Enrolling their children in the school network is one of the main concerns of families who move with children to Portugal. The right to education is guaranteed to everyone, regardless of the legal guardian's regularization status, such as parents, for example. In the country, the law stipulates that school attendance is not mandatory until the age of five. However, many mothers and fathers choose to enroll their children in order to dedicate themselves to their professional lives.
From zero to three years old, there are day care centers, which must be chosen according to the proximity to the place of residence. The difficulty is often in finding vacancies. The government recognizes that the number is insufficient, but does not disclose the exact deficit. In the second half of last year, 5,600 new vacancies were announced across the country. According to the latest report from the Directorate-General for Statistics for Education and Science, in 2021, 251,108 children were enrolled in pre-school education in Portugal.
Public day care and preschools are not completely free in the country. The government charges the value of the meals and the overtime that the child stays at the place, when more than five hours a day. To stipulate the amount to be paid, it is necessary [to make a calculation based](https://www.dge.mec.pt/.../EInfancia/documentos/dc300_97.pdf) on the income of each family and also consider the scale of the Income Tax. The amount that the state reimburses to each family group varies from 5% to 17.5%, according to family income.
As of September of this year, day care centers are expected to be completely free, according to the plan of the current mandate of the re-elected government. The project is in Parliament and should be approved, since the ruling party has the majority of deputies.
To register in this age group, the deadline starts on Tuesday (19) and continues until May 16, in the case of children who attend pre-school education, up to the age of five. For registrations outside this period, a fee of five euros is charged and also depends on the availability of places.
The process is carried out online, on the website “Portal das Matriculas”(https://portaldasmatriculas.edu.gov.pt/pmat/index.html). However, the site requires the Citizen Card or a digital key, which are not always options for immigrants. In this case, the option is to make the request directly at the place where the vacancy exists.
The documents required are: Tax Identification Number (NIF) of the child, Child's Social Security number, identification data of those responsible, proof of residence, medical declaration that the child is able to attend the educational institution and updated vaccination card, in addition to a 3×4 photo.
Schools
From the age of five onwards, when basic education begins and then secondary education, the enrollment procedure is similar. Enrollment depends on having vacancies at the school closest to where the family lives and the process is also done online, if the person in charge is able to enter the portal. Otherwise, the orientation is to register in person.
The required documents have some differences, especially if the student started their studies in home countries, for example, and moved to Portugal. Portuguese law requires that the certificate of school qualifications be authenticated by the consulate or have the Hague Apostille, which is still done in home country.
Schools are also allowed to request additional documents such as a statement from the previous educational institution about the minimum passing grades. It is also necessary the documentation of those responsible, such as a passport or Residence Permit (AR), if you have one, and an identification document of the person who is going to study.
The enrollment period starts on July 9 and runs until July 19, in the case of those who attend up to the seventh year. For the following years, the period this year is from June 17 to July 1.
As in the case of day care centers, those responsible must pay for meals and overtime (if the student stays after 3:30 pm), in addition to teaching materials. The payment calculation is the same, based on the family income.
In case of need for support in the procedures, in addition to immigrant associations, help can be requested from the High Commissioner for Migration (ACM). The phone number is 808 257 257 and is open from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 8 pm and on Saturdays from 9 am to 5 pm.
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