Legal basics

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Portugal through a route called ensino doméstico. It is part of the Portuguese education system and is governed by Decree-Law 70/2021.

If your child is of compulsory-school age, they still need to be enrolled with an escola de matrícula. This is the school that stays responsible for overseeing their education. You and the school sign a Protocolo de Colaboração setting out the learning plan, how progress will be followed and what everyone is responsible for.

This route is available to children in general basic education and scientific-humanistic secondary education.

In Portugal, compulsory education usually begins at 6 and continues until 18.

The date your child turns 6 matters. If their sixth birthday is on or before 15 September, they must be enrolled in the first year. If it falls between 16 September and 31 December, you can ask for them to start that year. Their place will depend on availability, and once they begin, the enrolment cannot be cancelled.

Compulsory education ends when your child receives a secondary-level diploma. If they have not completed secondary education, it ends when they turn 18 during the school year. They can still carry on studying after this.

Preschool is available from age 3, but it is your choice. There is a formal process if your child may need to start the first year earlier or later, so speak to the school before making plans.

If you choose home education, your child still needs to be enrolled with a school once compulsory schooling applies to them.

The two names sound similar, but the main difference is who teaches your child and what qualification that person needs.

For ensino doméstico, your child must be taught by a family member or someone who lives in the same household.

This person is called the responsável educativo. They need to teach your child in person and meet the university-degree requirement. One responsible educator will normally teach one child, although they may teach more than one when the children live in the same household.

You can be both the parent or guardian and the responsible educator, but you do not have to be. As the parent or guardian, you make the request. You, the school and the responsible educator then agree the collaboration protocol, and the responsible educator carries out the learning plan.

One adult teaching unrelated children from several households would fall outside the legal definition of ensino doméstico. If you are considering a shared learning arrangement, ask the school or DGEstE how it would be classified before relying on it.

Your responsible educator for ensino doméstico needs at least a licenciatura, which is broadly equivalent to a bachelor’s degree.

Article 16 of Decree-Law 70/2021 sets the qualification level but does not require the degree to be in a particular subject. Include a certificate showing the responsible educator’s qualification with your application.

If the degree was awarded outside Portugal, it may need official recognition before it is legally valid here. Check what the school needs and use the official DGES recognition service. A translated certificate may not be enough on its own.

Ensino individual has a different rule: the person teaching must have a professional teaching qualification.