Portugal Inside | Your Portugal Source

Letters of application, either in response to an advertisement or in presenting an application, are normally short and simple. A single A4 page is sufficient. The content should be conventional and a Curriculum Vitae (CV) should be

Social security conditions - a vital issue for individuals exercising their right of free movement

Respecting the principle of free movement of workers requires the clear commitment from all EU Member States that migrant workers, exercising their profession in another Member State, have the right to the same benefits of social security as

The Portuguese social security system consists of the Public Social Security System, the Social Action System and the Supplementary System.


The Public Social Security System, provided by

Involuntary employment, in the case of an employee, may provide entitlement to the following benefits:

• Unemployment benefit;
• Social unemployment benefit;
• Partial unemployment benefit.

Sickness protection, guaranteed by the general social security scheme, comprises the following benefits:

• Health Insurance;
• Compensatory allowances for holiday pay, Christmas bonus or similar payments.

Family Allowances
Dependants are protected by the following benefits:

• Antenatal family allowance: granted to pregnant women from the 13th week of gestation, on a monthly basis up to birth;
• Parents' benefit for children and young people (abono de família [child allowance]): awarded to descendents until they are 16 years of

Old age pension
Award conditions:

• 65 years of age.
• 15 calendar years, consecutive or separate, with registered earnings (qualifying period).

Subject to particular conditions,

In Portugal you can receive the unemployment benefits you receive in your country of origin. They are only paid in Portugal for a limited period, however, when you are seeking a job in this country, and in accordance with particular conditions: