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Porto Tenders 2.4 Million Euros for a Cycle Route to Matosinhos, and Roughly a Fifth of It Shares the Road With Cars

Nine point one kilometres from the Trindade metro station to Leça do Balio, in two lots that may go to different contractors. Bids close at midnight on 31 October.

The Portugal Brief 19 Sep 2026

A view over the rooftops of Alcanena in Santarém district, orange tiles and white houses with the low serra rising behind under a clear blue sky

The Free Creche Programme Says 97 Percent of Applications Have a Place, and the Money That Built It Has Run Out

More than 19,000 free places since April 2024 and capacity above 141,000 children. The State now pays 551.50 euros a month for each free place, and the recovery-plan funding behind the expansion is spent.

The Portugal Brief 19 Sep 2026

Departures signage in Portuguese and English inside Terminal 1 of Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport

Taking a Child Out of Portugal in 2026: A Practical Guide to the Autorização de Saída de Menor, When One Parent Is Enough, and the Certified Signature the Border Asks For

When a minor needs written permission to leave Portugal and when they do not, what the law requires the document to say, the one-year ceiling on its validity, who can certify the signature, and why the airline becomes the gatekeeper inside Schengen.

The Portugal Brief 19 Sep 2026

The carved stone lettering Supremo Tribunal de Justiça above the wrought-iron entrance gate of Portugal's Supreme Court in Lisbon

A Domestic Violence Victim's Pre-Trial Statement Now Stands Even If They Refuse to Testify, Portugal's Supreme Court Has Ruled

Acórdão do Supremo Tribunal de Justiça n.º 6/2026, published on Friday, fixes case law: a court may weigh declarações para memória futura taken before a judge during the investigation even when the victim later exercises the right to refuse to give evidence at trial.

The Portugal Brief 19 Sep 2026

The Urgência entrance of the Hospital de São José in Lisbon, with ambulances queued beneath the red sign and the Castelo de São Jorge on the hill behind

Half the Foreign Visitors Treated in Portugal's Emergency Rooms Carry No Cover, and the Health Inspectorate Wants the Fee Taken at the Door

IGAS has asked two Local Health Units to consider charging non-residents on entry to the emergency department rather than at discharge, and to add a compulsory check-out point. Its own survey found 92,189 non-residents treated in nine months of 2024, 49.3 percent with no cover at all.

The Portugal Brief 19 Sep 2026

Cars parked along a tree-lined Lisbon street beside a blue parking sign

The Cartão de Estacionamento for People With Disabilities in Portugal in 2026: A Practical Guide to the 60 Percent Threshold, the Free Ten-Year Card, and Where It Is Recognised Across the EU

Portugal's disabled parking card is free, lasts ten years and is recognised across the European Union. It is also narrower than most people assume. Who qualifies, what the medical certificate has to say, how to apply, and what the card actually lets you do.

The Portugal Brief 18 Sep 2026

Light trails from evening traffic on a multi-lane road through Lisbon

From 29 November, Europe Starts Counting the Particles That Come Off Your Brakes and Tyres, Not Just Your Exhaust

Euro 7 applies from 29 November, but only to newly approved model types. It puts the first legal limits on brake and tyre particles, sets a floor under electric car battery capacity, and reaches every new car registered in Portugal a year later.

The Portugal Brief 18 Sep 2026

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