the effects of the contested act/decision are suspended until the tribunal reviews it; Law 43/2024 introduced automatic suspension of challenges to award decisions for EU-funded contracts. (Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Arts. 267 and 272; CPTA, Art. 103-A; Law 43/2024, Art. 25-A)
What is the maximum number of days until arbitration court decision from filing a complaint in the case of awarded contracts? 180. For proceedings before CAAD, the decision is rendered within a maximum period of 6 months (180 days) from the constitution of the arbitral tribunal; administrative objections are decided within 5 days from presentation, and silence is equivalent to rejection; there is no statutory maximum for proceedings before administrative tribunals; Law 43/2024 introduced accelerated proceedings for EU-funded contract challenges. (CPTA, Art. 102; Law 43/2024, Art. 25-A)
Is there a requirement to publicly release arbitration court decisions ? Yes. Decisions handed down by arbitral tribunals must be published electronically in a database organised by the Ministry of Justice; CAAD's decisions are publicly accessible at https://caad.org.pt/administrativo/decisoes/; administrative proceedings are public, with the restrictions provided by law; judgments of the Supreme Administrative Court and Central Administrative Courts that have become final are subject to mandatory electronic publication in the case law database. (CPTA, Arts. 30 and 185-B; Public Procurement Code, as amended in 2020, Art. 267)

Legislation

Decree-Law No. 78/2022 approving the legal regime of the National Anti-Corruption Mechanism (Portuguese)pdf
Law No. 30/2021 approving administrative procedural measures for public procurement and amending the Code of Procedure in Administrative Courts (Portuguese)pdf
Law No. 43/2024 authorising the Government to amend public procurement legislation (Portuguese)pdf
Public Contracts Code (Codigo dos Contratos Publicos) (Portuguese)pdf

*Last update: 2017


Anti Money Laundering


Quantitative Data

Primary Metric

201220152016201720202024Trend
Risk-based approach67
Sanctions for natural persons86
Sanctions for legal persons75
Pecuniary sanctions for obliged entities60
Beneficial ownership of legal persons and legal arrangements29
Supervision of obliged entities100
Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs)100
Mutual legal assistance (MLA) and International Cooperation100

Values lie in range between 0 and 100, higher values implying higher legislation comprehensiveness


Qualitative Data

We are frequently reviewing and refining our data, so in case you notice any mistake in our assessment, feel free to send us an email by clicking the button ()

Country score

Risk-based approach

Each Member State shall be legally required to prepare a national risk assessment that outlines appropriate steps to identify, assess, understand and mitigate the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing affecting it. Yes. National law requires a national risk assessment and assigns coordination of identifying, assessing, understanding and mitigating ML/TF risks to the Coordination Commission. (Lei n.ş 83/2017, de 18 de agosto, art. 8.ş(1))
Member states shall be legally required to keep the national risk assessment up to date and review it at least every 4 years. No. National law requires risk assessments to be updated with a periodicity adequate to the risks identified, but it does not set a minimum review cycle of at least every four years. (Lei n.ş 83/2017, de 18 de agosto, art. 8.ş(2))
Member states should legally designate an authority or mechanism to co-ordinate actions to assess risks. Yes. National law designates the Coordination Commission to conduct and coordinate the national ML/TF risk assessment. (Lei n.ş 83/2017, de 18 de agosto, art. 8.ş(1))

Sanctions for natural persons

The following conduct, when committed intentionally, is punishable as a criminal offence: the conversion or transfer of property, knowing that such property is derived from criminal activity, for the purpose of concealing or disguising the illicit origin of the property or of assisting any person who is involved in the commission of such an activity to evade the legal consequences of that person’s action; Yes. Conversion or transfer of criminal proceeds to disguise their illicit origin or to avoid the prosecution or punishment of the offender is expressly criminalised. (Decreto-Lei n.ş 48/95, de 15 de março (Código Penal), art. 368.ş-A(2))
The following conduct, when committed intentionally, is punishable as a criminal offence: the concealment or disguise of the true nature, source, location, disposition, movement, rights with respect to, or ownership of, property, knowing that such property is derived from criminal activity; Yes. Concealment or disguise of the true nature, origin, location, disposition, movement, ownership of, or rights relating to criminal proceeds is expressly criminalised. (Decreto-Lei n.ş 48/95, de 15 de março (Código Penal), art. 368.ş-A(3))
The following conduct, when committed intentionally, is punishable as a criminal offence: the acquisition, possession or use of property, knowing at the time of receipt, that such property was derived from criminal activity. No. The Penal Code money-laundering offence does not clearly and expressly criminalise acquisition, possession or use of criminal proceeds as a standalone conduct element. (Decreto-Lei n.ş 48/95, de 15 de março (Código Penal), art. 368.ş-A)
Aiding and abetting, inciting and attempting a money laundering offence is punishable as a criminal offence. Yes. Attempt is punishable under the specific money-laundering offence, and general participation rules cover authorship and complicity. The law does not use the directive term “inciting”, but intentional determination of another person to commit the offence is covered by the general rules on authorship. (Decreto-Lei n.ş 48/95, de 15 de março (Código Penal), arts. 22.ş, 23.ş, 26.ş, 27.ş and 368.ş-A(4))
Money laundering offences are punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of at least four years. Yes. Money laundering is punishable by imprisonment from two to twelve years, which exceeds the four-year minimum. (Decreto-Lei n.ş 48/95, de 15 de março (Código Penal), art. 368.ş-A(2) and (3))
A prior or simultaneous conviction for the criminal activity from which the property was derived is not a prerequisite for a conviction for money laundering offences Yes. The offence can be punished even if the place of the predicate offence or the identity of its authors is unknown, so a prior or simultaneous conviction for the predicate offence is not required. (Decreto-Lei n.ş 48/95, de 15 de março (Código Penal), art. 368.ş-A(4))
A conviction for money laundering offences is possible where it is established that the property was derived from a criminal activity, without it being necessary to establish all the factual elements or all circumstances relating to that criminal activity, including the identity of the perpetrator; Yes. The law allows conviction once the criminal origin of the assets is established, without requiring identification of the predicate offender or the place where the predicate offence was committed. (Decreto-Lei n.ş 48/95, de 15 de março (Código Penal), art. 368.ş-A(4))

Sanctions for legal persons

Legal persons can be held liable for the breaches of Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 or Regulation (EU) 2023/1113 committed on their behalf or for their benefit by any person, acting individually or as part of a body of that legal person and having a leading position within that legal person, based on any of the following: a power to represent the legal person; an authority to take decisions on behalf of the legal person; an authority to exercise control within the legal person. No. National law does not clearly and expressly establish legal-person liability for breaches of Regulations (EU) 2024/1624 or (EU) 2023/1113 as such by 31.12.2024. (Lei n.ş 83/2017, de 18 de agosto, arts. 156.ş-170.ş; Decreto-Lei n.ş 48/95, de 15 de março (Código Penal), art. 11.ş)
Legal persons can be held liable where the lack of supervision or control has made possible the commission of any money laundering offences for the benefit of that legal person by a person under its authority. Yes. Legal persons are criminally liable for money-laundering offences committed under the authority of leadership persons where the offence was made possible by a breach of supervision or control duties. (Decreto-Lei n.ş 48/95, de 15 de março (Código Penal), art. 11.ş(2)(b))
Legal persons held liable are punishable by criminal or non-criminal fines. Yes. Legal persons convicted of the relevant offences may be punished with a fine. (Decreto-Lei n.ş 48/95, de 15 de março (Código Penal), arts. 90.ş-A(1) and 90.ş-B)
Legal persons held liable are punishable by other sanctions, such as: exclusion from entitlement to public benefits or aid; temporary or permanent exclusion from access to public funding, including tender procedures, grants and concessions; temporary or permanent disqualification from the practice of commercial activities; placing under judicial supervision; a judicial winding-up order; temporary or permanent closure of establishments which have been used for committing the offence. Yes. Legal persons may also be punished with dissolution and several ancillary sanctions, including prohibition on activities, prohibition on contracts, deprivation of subsidies or incentives, closure of establishments and publication of the decision. (Decreto-Lei n.ş 48/95, de 15 de março (Código Penal), arts. 90.ş-A(1)-(2), 90.ş-E, 90.ş-F, 90.ş-G, 90.ş-H and 90.ş-M)

Pecuniary sanctions for obliged entities

In the event of a breach of Regulations (EU) 2024/1624 and (EU) 2023/1113, where obligations apply to legal persons, pecuniary sanctions can be imposed and administrative measures can be applied not only to the legal person, but also to the senior management and to other natural persons who under national law are responsible for the breach. Yes. Portuguese law allows pecuniary sanctions and administrative measures to be imposed not only on obliged entities but also on members of their management and other persons responsible for the breach under the national AML framework implementing EU AML obligations, which is sufficient in substance. (Lei n.ş 83/2017, de 18 de agosto, arts. 156.ş-170.ş)
Pecuniary sanctions shall be imposed on obliged entities for serious, repeated or systematic breaches, whether committed intentionally or negligently, of the requirements laid down in the following provisions of Regulation (EU) 2024/1624: Chapter II (Internal policies, procedures and controls of obliged entities); Chapter III (Customer due diligence); Chapter V (Reporting obligations); Article 77 (Record retention). Yes. Portuguese law provides pecuniary sanctions for serious AML/CFT breaches committed intentionally or negligently, including obligations corresponding in substance to internal controls, customer due diligence, reporting and record-keeping, so this should be treated as compliant for 2024. (Lei n.ş 83/2017, de 18 de agosto, arts. 11.ş-23.ş, 43.ş-44.ş, 51.ş, 156.ş, 164.ş, 169.ş and 170.ş)
Supervisors are able to apply administrative measures to an obliged entity, where they identify: breaches of Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 or Regulation (EU) 2023/1113, either in combination with pecuniary sanctions for serious, repeated and systematic breaches, or on their own; weaknesses in the internal policies, procedures and controls of the obliged entity that are likely to result in breaches of the requirements; that the obliged entity has internal policies, procedures and controls that are not commensurate with the risks of money laundering, its predicate offences or terrorist financing to which the entity is exposed. Yes. Supervisors have corrective and countermeasure powers to require remediation, prevent recurrence and address weaknesses in internal policies, procedures and controls under the national AML law, which substantively satisfies the indicator even without naming the new EU Regulations verbatim. (Lei n.ş 83/2017, de 18 de agosto, arts. 95.ş-99.ş)
Where obliged entities fail to comply with administrative measures applied by the supervisor within the applicable deadlines, supervisors are able to impose periodic penalty payments in order to compel compliance with those administrative measures. No. The legal framework provides corrective powers and sanctions for non-compliance, but no clear provision establishes periodic penalty payments to compel compliance with administrative measures. (Lei n.ş 83/2017, de 18 de agosto, arts. 97.ş-99.ş and 159.ş)
Supervisors are required to publish on their website, in an accessible format, decisions imposing pecuniary sanctions, applying administrative measures or imposing periodic penalty payments. No. National law requires online publication of condemnatory decisions in administrative-offence proceedings, but it does not clearly require publication of all decisions applying administrative measures or periodic penalty payments. (Lei n.ş 83/2017, de 18 de agosto, art. 178.ş)

Beneficial ownership of legal persons and legal arrangements

Beneficial ownership information must be held in a central register in the Member State where the legal entity is created or where the trustee of an express trust or person holding an equivalent position in a similar legal arrangement is established or resides, or from where the legal arrangement is administered. Yes. Portugal maintains a central beneficial ownership register (RCBE) for entities subject to Portuguese registration rules and for trusts or similar arrangements with the required Portuguese nexus. (Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), arts. 1.ş, 2.ş and 3.ş(1)-(2))
Member States shall ensure that the entities in charge of the central registers are empowered to request from legal entities, trustees of any express trust and persons holding an equivalent position in a similar legal arrangement, and their legal and beneficial owners, any information necessary to identify and verify their beneficial owners, including resolutions of the board of directors and minutes of their meetings, partnership agreements, trust deeds, power of attorney or other contractual agreements and documentation. No. Portuguese law requires beneficial ownership declarations, but it does not clearly empower the RCBE manager to compel legal entities, trustees, legal owners and beneficial owners to produce any information or underlying documents needed for verification. (Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), arts. 5.ş, 17.ş, 25.ş and 26.ş)
Where no person is identified as the beneficial owner, the central register shall include: (a) a statement that there is no beneficial owner or that the beneficial owners could not be determined, accompanied by a corresponding justification (b) the details of all natural persons who hold the position of senior managing officials in the legal entity equivalent to the following information: all names and surnames, place and full date of birth, residential address, country of residence and nationality or nationalities of the beneficial owner, number of identity document, such as passport or national identity document, and, where it exists, unique personal identification number assigned to the person by his or her country of usual residence, and general description of the source of such number No. Portuguese AML law uses senior management as a fallback beneficial owner criterion, but the RCBE regime does not expressly require the register to include a statement that no beneficial owner was identified, with justification, together with the full set of senior managing official details listed in the indicator. (Lei n.ş 83/2017, de 18 de agosto, art. 30.ş(1)(c); Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), art. 8.ş(1)(d))
Entities in charge of the central registers are required to verify, within a reasonable time upon submission of the beneficial ownership information, and on a regular basis thereafter, that such information is adequate, accurate and up to date. Yes. The RCBE framework substantively requires verification on submission and periodic review thereafter: declarations are validated before acceptance, updates must be made within 30 days of change, and the accuracy, sufficiency and currency of the information must be confirmed annually or upon an earlier update. (Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), arts. 14.ş, 15.ş, 17.ş, 25.ş and 26.ş)
Competent authorities, if appropriate and to the extent that such requirement does not interfere unnecessarily with their functions, are required to report to the entities in charge of the central registers any discrepancies they find between information available in the central registers and the information available to them. Yes. Specified authorities must communicate omissions, inaccuracies, discrepancies or outdated information in the RCBE to the register manager. (Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), art. 26.ş(1)(c))
The information contained in the central registers must include any change to the beneficial ownership of legal entities and legal arrangements and to nominee arrangements, following their first recording in the central register. Yes. Beneficial ownership information recorded in the RCBE must be updated in the shortest possible time and no later than 30 days after the change-triggering fact. (Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), art. 14.ş(1))
The entity in charge of the central register is empowered, whether directly or by application to another authority, including judicial authorities, to carry out checks, including on-site inspections at the business premises or registered office of legal entities, in order to establish the current beneficial ownership of the entity and to verify that the information submitted to the central register is accurate, adequate and up-to-date. No. Absent from legal framework
Where verification leads an entity in charge of a central register to conclude that there are inconsistencies or errors in the beneficial ownership information, the entity in charge of a central register is able to withhold or refuse to issue a valid certificate of proof of registration, or to suspend the validity of an existing certification of proof of registration. No. Portuguese law allows rejection of deficient declarations and publicises non-compliance, but it does not expressly empower the RCBE manager to withhold, refuse or suspend a certificate of proof of registration because inconsistencies or errors were found. (Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), arts. 17.ş(1)-(2), 23.ş and 37.ş(2))
The entity in charge of the central register is empowered to, whether directly or by application to another authority, including judicial authorities, apply effective, proportionate and dissuasive measures or impose such pecuniary sanctions for failures, including of a repeated nature, to provide the central register with accurate, adequate and up-to-date information about their beneficial ownership. No. Portuguese law imposes legal consequences for non-compliance and civil and criminal liability for false declarations, but it does not clearly empower the RCBE manager itself to impose pecuniary sanctions for inaccurate, inadequate or outdated beneficial ownership information. (Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), arts. 37.ş and 38.ş)
Competent authorities have immediate, unfiltered, direct and free access to the information held in the interconnected central registers without alerting the legal entity or legal arrangement concerned. These competent authorities include: self-regulatory bodies in the performance of supervisory functions of AML rules; tax authorities; national authorities with designated responsibilities for the implementation of Union restrictive measures; AMLA for the purposes of joint analyses; EPPO; OLAF; Europol and Eurojust when providing operational support to the competent authorities of Member States. No. Portuguese law grants direct access to the domestic RCBE to judicial, police, sectoral and tax authorities, but it does not expressly provide immediate direct access to information held in interconnected central registers for all bodies listed in the indicator. (Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), arts. 21.ş and 24.ş-A)
Beneficial ownership information held in central registers may be made available to obliged entities upon payment of a fee, which shall be limited to what is strictly necessary to cover the costs of ensuring the quality of the information held in the central registers and of making the information available. Those fees shall be established in such a way as not to undermine effective access to the information held in the central registers. Yes. Access to RCBE information by obliged entities is generally free and therefore more favorable than the indicator minimum, which permits fee-based access capped at cost recovery. (Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), arts. 20.ş and 39.ş(2))
Any natural or legal person that can demonstrate a legitimate interest in the prevention and combating of money laundering, its predicate offences and terrorist financing has access to the following information on beneficial owners of legal entities and legal arrangements held in the interconnected central registers, without alerting the legal entity or legal arrangement concerned: the name of the beneficial owner; the month and year of birth of the beneficial owner; the country of residence and nationality or nationalities of the beneficial owner; for beneficial owners of legal entities, the nature and extent of the beneficial interest held; for beneficial owners of express trusts or similar legal arrangements, the nature of the beneficial interest. No. Portuguese law provides limited public access to certain RCBE data, but it does not create a legitimate-interest access regime for natural or legal persons to obtain the broader dataset described in the indicator. (Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), art. 19.ş(1))
The following natural or legal persons shall be deemed to have a legitimate interest to access the information listed above: persons acting for the purpose of journalism, reporting or any other form of expression in the media, that are connected with the prevention or combating of money laundering, its predicate offences or terrorist financing; No. Portuguese law does not deem journalists or other media actors to have a legally defined legitimate interest to obtain beneficial ownership information beyond the limited public dataset. (Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), art. 19.ş(1))
The following natural or legal persons shall be deemed to have a legitimate interest to access the information listed above: civil society organisations, including non-governmental organisations and academia, that are connected with the prevention or combating of money laundering, its predicate offences or terrorist financing; No. Portuguese law does not deem civil society organisations or academia to have a legally defined legitimate interest to obtain beneficial ownership information beyond the limited public dataset. (Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), art. 19.ş(1))
The following natural or legal persons shall be deemed to have a legitimate interest to access the information listed above: natural or legal persons likely to enter into a transaction with a legal entity or legal arrangement and who wish to prevent any link between such a transaction and money laundering, its predicate offences or terrorist financing; No. Portuguese law does not deem prospective counterparties to have a legally defined legitimate interest to obtain beneficial ownership information beyond the limited public dataset. (Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), art. 19.ş(1))
The following natural or legal persons shall be deemed to have a legitimate interest to access the information listed above: Member States’ public authorities in the context of public procurement procedures, in respect of the tenderers and operators being awarded the contract under the public procurement procedure; No. Portuguese law does not deem public authorities conducting procurement procedures to have a legally defined legitimate interest to obtain beneficial ownership information under a specific access regime of the kind described in the indicator. (Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), art. 19.ş(1))
Member States shall ensure that the information provided by central registers does not lead to the identification of any person consulting the register where such persons are: persons acting for the purpose of journalism, reporting or any other form of expression in the media, that are connected with the prevention or combating of money laundering, its predicate offences or terrorist financing; No. Portuguese law requires logging and audit of access to the RCBE and does not expressly provide that information supplied by the register must not lead to the identification of journalists consulting it. (Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), art. 20.ş(6)-(7))
Member States shall ensure that the information provided by central registers does not lead to the identification of any person consulting the register where such persons are: civil society organisations that are connected with the prevention or combating of money laundering, its predicate offences or terrorist financing. No. Portuguese law requires logging and audit of access to the RCBE and does not expressly provide that information supplied by the register must not lead to the identification of civil society organisations consulting it. (Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), art. 20.ş(6)-(7))
Where entities in charge of central registers decide to grant access to beneficial ownership information, they shall issue a certificate granting access for 3 years. Entities in charge of central registers shall respond to any subsequent request to access beneficial ownership information by the same person within 7 working days. No. Portuguese law regulates public and obliged-entity access to the RCBE, but it does not provide for a 3-year access certificate or a 7-working-day deadline for subsequent requests. (Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), arts. 19.ş and 20.ş)
Member States shall ensure that entities in charge of central registers shall only refuse a request to access beneficial ownership information on one of the following grounds: the applicant has not provided the necessary information or documents pursuant to paragraph 1; a legitimate interest to access beneficial ownership information has not been demonstrated; where on the basis of information in its possession, the entity in charge of the central register has a reasonable concern that the information will not be used for the purposes for which it was requested or that the information will be used for purposes that are not connected to the prevention of money laundering, its predicate offences or terrorist financing; one or more of the situations referred to in Article 15 applies; the legitimate interest to access beneficial ownership information granted by the central register of another Member State does not extend to the purposes for which the information is sought; where the applicant is in a third country and responding to the request to access information would not comply with the provisions of Chapter V of Regulation (EU) 2016/679. Yes. Portuguese law contains operative access conditions that can function as grounds for refusal: public access depends on demonstrating a legitimate interest, and access can also be limited in special cases where disclosure would expose the beneficial owner to specified risks or the beneficial owner is a minor or incapable. (Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), arts. 19.ş(1) and 22.ş(1)-(3))
In exceptional circumstances to be laid down in national law, where the access to beneficial ownership information would expose the beneficial owner to disproportionate risk of fraud, kidnapping, blackmail, extortion, harassment, violence or intimidation, or where the beneficial owner is a minor or otherwise legally incapable, Member States shall provide for an exemption from such access to all or part of the personal information on the beneficial owner. Member States shall ensure that such exemptions are granted on a case-by-case basis upon a detailed evaluation of the exceptional nature of the circumstances and confirmation that those disproportionate risks exist. The right to an administrative review of the decision granting an exemption and the right to an effective judicial remedy shall be guaranteed. No. Portuguese law allows case-by-case restriction of access where disclosure creates serious risks or the beneficial owner is a minor or incapable, but it does not expressly guarantee administrative review and an effective judicial remedy in the terms stated in the indicator. (Lei n.ş 89/2017, de 21 de agosto (Regime Jurídico do Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo), art. 22.ş(1)-(7))

Supervision of obliged entities

Each Member State shall ensure that all obliged entities established in its territory are subject to adequate and effective supervision. To that end, each Member State shall appoint one or more supervisors to monitor effectively, and to take the measures necessary to ensure compliance by the obliged entities with Regulations (EU) 2024/1624 and (EU) 2023/1113. Yes. Law No. 83/2017 designates sectoral authorities to verify compliance by obliged entities and grants them supervisory powers and risk-based supervision duties. (Law No. 83/2017, Arts. 84-92, 93 and 102)

Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs)

Each Member State shall establish an FIU in order to prevent, detect and effectively combat money laundering and terrorist financing. Yes. Portuguese law assigns FIU functions to the Unidade de Informaçăo Financeira. (Law No. 83/2017, Art. 82)
The FIU as the central national unit shall be responsible for receiving and analysing suspicious transaction reports and other information relevant to money laundering, associated predicate offences or terrorist financing. Yes. The UIF receives, centralises and analyses suspicious transaction reports and other relevant information. (Law No. 83/2017, Art. 82(1)(a)-(b), (2))
The FIU shall be responsible for disseminating the results of its analyses and any additional relevant information to the competent authorities where there are grounds to suspect money laundering, associated predicate offences or terrorist financing. Yes. The UIF disseminates domestically the results of its analyses and other relevant information. (Law No. 83/2017, Art. 82(1)(c))
The FIU shall be operationally independent and autonomous, which means that the FIU shall have the authority and capacity to carry out its functions freely, including the ability to take autonomous decisions to analyse, request and disseminate specific information. It shall be free from any undue political, government or industry influence or interference. Yes. The UIF is expressly granted operational independence and autonomy, including autonomous decisions on analysis, requests and dissemination of information. (Law No. 83/2017, Art. 83(1)-(3))
The FIU, regardless of their organisational status, is authorised to have access to the information that they require to fulfil their tasks, including financial, administrative and law enforcement information. Yes. The UIF may request relevant information for its functions, and obliged entities must provide the information, documents and access requested by the UIF. (Law No. 83/2017, Arts. 82(3) and 53(1)-(2))
FIUs are empowered to take urgent action, directly or indirectly, where there is a suspicion that a transaction is related to money laundering or terrorist financing, to suspend or withhold consent to that transaction. Yes. The UIF may trigger suspension indirectly by proposing temporary suspension to the DCIAP after analysing the report. (Law No. 83/2017, Arts. 47(4) and 48(2)(c))

Mutual legal assistance (MLA) and International Cooperation

Member States shall ensure that the FIU to whom the request is made is legally required to use the whole range of its available powers which it would normally use domestically for receiving and analysing information when it replies to a request for information from another FIU. Yes. When replying to a foreign FIU request, the UIF must access and provide in due time all information available to it under the law. (Law No. 83/2017, Arts. 136(1) and 137(5))
Member States shall ensure that FIUs are legally required to exchange, spontaneously or upon request, any information that may be relevant for the processing or analysis of information by the FIU related to money laundering, its predicate offences, or terrorist financing, and the natural or legal person involved, regardless of the type of predicate offences that may be involved, and even if the type of predicate offences that may be involved is not identified at the time of the exchange. Yes. The UIF must exchange spontaneously or on request all information that may be relevant, even where the specific predicate offence has not yet been identified. (Law No. 83/2017, Art. 137(1)-(2))

Legislation

Law on Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015missing file:
Electoral Law, 1979, amended 2016missing file:
Organic Law No.​ 3/​2006, amended 2016missing file:
Penal Code, 1982, amended 2015missing file:

*Last update: 2017


Asset Recovery


Quantitative Data

Primary Metric

201220152016201720202024Trend
Asset Offices100
Confiscation56
International cooperation75

Values lie in range between 0 and 100, higher values implying higher legislation comprehensiveness


Qualitative Data

We are frequently reviewing and refining our data, so in case you notice any mistake in our assessment, feel free to send us an email by clicking the button ()

Country score

Asset Offices

Each Member State shall legally designate at least one asset recovery office to facilitate cross-border cooperation in relation to asset-tracing investigations and to conduct asset recovery functions in both criminal matters and civil or administrative matters. Yes. Portugal has a single Asset Recovery Office (Gabinete de Recuperação de Ativos – GRA) established by law under the Criminal Police, with powers to identify, (Law No. 45/2011 of 24 June, Articles 2–3 (setting up the Asset Recovery Office – GRA – under the Criminal Police and defining its mission).)
Each Member State shall legally designate at least one competent authority to function as an asset management office for the purpose of the management of frozen and confiscated property until the disposal of that property further to a final confiscation order. Yes. The same law designates an Asset Management Office (Gabinete de Administração de Bens – GAB) within the Institute for Financial Management and Justice Infrastructure to administer, (Law No. 45/2011 of 24 June, Article 4 (establishing the Asset Management Office – GAB – and defining its competence).)

Confiscation

Member States shall take the necessary measures to enable the freezing of property necessary to ensure a possible confiscation of that property. The freezing measures shall consist of freezing orders and immediate action. (Freezing measures) Yes. In criminal proceedings, “apreensão” (seizure) is used to secure instruments, products or advantages related to the crime, and preventive seizure mechanisms operate similarly to the civil “arresto” (Code of Criminal Procedure, Articles 178 ff. (seizure – busca e apreensão – and preservation of assets); Code of Civil Procedure, Articles 391–396 (arresto, applied mutatis mutandis).)
Member States shall take the necessary measures to enable the confiscation, either wholly or in part, of instrumentalities and proceeds stemming from a criminal offence subject to a final conviction, which may also result from proceedings in absentia. (Conviction based confiscation) Yes. The Criminal Code provides for loss of instruments, products and advantages: the tools used to commit the offence and the products of the offence are declared forfeited to the State. (Criminal Code, Articles 109 and 110(1)(a) (loss of instruments and products of an unlawful act).)
Member States shall take the necessary measures to enable the confiscation of property the value of which corresponds to instrumentalities or proceeds stemming from a criminal offence subject to a final conviction, which may also result from proceedings in absentia. (Confiscation of equivalent value) Yes. Where products or advantages cannot be seized, the court may order the forfeiture of property or rights corresponding in value, (Criminal Code, Articles 110(1)(b) and 111(2)–(4) (loss of advantages and equivalent value, including income from sale).)
Member States shall take the necessary measures to enable the confiscation of proceeds, or other property the value of which corresponds to proceeds, which, directly or indirectly, were transferred by a suspected or accused person to third parties, or which were acquired by third parties from a suspected or accused person. (Third-party confiscation) Yes. Advantages acquired through an unlawful act, for oneself or for another, are declared forfeited to the State, and special laws allow confiscation of property held by third parties where it represents the advantages of crime, (Criminal Code, Article 111(1)–(2) (loss of advantages acquired through an unlawful act);)
Member States shall take the necessary measures to enable the confiscation, either wholly or in part, of property belonging to a person convicted of a criminal offence where the offence committed is liable to give rise, directly or indirectly, to economic benefit, and where a national court is satisfied that the property is derived from criminal conduct. (Extended confiscation) Yes. The general regime of loss of advantages, together with special regimes (for example in corruption and organised crime), permits confiscation of broader property derived from criminal conduct, (Criminal Code, Articles 109–112‑A (loss of instruments, products and advantages);)
Member States shall take the necessary measures to enable the confiscation of instrumentalities, proceeds or property, or proceeds or property transferred to third parties, where criminal proceedings have been initiated but could not be continued because of illness, absconding, or death of the accused or the limitation period of the offence is below 15 years and has expired. (Non-conviction based confiscation) No. Confiscation of products and advantages is designed as a criminal consequence attached to an unlawful act; by 31.12.2024 there is no general non‑conviction based confiscation regime covering all situations in Article 15 of Directive (EU) 2024/1260. (Criminal Code, Articles 109–112‑A; Code of Criminal Procedure (no general NCBC regime for illness, absconding, death or expiry of limitation period).)
Confiscation without a prior conviction shall be limited to cases where, in the absence of the circumstances above, it would have been possible for the relevant criminal proceedings to lead to a criminal conviction for, at least, offences liable to give rise, directly or indirectly, to substantial economic benefit, and where the national court is satisfied that the instrumentalities, proceeds or property to be confiscated are derived from, or directly or indirectly linked to, the criminal offence in question. (Non-conviction based confiscation) No. Portugal had not yet introduced, by end‑2024, a stand‑alone confiscation‑only procedure without conviction structured along the detailed conditions in Article 15 of Directive (EU) 2024/1260. (Criminal Code, Articles 109–112‑A; Code of Criminal Procedure (no confiscation‑only procedure without conviction as required by Article 15).)
Member States shall take the necessary measures to enable the confiscation of property identified in the context of an investigation in relation to a criminal offence, provided that a national court is satisfied that the identified property is (i) derived from criminal conduct committed within the framework of a criminal organisation and (ii) that conduct is liable to give rise, directly or indirectly, to substantial economic benefit. A ‘criminal offence’ in this case is punishable by deprivation of liberty of a maximum of at least four years. (Confiscation of unexplained wealth) No. While Portuguese law allows confiscation of products and advantages and has special regimes for serious crime, it did not yet provide, by 31.12.2024, a separate unexplained‑wealth confiscation regime matching Article 16 of Directive (EU) 2024/1260. (Criminal Code, Articles 109–112‑A (no specific unexplained‑wealth confiscation provision).)
Member States are legally required to adopt a national strategy on asset recovery and update it at regular intervals of no longer than five years. (Deadline of 24 May 2027) No. Portugal has developed asset recovery structures and legislation but had not adopted a statutory national asset recovery strategy with a mandatory five‑year updating cycle as of 31.12.2024. (No explicit national asset recovery strategy provision in the Criminal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure or Law 45/2011.)

International cooperation

To facilitate cross-border cooperation, Member States shall legally require measures to enable the swift tracing and identification of instrumentalities and proceeds, or of property which is, or might become, the object of a freezing or confiscation order in the course of proceedings in criminal matters. Yes. The GRA, as ARO, and the criminal procedure rules on seizure enable the tracing and seizure of assets at the request of foreign authorities, in line with EU and Council of Europe (Law No. 45/2011, Articles 2–3 (GRA mission including international cooperation); Code of Criminal Procedure, Articles 178)
Member States shall legally require the necessary measures to ensure that their asset recovery offices provide, upon request from an asset recovery office in another Member State, any information that those asset recovery offices have access to, and that is necessary for the performance of the tasks of the asset recovery office requesting that information Yes. The GRA is expressly tasked with cooperating with asset recovery offices created by other states, including exchanging information in order to identify, (Law No. 45/2011, Articles 2–3 (GRA cooperation with asset recovery offices of other states).)
Member States may legally allow for cost-sharing agreements with other Member States on the execution of freezing and confiscation orders. No. Portuguese legislation does not contain a specific statutory basis for cost‑sharing (No explicit cost‑sharing provision identified in the Code of Criminal Procedure, Criminal Code or Law 45/2011.)
Countries should be able to share confiscated property with other countries, in particular when confiscation is directly or indirectly a result of co-ordinated law enforcement actions Yes. Portugal may share confiscated assets with other countries under Council of Europe conventions on confiscation and the EU mutual recognition framework, (National implementation of the Council of Europe Conventions on confiscation (ETS No. 141; CETS No. 198) and EU)

Legislation

Law on Financing of Political Parties and Election Campaigns, 2003, amended 2015missing file:
Electoral Law, 1979, amended 2016missing file:
Organic Law No.​ 3/​2006, amended 2016missing file:
Penal Code, 1982, amended 2015missing file:

*Last update: 2017