Your rights as an employee in Portugal

• Open-ended contracts (contrato sem termo) have no end date.
• Fixed-term contracts (contrato a termo) must be in writing, may only be used for a temporary need of the company, and may not last more than two years in total (EURES, 2026). Very short contracts of up to 35 days do not need to be written.
• Your employer must register you with Social Security; you need a NISS for this.

Ask for your contract in writing and keep a signed copy, even when the law does not require a written form.

During the trial period (período experimental) either side can end the contract more easily. EURES lists, for open-ended contracts, 90 days for most workers and 240 days for management and senior staff; for fixed-term contracts, 30 days if the contract lasts six months or more and 15 days if shorter. Longer periods apply to some roles of special complexity or responsibility; check your contract.

The guaranteed minimum monthly wage (retribuição mínima mensal garantida) is €920 in 2026 for full-time work (Decree-Law 139/2025, in force from 1 January 2026). It is paid 14 times a year, because of the holiday and Christmas allowances.

• Normal working time generally may not exceed 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. Flexible arrangements by collective agreement or individual agreement can raise daily and weekly hours within limits of 12 hours a day and 60 a week.
• You are entitled to at least 11 consecutive hours of rest between two working days.
• Overtime is capped at 150 hours a year in medium and large companies and 175 hours in micro and small companies.

• Annual leave: at least 22 working days of paid leave per calendar year. In your first year you earn 2 working days per full month worked, up to 20 days.
• Holiday allowance (subsídio de férias): equal to one month's pay, including basic pay.
• Christmas allowance (subsídio de Natal): equal to one month's pay, paid by 15 December.

Your employer withholds income tax (IRS) and your social security contribution, generally 11% of gross pay. Your payslip (recibo de vencimento) shows these amounts.

National public holidays are 1 January, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, 25 April, 1 May, Corpus Christi, 10 June, 15 August, 5 October, 1 November, 1 December, 8 December and 25 December. Carnival Tuesday and the municipal holiday — 13 June (Saint Anthony) in Lisbon — can be granted by collective agreement or contract.

Talk to your employer or HR first and put important requests in writing. If you think your rights are not being respected — unpaid wages, no contract, unsafe conditions, no social security registration — you can contact the ACT, which can inspect workplaces. Trade unions and, for migrants, local support centres (CLAIM) can also help you understand your options.