01
Higher education
DGES provides three types of foreign degree/diploma recognition: automatic, level and specific. They have legal validity but serve different purposes.
QUALIFICAÇÕES
Academic recognition and professional authorisation are not the same thing.
Education completed abroad may need academic recognition; a regulated profession may additionally require professional recognition from the competent authority.
What you need to know
Start with the essentials
02
Basic and secondary education
Foreign basic/secondary studies use a separate equivalence/recognition process, different from higher-education recognition.
03
Regulated profession
Doctors, pharmacists and other regulated professions may require recognition/authorisation from the relevant professional body, ministry or authority before practice.
04
Non-regulated profession
For many professions, employers can assess education and experience directly; academic recognition and professional recognition should be kept distinct.
Important: Do not pay for an “equivalence” before identifying what you actually need: academic recognition, secondary-school equivalence and professional recognition are different processes.
Confirm before acting
Foreign degree recognition — gov.pt ↗DGES recognition types ↗
Professional qualifications — gov.pt ↗
Requirements and channels can change. Check the official source at the time you act.