Work In Portugal

Are There English Speaking Jobs?

Workers in certain trades are required to have professional certifications recognized by the Portuguese government. This is true of trades (electricians, for example) as well as professions like law that may require passing certain written examinations.

Real estate agents are also regulated and licensed.

Self-employed individuals are responsible for paying their own social security contributions, as well as deducting income taxes and value-added taxes. And, these can be paid at post offices or via ATM Multibanco machines.

Workers wishing to operate in Portugal as sole traders are strongly advised to get professional advice before doing so.

Anyone operating a business in Portugal after having run one in the US or the UK, for example, will find it more difficult.

Although new Citizen’s Stores (Loja do Cidadão) are intended to ease the burden of red tape by allowing one-stop shopping for government services such as company registration and financial filings, the myriad of obligations are complicated and many must be validated by a TOC (an ‘official’ accountant registered with a central professional body).

The Portuguese government is working on methods of simplifying this and automation has seen a huge improvement in service levels, but the underlying procedures and multi-stage approvals are still cumbersome.