PORTUGAL | Internship: At work | Work conditions
Entry and stay formalities
For EU and EEA nationals, a valid ID card and/or passport are sufficient. For non-EU foreigners a valid passport is required and for stays up to 3 months a visa is necessary (tourist, working or student visa depending on each case).
For the purpose of temporarily training or working, the following people can enter and stay in Portugal:
• Any EU-national provided that they have full social insurance coverage for medical services.
• Any non-EU foreigner provided that they have a valid passport and working visa and full social insurance coverage for medical services.
• Any student of a member-State or other foreign country, so long as he/she can prove, by means of a declaration or equivalent document that he/she has the necessary subsistence resources and does not lack social security and is enrolled in a training or vocational institution, as well as, has full medical assistance coverage. A valid passport and student visa are necessary (only applicable to visitors from outside the EU and EEA).
Work and residents permit
Citizens of the EU and the EEA are permitted to stay in Portugal for a period of 3 months without a permit or visa. For stays over 3 months a residence permit should be acquired through SEF - Serviços Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (Foreign Services).
The necessary documents for a temporary working permit are: valid ID Card and/or passport; work contract or proof of grant (proof of subsistence during stay), proof of social security coverage for medical services. Other documentation may be required depending on each case. Further information can be consulted at www.sef.pt
Non-EU citizens can stay in Portugal as long as they have a tourist visa (up to 3 months but are not allowed to work) or a working visa and permit. For stays over 3 months a resident permit should be acquired through SEF - Serviços Estrangeiros e Fronteiras).
Necessary documents for a temporary working permit are: valid passport; working or student visa; work contract or proof of grant for non-EU foreign students (proof of subsistence during stay), proof of social security coverage for medical services. Other documentation may be required depending on each case. Further information can be consulted at www.sef.pt
Deductions
For those coming to Portugal to work it’s mandatory to register at the Tax Office and at the social security centre. Once you have registered at these services you will be given a NIF (tax ID number) and a NISS (social security ID number).
Every month a percentage will be deducted from your salary for tax and social security purposes. It’s the employer’s responsibility to directly deduct from your pay. Your social security deductions entitle you to healthcare and medical assistance, as well as, to paid-days in case of absence from work due to illness provided it’s for a period over three consecutive days and with a doctor’s report. Your tax deductions can be refunded the following year after filing your tax return, as opposed to your social security contributions, which are non-refundable.
For those coming to Portugal to do a training placement it’s not mandatory to register at the Tax Office or at the social security centre, provided that it’s not a paid placement and/or that you have a placement grant to finance your stay. However, the trainee must guarantee that he/she has financial resources and has health insurance coverage.
For additional information you can check the following sites of the Portuguese Ministries of Finance and Social Security:
Accident Insurance
It’s obligatory for companies to insure their collaborators against personal accidents in the workplace. You should check with the company regarding the conditions of a personal accidents insurance policy before departure because it may not cover all situations, such as, repatriation. If this is the case, you can take care of all the details before your departure to better guarantee your safety and prevent against any unexpected situations should they arise.
Liability Insurance
Most host companies require civil liability coverage in case of damages. As a safeguard the host company will normally take care of workplace insurance for the period of training or work placements. In any case, the trainee should ask the host company if this is provided for. If it is not provided for, the trainee is required to take out civil liability insurance coverage before leaving his/her country of origin as a precaution.
Working hours
In the private sector working hours are 7.5 or 8 hours a day, in a total of 37.5 or 40 hours per week. The most common working hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with an hour or an hour and a half for lunch (lunch break doesn’t count for the daily working hours). However, the start and finishing hours may vary according to the company or service. In the public sector working hours are 7 per day, in a total of 35 hours per week, with a one-hour lunch break.
Salary
In Portugal, salaries are paid at the end of each month. In many cases, there is an added subsidy for food calculated using a fixed daily amount per work-day per month.