cuidador informal
Published 4 November 2026, 18:37
cuidador informal (informal carer recognised by the state)
A person who looks after a dependent relative at home and whose role is recognised by the state. The status was created by Lei n.º 100/2019 and is granted by the Instituto da Segurança Social. There are two kinds of carer. The main carer (principal) provides care permanently, lives with the person cared for and does no paid work, and is entitled to a monthly allowance. The secondary carer (não principal) provides care regularly but not permanently, may work and live separately, and has specific rights at work.
Where you come across it. When a relative becomes bedridden and caring falls to the family; the term appears on Segurança Social forms and in the Labour Code.
Providing care is not enough on its own to get the status: the person cared for must already be receiving a dependency supplement, and a newcomer must have lived in the country for at least a year on their own visa or residence card. A household can have only one main carer; one person cared for can have up to three secondary carers.