Guides
Charging an Electric Car in Portugal
How public charging works in Portugal: the MOBI.E network, how to pay, what a charge costs, and charging at home or in an apartment building.
The Portugal Brief
Immigration
Two Migration Bills Walk Out of the 7 May Council of Ministers — Lisbon Transposes the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum and the External-Borders Control Framework Ahead of the Pact's June 2026 Application Window
On 7 May the Council of Ministers approved two propostas de lei transposing the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum — an asylum reform with relocation/resettlement mechanisms, and a borders bill introducing mandatory triagem and the Single Permit.
Health
Conselho de Ministros Approves Three SNS Doctor Decree-Laws on 7 May — Tarefeiro Contracts Made 'Excecional', Urgência Bonus Reaches 80.5% Above the 250-Hour Cap, INEM Reorganised as a Special-Regime Institute
The 7 May Council of Ministers approved a three-decree-law SNS package: prestação de serviços becomes excecional, the urgência bonus reaches up to 80.5% of base pay above the 250-hour annual cap in 48-hour blocks, and INEM is reorganised as a regime-especial institute.
Guides
Choosing Private Health Insurance in Portugal
Whether you need private health insurance, what visa applicants must show, waiting periods, pre-existing conditions, your rights, and the tax relief.
Healthcare
IGAS Confirms Ex-SNS Director Gandra D'Almeida Breached Accumulation Rules at INEM and DE-SNS — 200k Euros at 50€/Hour, 70-Plus Weekly Hours, Payments Through His Own Company — No Sanction Because Military Status Sits Outside the LTFP
IGAS's 8 May report concludes ex-SNS executive director António Gandra D'Almeida breached public-function accumulation rules at INEM and at DE-SNS — 200k+ euros earned, 70+ weekly hours, payments to own company. No sanction: military status keeps him outside the LTFP.
Housing
Portugal's Young-Buyer Housing Guarantee Walks Into Its December 2026 Cliff With 32,338 Contracts Signed and 905 Million Euros Drawn — Banco de Portugal Drafts a Macroprudential Brake While BCP and BPI Press for an Extension
Portugal's 100%-LTV public guarantee for under-35 buyers has financed 32,338 contracts and 6.548 billion euros in 15 months. The scheme expires 31 December 2026. BdP is drafting a macroprudential brake; BCP and BPI want an extension.
Caixa Geral de Depósitos
Caixa Geral de Depósitos Closes Q1 2026 With €397 Million in Profit and 213 Fewer Workers — 24%-Plus Mortgage Share, NPLs at 1.38% and CET1 Above 21% as the State Bank Marks Its 150th Anniversary
Caixa Geral de Depósitos closed the first quarter of 2026 with a consolidated net profit of €397 million, up 1% on the same period in 2025, and a Portuguese headcount that was