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A small shop with staff serving customers on a cobbled street in central Lisbon, representing a Portuguese small business

Hiring Your First Employee in Portugal in 2026 — A Practical Guide to Registering as an Employer with Segurança Social, Reporting the Hire, TSU Contributions, Mandatory Work-Accident Insurance and the New Simplified Contribution Cycle

Taking on staff turns you into an employer with duties that begin before day one. A practical 2026 guide to registering with Segurança Social, reporting the hire, the 34.75% TSU, compulsory work-accident insurance, the new automated contribution cycle and the true cost of a payroll.

The Portugal Brief 03 Jul 2026

The modern white building of the Loja do Cidadão de Mafra, a Portuguese citizen-services centre, under a blue sky

The Chave Móvel Digital in Portugal in 2026 — A Practical Guide to Activating the State Digital Key, the PIN-and-SMS Login, the Qualified Signature and What Foreign Residents Need

The Chave Móvel Digital is the Portuguese State's free digital identity — one login for Finanças, Segurança Social and SNS 24, plus a legal e-signature. A practical guide to activating it, the PIN-and-SMS flow, and the NIF and in-person steps foreign residents need.

The Portugal Brief 03 Jul 2026

The Hospital Universitário de São João in Porto, a large public hospital building, seen from its forecourt under a grey sky

Portugal Rebuilds How the SNS Buys Private and Charity Care, Launching the SINACC Contracted-Care System on August 1

A regulation published on 2 July launches the SINACC on 1 August, replacing the 2004 SIGIC system and overhauling how the SNS contracts private and social-sector providers for scheduled surgery and consultations — with five-year conventions, central ACSS payment and costs charged to local health uni

The Portugal Brief 03 Jul 2026

A yellow and silver Metro do Porto light-rail train at a station platform in Porto

Porto Readies Free Metropolitan-Area Public Transport for Residents, With a July 1 Start Riding on the Court of Auditors

Free travel across the Porto metropolitan area for Cartão Porto holders is set to begin on 1 July — or whenever the Court of Auditors signs off, with a January 2027 backstop. The city has budgeted up to €10.25 million for 2026.

The Portugal Brief 02 Jul 2026

Euro banknotes of all denominations from five to two hundred euros

The IGCP Removes the €5,000 Online Ceiling on Certificados de Aforro, Clearing the Way for Single Purchases up to €250,000

Portugal's debt agency has scrapped the €5,000 cap on online purchases of Savings Certificates. Using the DUC payment mechanism, savers can now subscribe any amount in one transaction up to €250,000 — as the July base rate hits 2.356%.

The Portugal Brief 02 Jul 2026

The Hospital de Santa Maria in Lisbon on a sunny day, framed by pink oleander blossoms

The Testamento Vital (Living Will) and RENTEV in Portugal in 2026 — A Practical Guide to the Diretiva Antecipada de Vontade, the Health-Care Proxy, Lei 25/2012, the Five-Year Validity and How Foreign Residents Register One

A testamento vital lets any adult set out in advance the medical care they would accept or refuse if they could no longer speak for themselves — and name a proxy. A practical guide to the DAV, the free RENTEV registry, Lei 25/2012 and how foreign residents register one.

The Portugal Brief 02 Jul 2026

A golden dry wheat field with cork oak trees under a hazy blue summer sky in Portugal's Alentejo interior

As a 42°C Heatwave Builds, Portugal Leans on Existing Labour Law for Worker Protection While the ACT Notifies 200,000 Employers of Their Duties

As the IPMA forecasts highs near 42°C in Portugal's interior, the government says the law already protects workers — though it sets no temperature at which work stops. The ACT has notified 200,000 employers of their duty to provide water, ventilation and breaks.

The Portugal Brief 02 Jul 2026

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