PLNM in Portugal: what Portuguese language support looks like in a public school

PLNM (Português Língua Não Materna) is the free Portuguese as a second language subject that every public primary and secondary school in Portugal offers to newly arrived pupils who do not speak Portuguese well enough to follow lessons. The Direção-Geral da Educação (DGE) says so plainly in its May 2025 overview: all public schools offer these measures, and pupils placed at level zero, A1, A2 or B1 take PLNM instead of the regular Portuguese subject (DGE, PL2 general information, May 2025).

What it looks like on your child's timetable depends on one thing the rules make very clear: how many other pupils in that school need it.

What is PLNM in Portugal?

PLNM is a curriculum subject, not a separate school or a programme you apply to. It exists in basic education under Portaria n.º 223-A/2018 of 3 August 2018 and in secondary education under Portaria n.º 86/2025/1 of 6 March 2025 (DGE, Português Língua Não Materna).

It is aimed at pupils recently arrived in the Portuguese system whose mother tongue, or language of schooling, is not Portuguese. The DGE adds two practical points. Brazilian pupils with Portuguese as their mother tongue should not be placed in PLNM. Pupils from Portuguese speaking African countries may qualify, because their home language and their language of schooling are not always the same, so the school builds a sociolinguistic profile first (DGE, Português Língua Não Materna).

How is a child placed on a PLNM level?

The school places your child by drawing up a sociolinguistic profile and giving a diagnostic test that the school itself writes. The DGE's frequently asked questions, updated in September 2025, describe the profile as the languages spoken at home and with friends, time spent in Portugal and the school path so far (DGE, PLNM FAQ, September 2025).

The result puts the pupil on a level of the Common European Framework of Reference, plus a level zero for children who start with no Portuguese at all, or who cannot yet reach A1. This is what each level means in practice, according to the DGE FAQ:

A child placed at B2 or C1 leaves PLNM and joins the regular Portuguese class, so the diagnostic result decides the whole timetable.

Will your child get a separate PLNM class?

A separate PLNM class depends on group size, and the numbers are written down. The DGE FAQ sets three cases (DGE, PLNM FAQ, September 2025):

1. A group of at least 8 pupils, when all of them are at level zero or A1.
2. A group of at least 10 pupils, which may mix levels A1, A2 and B1 if needed.
3. When neither group can be formed, the pupil does PLNM inside their own class during the Portuguese lessons, and may also get extra PLNM support lessons.

So PLNM has the same legal name in every school, but two different daily realities. In a school with enough newly arrived pupils, your child spends the Portuguese hours in a small group doing structured second language work. In a school without that headcount, your child sits in the regular Portuguese lesson with differentiated work.

The question worth asking any school is therefore concrete: how many pupils are on a PLNM plan here this year, and are they grouped?

How does a pupil move up a level?

Pupils move up in the order A1, A2, B1, B2, and the move can happen at the end of the year or during it. A mid year move needs a pass in an intermediate test written by the school. A pupil can also stay up to two school years at A1, A2 or B1, even with a pass mark, because a pass grade does not automatically mean a change of level (DGE, PLNM FAQ, September 2025).

For children at level zero, A1 or A2, the school's teacher council can use a descriptive report instead of grades in the term they arrive, and can let them join subjects progressively.

What happens with exams in the 9th and 12th year?

Pupils at A1, A2 or B1 can sit the PLNM final test in the 9th year and the PLNM national exam in the 12th year instead of the Portuguese papers. The 12th year PLNM exam (code 839) completes secondary school and counts for university access. It does not count where a university course requires Portuguese as an entrance exam; that needs the Portuguese exam (code 639) (DGE, PLNM FAQ, September 2025).

With a teenager, check the target course's entrance exams early.

How do you enrol a foreign child in a Portuguese public school?

You enrol through the Portal das Matrículas during the normal windows, or directly with the school if you arrive later with a foreign school record. For 2026/2027, Despacho n.º 4472-A/2026 of 4 April 2026 (published 6 April) set these normal windows (Diário da República, Despacho n.º 4472-A/2026):

1. Pre school and 1st year: 22 April to 1 June 2026.
2. 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 11th years: 16 to 29 June 2026.
3. 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th years: 1 to 13 July 2026.
4. 10th and 12th years: 15 to 22 July 2026, later extended to 24 July by Despacho n.º 8885-A/2026 (calendarioescolar.pt, Matrículas 2026/2027).

If you arrive after those dates, the same despacho covers you. Article 2, number 8 says pupils holding qualifications from foreign schools can enrol in basic and secondary education outside the normal periods, and acceptance depends only on a free place in classes already formed. That is why a family landing in September or January goes to the agrupamento in person.

The rest of the file, as the 2026/2027 guides describe it:

1. The child's and the guardian's identification and NIF, a digital photo of the child and proof of address. A NISS is needed only to apply for school social support (calendarioescolar.pt). Our post on getting NIF, NISS and SNS numbers covers the first two.
2. Five schools in order of preference, which Despacho Normativo n.º 7/2026 of 14 April 2026 makes compulsory (Diário da República, Despacho Normativo n.º 7/2026).
3. For the 1st year, priority goes in turn to pupils with special educational needs, pupils already in the same agrupamento, siblings already enrolled, school social support beneficiaries and residents of the catchment area (Pumpkin.pt, Matrículas 2026/2027). Your address matters.
4. Compulsory 1st year entry applies to children who turn six by 15 September 2026; children turning six between 16 September and 31 December may enter on request, if places allow.

Classes for 2026/2027 started between 11 and 15 September 2026, and on 21 September for the scientific humanistic secondary courses (Pumpkin.pt, Calendário escolar 2026/2027).

What should parents ask the school?

Ask four questions, because the rules leave room for each school to decide how it delivers PLNM:

1. When will the diagnostic test and sociolinguistic profile happen, and who shares the result with the family?
2. How many pupils are on a PLNM plan this year, and does the school run a separate group of 8 or 10?
3. Will the child get extra PLNM support lessons if there is no group?
4. For a teenager: which exams will they sit, and does the PLNM exam fit their plans after school?

Public school is free, so budgeting mostly concerns the rest of family life. Our Lisbon family of four budget puts numbers on that, and the destination comparison helps if you are still choosing a country. Residence comes first: check your route with Visa Check.

Updated on 26 September 2026. Rules and prices change: confirm with the official source linked above before you act.