General Daily Briefing — Wednesday, 01 July 2026
Getting a Portuguese Mobile Phone Plan in 2026 — A Practical Guide to Prepaid vs Contract SIMs, MEO/NOS/Vodafone/Digi, Number Portability, the NIF Requirement and eSIMs
You need a Portuguese mobile number for MB Way, the Chave Movel Digital and everyday two-factor logins. A practical guide to prepaid vs contract SIMs, MEO/NOS/Vodafone/Digi, number portability, eSIMs, EU roaming and what it costs in 2026.
Flying a Drone in Portugal in 2026 — A Practical Guide to ANAC Operator Registration, the EASA Open-Category A1/A2/A3 Tracks, the Pilot Exams and the Geozones You Cannot Fly In
Camera drone in your luggage? Portugal applies the EU/EASA rules through ANAC. Our 2026 guide covers operator registration, the 250g and camera triggers, the A1/A2/A3 Open-category tracks, the online pilot exams and the airport and heliport…
Here is your Portugal briefing for Wednesday, 01 July 2026 — the day's seven stories at a glance:
- Parcels from non-EU retailers like Shein and Temu lose Portugal's €150 duty-free exemption and gain a €3 customs handling charge from 1 July.
- Overseas pensioners can no longer prove they are alive by post or email and have until 15 September to use the recognised channels.
- Category B learner drivers may now train with an experienced private tutor rather than only a paid instructor under a rule that took effect this month.
- Alstom broke ground on a roughly €28 million Matosinhos factory that will build 81 of CP's 153 new trains.
- Two new DGRSP prison-and-probation careers will lift pay by up to €481 a month by 2027 to ease chronic staff shortages.
- Workplace deaths fell 11.8% to 120 in 2024 even as the total number of accidents rose slightly.
- Austrian Airlines added a weekly Vienna–Ponta Delgada flight, the Azores' fourth Lufthansa Group link.
Shoppers in Portugal Face a €3 Customs Charge on Non-EU Parcels as the €150 Duty-Free Exemption Expires July 1
From 1 July, parcels arriving from non-EU retailers such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress lose Portugal's €150 duty-free exemption and carry a new €3 customs handling charge per product category. The shift follows an EU-wide push to level the playing field for European sellers, and it means the small overseas orders that were effectively fee-free until now will cost more to clear. For expats used to cheap direct-from-Asia shopping, it is a modest but real addition to the household bill.
Portugal Ends Postal and Email Proof of Life for Overseas Pensioners, With a 15 September Deadline
Portugal's Segurança Social (Social Security) has stopped accepting proof of life from pensioners abroad by post or email, and has added Canada to the list of countries where the annual check is mandatory. Retirees drawing a Portuguese pension outside the country now have until 15 September to complete the verification through the accepted channels, or risk having payments suspended. It is a direct concern for the many expat retirees who split their time between Portugal and a home country.
Portugal Lets Learner Drivers Train With a Tutor Instead of an Instructor Under a New July Rule
A decree published on 30 June allows category B learner drivers in Portugal to practise with a private tutor rather than exclusively with a paid driving-school instructor. The tutor must have held a licence for at least 10 years and pass a short accreditation before supervising. The government frames the change as a way to cut the cost of learning to drive and to make it easier to accumulate supervised hours behind the wheel.
Alstom Breaks Ground on a Matosinhos Train Factory Set to Build 81 of CP's 153 New Carriages
Prime Minister Luís Montenegro laid the first stone of a roughly €28 million Alstom train factory in Matosinhos on 30 June. The plant will assemble 81 of the 153 new trains ordered by CP (Comboios de Portugal, the national rail operator), anchoring rolling-stock manufacturing in the Porto metropolitan area. Beyond the skilled industrial jobs it promises, the project ties Portugal's rail-renewal programme to a domestic production base rather than relying wholly on imports.
Portugal Creates Two New Prison-Reintegration Careers With Pay Rising Up to €481 a Month by 2027
Portugal has created two new social-reintegration careers within the DGRSP (Directorate-General for Reintegration and Prison Services), covering prison and probation staff. Salaries will climb by up to €481 a month by 2027, including a €225 monthly risk supplement, as the government tries to retain workers in a chronically understaffed corner of the justice system. The move is aimed at both recruitment and the rehabilitation work that reduces reoffending.
Portugal Recorded 120 Fatal Workplace Accidents in 2024, Down 11.8% as Total Injuries Edged Up
Portugal recorded 120 fatal workplace accidents in 2024, an 11.8% fall from the previous year, according to official GEP (Office for Strategy and Planning) data. Yet the total number of accidents still edged up 1.3% to 187,018, and construction remained the deadliest sector. The divergence is telling: fewer deaths point to progress on the most serious risks, but the rising injury count shows day-to-day workplace safety is not improving in step.
Austrian Airlines Connects Vienna to Ponta Delgada, Giving the Azores a Fourth Lufthansa-Group Link
Austrian Airlines launched a weekly Vienna–Ponta Delgada service on 30 June, running on Tuesdays until 8 September. It becomes the fourth Lufthansa Group carrier to serve the Azores, deepening the archipelago's direct connections to central Europe. For an island economy leaning ever harder on tourism, each new mainland-European route widens the summer catchment of visitors flying in.
