How do I enrol my child in a Portuguese public school (Portal das Matriculas)?

Enrolment is centralised, online and free. It is also calendar driven, which is the part that catches new arrivals.

The windows for 2026/2027

The calendar was set by Despacho n. 4472-A/2026 of 6 April 2026. Pre-school and the 1st year of basic education ran from 22 April to 1 June 2026. The 6th to 9th and the 11th years ran from 16 to 29 June 2026, and the 2nd to 5th years from 1 to 13 July 2026. The 10th and 12th years ran from 15 to 22 July 2026, a window Despacho n. 8885-A/2026 of 14 July 2026 then extended to 24 July.

If you land in Portugal after all of that, you are not stuck. Pupils holding credentials from a foreign school are allowed to enrol outside the standard periods, subject to available places, so go straight to the agrupamento de escolas for your address.

What you need

Log in with Chave Movel Digital, your Cartao de Cidadao and reader, or your Portal das Financas credentials. Have ready the ID document and NIF of the pupil and of the guardian, a digital photo of the child, proof of residence if you want the catchment area to count in your favour, and the NISS if you are also applying for Acao Social Escolar (school social support).

How places are decided

You pick up to five schools in order of preference, under Despacho Normativo n. 7/2026. Priority goes first to pupils receiving Acao Social Escolar who live in the catchment area, then to residence in the catchment area, then to a parent working in the catchment area. Listing a popular school outside your area is rarely productive.

Two things to sort in parallel

Get your child a boletim de vacinas: the health centre nurse maps a foreign vaccination record onto the Portuguese schedule, and schools ask for it. If the child is coming from a foreign system into the 5th year or above, ask the school about equivalencia de habilitacoes, the recognition of previous schooling that decides which year they join.

Classes for 2026/2027 start between 11 and 15 September 2026 for pre-school, basic education and most secondary offers, and on 21 September for the secondary cientifico-humanisticos courses.