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Portugal answers, culture and language

How can I learn Portuguese for free in Portugal?

By DigiTao editorial.

The state runs a free Portuguese programme for residents, and most newcomers never hear about it.

Portugues Lingua de Acolhimento, the PLA

PLA is the official welcome language programme. Its legal basis is Portaria 183/2020 of 5 August, amended by Portaria 184/2022 of 21 July. It is aimed at foreign residents aged 16 and over whose mother tongue is not Portuguese, and it certifies learners at A1, A2, B1 and B2 on the CEFR scale.

Three networks deliver it:

  1. Public schools, usually evening classes in the school nearest your address.
  2. IEFP employment and training centres, whose own course sheet targets migrants aged 18 and over, whether employed or unemployed.
  3. Centros Qualifica, the adult education centres attached to many schools and training bodies.

Demand has grown steadily: enrolments rose from 22,014 in the 2020/2021 school year to 56,397 in 2025.

How to enrol

Find your nearest Centro Qualifica or IEFP centre by address and ask for PLA. Bring your residence permit or the proof that you are legally resident, your passport, your NIF and your address. Intakes usually follow the school calendar, so places open in September and again in January, and popular Lisbon and Porto centres fill quickly. Ask to be put on a waiting list rather than waiting for the next intake.

Why the diploma matters

A PLA diploma at A2 is accepted as language proof for a nationality application, which saves you the 95 euro CIPLE exam fee and the wait for results. That matters more since Organic Law 1/2026 came into force on 19 May 2026 and raised standard naturalisation residence to ten years, seven for EU and CPLP nationals. The language requirement did not change; the clock did.

Free things to add alongside

Municipal libraries and parish councils often host conversation groups. Lisbon runs a weekly language exchange on Tuesdays and Porto a language cafe on Wednesdays, both free and both good for the speaking practice that classroom hours do not give you. Choose European Portuguese material rather than Brazilian, because the exam and the street use European forms.

See also do I need to speak Portuguese to live in Lisbon.

Sources

  1. Global Citizen Solutions, Portuguese nationality law updates (ten years of legal residence, seven for EU and CPLP nationals, under Organic Law 1/2026), accessed .
  2. ANQEP, Portugues Lingua de Acolhimento (legal basis, eligibility, A1 to B2 certification, delivery networks), accessed .
  3. IEFP, Ficha Sintese PLA (target audience and providers, September 2020), accessed .
  4. Comunidade Cultura e Arte, PLA enrolments from 22,014 in 2020/2021 to 56,397 in 2025, accessed .
  5. CAPLE, Universidade de Lisboa, CIPLE exam fee (95 euros for exams in Portugal), accessed .

Facts in this answer last verified .

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