Portugal has already granted more than 50,000 temporary protections, of which 27% covered minors, the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) revealed on Monday.
According to a note released by the SEF, so far 50,632 temporary protections have been granted to Ukrainian citizens and foreigners residing in that country, divided between 30,309 women and 20,323 men.
The municipalities with the highest number of temporary protections awarded continue to be Lisbon (10,763), Cascais (3,020), Porto (2,450), Sintra (1,733) and Albufeira (1,264).
The SEF also highlights the issue of 42,333 residence authorization certificates under the temporary protection regime. These certificates, issued after the National Health Service, Social Security and Tax Authority have assigned the respective numbers, are necessary for refugees to start working and to be able to access support.
During the allocation process, citizens can consult the numbers that, in the meantime, are being allocated in their reserved area of the digital platform https://sefforukraine.sef.pt.
Regarding minors, the SEF notes that 13,526 requests for temporary protection were authorized, having communicated to the Public Ministry (MP) the situation of 726 Ukrainian minors who arrived in Portugal without their parents or legal representatives, cases in which it is considered that there is no "current or imminent danger".
In these situations, in which in most cases the children arrive in Portugal with a family member, the case is communicated to the MP for the appointment of a legal representative and eventual promotion of a process for the protection of the minor.
The SEF also communicated to the Commission for the Protection of Children and Young People the situation of 15 minors who arrived in Portugal unaccompanied or with someone other than their parents or a proven legal representative, these cases constituting "current or imminent danger".
The request for temporary protection to Portugal can be made through the 'online' platform created by the SEF, available in three languages, it is not necessary for adults to use the counters of this security service. However, in the case of minors, it is mandatory to go to a SEF branch to confirm their identity and affiliation.