PLA

Published 8 November 2026, 22:23

PLA — Português Língua de Acolhimento (Portuguese as a host language)

State Portuguese courses for newcomers, established by Portaria n.º 183/2020. You can enrol from the age of 16 (the threshold was lowered from 18 by Portaria n.º 184/2022) if Portuguese is not your native language; when you enrol you are asked for a residence permit or one of the documents accepted in its place: proof that a renewal or residence permit application has been filed, confirmation of an application for international or temporary protection, or a NISS social security number. The courses are run by state schools, IEFP centres and the Centros Qualifica network; a private school may teach them only under an agreement with one of these. A certificate at A2 level or above is precisely the proof of language knowledge required for citizenship and for long-term residence.

Where you come across it. Conversations about where to learn the language for citizenship and whether a private school certificate is good enough.

A certificate issued by anyone other than a state school or an IEFP centre has no force on its own: it has to be validated (homologação) by a state school or the IEFP. These courses are not for children under 16: they learn the language at school through PLNM.

Official website: aima.gov.pt/pt/lingua-portuguesa/cursos-de-portugues-lingua-de-acolhimento-pla