Qualification Recognition in Portugal for Americans and Britons
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In this article
- What the pages say, and when
- Is my profession regulated in Portugal?
- What is the difference between degree recognition and professional recognition?
- How does the EU directive affect Americans and Britons?
- What do the Ordens say for third-country nationals?
- What documents will a body ask for, and in what form?
- Can I do this before I move?
- FAQ
For a regulated profession in Portugal, the decision on your foreign qualification belongs to the professional body or authority for that profession, not to the visa office or to DGES. For an American or a Briton, who is a national of a third state from the EU’s point of view, the pages we read set, for most of the bodies we read, a path that starts with the recognition of the degree or an equivalent.
This guide sits next to working in Portugal as an American or a Briton, which maps the residence routes that allow work. Recognition of a qualification is a separate matter from the visa, and the visa pages for employees do not replace it. It is not legal advice. We read the pages below on 19 October 2026, and each body decides your file.
What the pages say, and when
We read the DGES pages on professional recognition and on recognition of foreign degrees, the registration page of the Ordem dos Médicos, the Ordem dos Engenheiros regulation on admission, the Ordem dos Enfermeiros FAQ on registration, the DGAE page on teacher qualifications and the registration regulation of the Ordem dos Advogados, all on 19 October 2026. The latest dated legal texts they cite are Regulamento 1006/2024 of the Ordem dos Engenheiros, published in the Diário da República on 30 August 2024, and Regulamento 371/2025 of the Ordem dos Enfermeiros, of 20 March 2025, which the Ordem’s FAQ names as the rule for registration. That is the date this guide’s information refers to.
The official government service page on requesting professional recognition (gov.pt) was down for scheduled maintenance when we tried it, and the consolidated Law 9/2009 on the Diário da República site could not be opened. This guide does not rely on either.
Is my profession regulated in Portugal?
DGES says that in Portugal access to and practice of professions is free, so for most professions the requirements depend on the employer. For regulated professions, it says, certain access and practice requirements apply, and the list of regulated professions shows which national body is responsible for professional recognition. The DGES page on professional recognition sends readers to the European Commission regulated professions database for that list.
DGES defines professional recognition as the authorization, by a competent authority (a ministry, an Ordem, a professional association), to practice a regulated profession. If you are looking for work in a profession that is not regulated, you do not need this step, and the official channels for looking for a job are the place to start.
What is the difference between degree recognition and professional recognition?
They are two steps with two decision makers.
| Academic recognition of a degree | Professional recognition | |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides | DGES for automatic recognition; Portuguese higher-education institutions for level and specific recognition (Decree-Law 66/2018) | The Ordem or authority for the profession |
| What it answers | Whether your foreign degree matches a Portuguese degree or level | Whether you may practice the regulated profession |
| Where to read | Recognition of foreign degrees | The body’s own registration page |
DGES says its competence is automatic recognition of foreign higher-education degrees, and that for teaching in Portugal it advises contacting DGAE. For the professional step, DGES points to DGERT or to ANQEP.
We could not read the gov.pt service page on requesting professional recognition on 19 October 2026 (it returned a page-not-found message in two browsers), so we do not describe it.
How does the EU directive affect Americans and Britons?
The DGES page says professional recognition is governed by Directive 2005/36/CE, amended by Directive 2013/55/CE, through which a Member State recognizes the qualifications acquired in one or more other Member States. The page speaks of qualifications acquired in Member States. Neither the United States nor the United Kingdom is mentioned on the DGES page, so we do not state any special rule for either country.
What the Ordens we read say is that nationals of third states have their own provisions, covered below. The pages we read do not say that qualifications from the United Kingdom are treated differently from those of the United States. If you hold a UK qualification, ask the body for your profession whether it applies a specific rule.
What do the Ordens say for third-country nationals?
| Body | What the page says for nationals of third states |
|---|---|
| Ordem dos Médicos (doctors) | The application asks for an identification document, the diploma, a certificate of equivalence or of specific recognition of the academic training issued by a competent Portuguese institution, a criminal record certificate issued less than 3 months ago, a tax number, proof of professional good standing from the body in the country of origin, proof of nationality (waived on presenting a passport), a photograph and a CV showing lawful and effective practice. A medical communication test or a B2 Portuguese certificate is required, unless the training was in a Portuguese-language institution |
| Ordem dos Engenheiros (engineers) | Regulamento 1006/2024, article 11, lets third-country nationals register if their academic and professional qualifications obtained abroad are duly recognized in Portugal under the law, EU law or an international convention, or under bilateral agreements with counterpart associations and always on a reciprocity basis. Those admitted by agreement may be required to complete an ethics and deontology course |
| Ordem dos Enfermeiros (nurses) | Nationals of third states whose qualifications were obtained abroad may register if they obtain equivalence of their qualifications to those required in Portugal and reciprocity of treatment is guaranteed under a convention between the Ordem and the counterpart authority of the country of origin. Holders of foreign nursing degrees to whom recognition was granted under the law may also register |
| Ordem dos Advogados (lawyers) | Its registration regulation (published 28 December 2015) provides for foreign lawyers from non-EU states with a degree from a Portuguese law faculty, if reciprocity exists under a treaty or a written agreement between the Ordem and the counterpart organization. It also provides a route for foreign citizens with a Portuguese higher-education degree to register as trainee lawyers |
| DGAE (teachers, non-higher education) | Recognition of a teaching qualification is open to EU or EEA citizens with a qualification from another Member State, to Member State nationals with a qualification obtained outside the EU, and to Brazilian citizens with a Brazilian teaching qualification |
The Ordem dos Engenheiros adds on its page for people with an engineering degree that only members registered with it may use the title of Engineer and practice acts of engineering.
For the Ordem dos Advogados we read the 2015 regulation hosted on its portal. We could not confirm that it is still the text in force, so check the Ordem before relying on it.
The pages above say reciprocity (for nurses, engineers by agreement, lawyers) depends on an agreement between the Portuguese body and its counterpart in the country of origin. None of the pages we read states whether such an agreement exists with a US or UK body. Ask the Ordem.
What documents will a body ask for, and in what form?
The Ordem dos Médicos is the page that sets out the formalities in full. For documents issued by foreign entities it says:
- They must be legalized, by recognition of signatures by the competent Portuguese consular or diplomatic entity in the issuing country, or by an apostille under the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961, unless a rule waives legalization.
- Legalization is waived for documents sent directly to the Ordem by the issuing entity, or whose issuer allows authenticity to be checked on an electronic platform.
- Documents written in a foreign language, except English, French or Spanish, must have a certified or authenticated Portuguese translation.
- Photocopies not made or checked by Ordem staff must be certified.
The Ordem dos Advogados regulation also says documents issued in the state of origin must be legalized and, if not in Portuguese, translated. For how apostilles and certified translations work in Portugal, see apostilles, translations and certified documents. Other bodies may set different rules, so check the one you apply to.
Can I do this before I move?
The pages we read do not say whether a body accepts a file from someone who is abroad, how long it takes or what it costs, except that DGES says the cost of a degree recognition depends on the type and the institution, and that an automatic recognition certificate is issued within 30 working days and a level or specific recognition decision within 90 working days of a complete application. For the body decision, ask the Ordem.
If your plan involves a job offer, the residence side is in the work visa guide for employees. If you are still searching, see the job seeker visa guide. If a Portuguese degree is part of your plan, the student visa guide covers the visa side, and the Ordem dos Advogados regulation above names a registration route for foreign citizens with a Portuguese degree.
More guides in this series: looking for a job through the official channels.
Pages read on 19 October 2026: DGES, Reconhecimento Profissional; DGES, Reconhecimento de Graus e Diplomas Estrangeiros (FAQ); Ordem dos Médicos, Inscrição na Ordem; Ordem dos Engenheiros, Regulamento n.º 1006/2024 and Tenho curso Superior de Engenharia; Ordem dos Enfermeiros, FAQ; Ordem dos Advogados, Regulamento n.º 913-C/2015; DGAE, Reconhecimento de qualificação profissional.
FAQ
Do I need recognition to work in any job in Portugal?
No. DGES says that in Portugal access to and practice of professions is free under the constitutional principle of freedom to choose a profession, so for most professions, the non-regulated ones, the requirements depend on each employer. Requirements apply to regulated professions.
Is my US or UK degree recognized automatically?
DGES says automatic recognition of a degree is available only for some degrees of some countries, and it points to a list and an online form to check. Professional recognition is a separate step decided by the authority for the profession.
Who coordinates professional recognition in Portugal?
The DGES page names the Direção-Geral do Emprego e das Relações de Trabalho (DGERT) as the national coordinator for the EU directive on professional qualifications, and tells readers to look up the competent authority for their profession in the European Commission regulated professions database.
Can a foreign teacher have a US or UK teaching qualification recognized by DGAE?
The DGAE page says its recognition process is for EU or EEA citizens with a qualification from another Member State, for nationals of a Member State with a qualification obtained outside the EU, and for Brazilian citizens with a teaching qualification from Brazil. It does not list US or UK citizens, so ask DGAE.
Do I have to translate my documents?
It depends on the body. The Ordem dos Médicos requires foreign documents to be legalized by a Portuguese consulate or an apostille, and given a certified or authenticated Portuguese translation unless they are in English, French or Spanish. Check the rule of the body you apply to.
Sources
Official pages this article was checked against, with the date we last read them.
- Professional recognition
- Recognition of foreign higher education degrees and diplomas, with FAQ
- Ordem dos Medicos, Inscricao na Ordem
- Ordem dos Engenheiros, Regulamento n.o 1006/2024 (Regulamento de Admissao e Qualificacao)
- Ordem dos Engenheiros, Tenho curso Superior de Engenharia
- Ordem dos Enfermeiros, FAQ
- Ordem dos Advogados, Regulamento n.o 913-C/2015, Inscricao de Advogados e Advogados Estagiarios
- DGAE, Reconhecimento de qualificacao profissional de pessoal docente
About the author
See author pageSteve McKendry writes the guides on working, building a business and driving in Portugal for Americans and Britons who are moving. His work covers the questions that come once the visa is settled: employment contracts and social security, setting up as a freelancer or a company, working remotely for a foreign employer, and the road side of the move.
He studied International Business at Université Paris Dauphine-PSL in Paris, where he focused on cross-border employment and the practical side of running a small business abroad. He has worked in international business development and reads employment, tax and traffic rules in English and French.
His method is the site's: every figure and deadline comes from the competent authority's own page, is linked in the text and carries its date.
His work is practical information, not legal or tax advice. When a situation calls for an employment lawyer or an adviser, he says so and helps you prepare for that meeting.
