regresso voluntário
Published 8 November 2026, 20:08
apoio ao regresso voluntário (support for voluntary return)
Leaving Portugal of your own free will, with state support to resettle in the country you are returning to. Under article 139 of the foreigners law, as amended by Lei n.º 62/2026, the state may support a return to the country of origin or to another third country that will legally admit the person, under return programmes.
Where you come across it. After being notified of an obligation to leave the country, or after being refused a residence permit or protection.
The programmes are run by AIMA (paragraph 6 of article 139), not the police, so that is where to ask about the conditions. Anyone who leaves under a programme or by the set deadline is banned from entry for three years rather than five.
Official website: aima.gov.pt