Código do Trabalho
Published 4 November 2026, 18:37
Código do Trabalho (Portuguese Labour Code)
The law that governs relations between employees and employers in Portugal: contracts, working time, holidays, pay, dismissal, fines. It was adopted as Lei n.º 7/2009 and has been amended many times since; the major 2023 amendment is known as the Agenda do Trabalho Digno.
Where you come across it. Any dispute with an employer: both the labour inspectorate and the courts rely on the articles of the code.
Read the consolidated version on the Diário da República website: the deadlines and amounts in old summaries are already out of date.
Official website: diariodarepublica.pt/dr/legislacao-consolidada/lei/2009-34546475
Guides
Problems at work in Portugal: unpaid wages, forced overtime, no holiday, injury — what to do and where to complain Leaving a job in Portugal: how to resign, when you can be dismissed and what you are owed on leaving Right to work and employment contracts: which documents you need and what to check before you sign Caring for a loved one in Portugal: cuidador informal status, allowance and respite