International Student

The International Student Statute was created in 2014, establishing a special regime to access to Portuguese higher education for students who do not hold Portuguese nationality and who wish to attend bachelor's or integrated master's degree programmes in Portugal. This statute was amended in 2025 by Decree-Law No. 20/2025, of 18 March, which introduced changes to the eligibility conditions for applying to the Special Admission Competition for International Students.

You may apply to the Special Call for Applications for International Students if you do not hold Portuguese nationality, are not a national of a Member State of the European Union or of the European Economic Area and meet one of the following conditions:

You hold a Portuguese secondary education diploma or a legally equivalent qualification;
You hold a diploma or certificate issued by a competent authority in the country in which it was issued, certifying successful completion of a study programme and granting you the right to apply for and be admitted to higher education in that country.

You may not apply under this call if:

On 1 January of the year in which you intend to enrol, you are a beneficiary of the Equal Rights and Duties Statute;
You hold dual nationality, one of which is Portuguese;
You or your parents have been legally resident in Portugal for more than two consecutive years as of 1 January of the year of admission into higher education. In this case, in addition to your being legally resident with them, the period of residence under a residence permit for study purposes is only considered during the time in which you are attending secondary education in Portugal;
You are a family member of Portuguese nationals, nationals of an European Union Member State, or nationals of a State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, regardless of your nationality.