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Public holidays in Portugal 2026 – emergency numbers, cash limits, shop hours and alcohol rules

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

Portugal has 13 national public holidays, a €3,000 ceiling on cash payments and no national closing hours for shops. Add 112, SNS 24 and the other numbers worth keeping in your phone, plus the age and time rules for alcohol and tobacco, and everyday life gets easier from the first week.

Woman resting her chin on her hands at an outdoor café table on a cobbled street
Photo: Alberto/Adobe Stock

Most everyday rules in Portugal are national: the 13 public holidays are the same from Braga to the Algarve, the cash limit sits in the tax law, and shop hours have been free since 2015. What varies locally is the municipal holiday, a câmara municipal's (town hall's) power to restrict opening hours, and the bin rules in part 13.

Public holidays in Portugal 2026 – the 13 national dates

The Labour Code (art. 234) lists 13 mandatory holidays (feriados obrigatórios), the same across the whole country. In 2026 four of them fall on a Saturday or Sunday.

HolidayFalls in 2026 on
1 JanuaryThursday
Good FridayFriday 3 April
Easter SundaySunday 5 April
25 AprilSaturday
1 MayFriday
Corpus ChristiThursday 4 June
10 JuneWednesday
15 AugustSaturday
5 OctoberMonday
1 NovemberSunday
1 DecemberTuesday
8 DecemberTuesday
25 DecemberFriday

Source: the Labour Code (Procuradoria-Geral Distrital de Lisboa) and the 2026 calendar of the Direção-Geral da Administração da Justiça, read 24 September 2026.

Two more days count as holidays only if a collective agreement or your employment contract says so: Carnival Tuesday (17 February in 2026) and the local municipal holiday. The municipal holiday is a local matter, so ask your câmara municipal: the Loja de Cidadão (citizen shop) das Laranjeiras in Lisbon closes on Lisbon's municipal holiday, 13 June, and the Loja de Cidadão do Porto on Porto's, 24 June. On mandatory holidays every activity not allowed on Sundays must close. For legal deadlines, note the court holidays: 22 December–3 January, Palm Sunday–Easter Monday and 16 July–31 August.

Which emergency numbers should I save in Portugal?

112 is the single European emergency number, free and open around the clock; a medical emergency is transferred to INEM, the medical emergency institute. For a health problem that is not life-threatening, call SNS 24 on 808 24 24 24 for clinical triage, advice and referral 24 hours a day at the cost of a landline call. Calling first also protects your wallet: an emergency-department visit without SNS referral carries a user fee of €18, €16 or €14 depending on the unit, plus up to €40 for tests, while a referred visit is free (part 8).

NumberWhatWhen
112Emergencies – medical (INEM), police, fire24 hours, free
808 24 24 24SNS 24 – clinical triage and advice24 hours; administrative contact 8:00–22:00; landline-call cost
808 211 311Linha Saúde Pública (public health line)Every day 8:00–24:00
800 250 250Centro de Informação Antivenenos (poisons)24 hours, free
144Linha Nacional de Emergência Social – urgent social protection24 hours, every day, free
800 202 148Domestic-violence victim support (SMS line 3060) – a public crime, so anyone can report it, also to the PSP or GNR police24 hours, 7 days, free
116 000 and 116 111Missing children; child support line24 hours, free
210 489 010Linha Cidadão – government online services, Chave Móvel Digital, citizen shopsWeekdays 9:00–18:00
217 115 000AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo – the immigration agency)Monday to Friday 8:00–20:00

Source: the Portuguese Government’s directory of useful lines (ePortugal), CIG and AIMA, read 24 September 2026.

Cash, cards and the €3,000 limit

The General Tax Law (art. 63-E, added by Lei 92/2017) makes it illegal to pay or receive cash in any transaction of €3,000 or more; for non-resident individuals who are not acting as traders the limit is €10,000. Payments for one sale are added together even if split, and taxes above €500 cannot be paid in cash. Businesses and self-employed taxpayers must settle invoices of €1,000 or more by bank transfer, named cheque or direct debit, so expect a landlord or tradesperson to insist on a transfer. Entering from outside the EU, declare cash of €10,000 or more to customs.

Everyday payments are electronic: under Banco de Portugal's rules every bank client gets 25 transfers a month of up to €30 each, and €150 a month in total, through third-party payment apps without extra fees (part 4). And an unpaid telecom bill above €184 – 20 per cent of the minimum wage, according to ANACOM – can land you on a debtors' list.

Shop opening hours: free by law, restricted by the câmara

Since 1 March 2015 retail shops, service providers, restaurants, bars and entertainment venues have had horário de funcionamento livre – no national closing rule for Sundays, evenings or holidays. The exception is municipal: after hearing unions, the police, employer and consumer associations and the junta de freguesia (parish council), a câmara municipal may restrict opening periods, year-round or seasonally, for justified reasons such as residents' quality of life. Every shop must display its opening-hours map visibly from outside; not doing so costs €150–€450, and opening outside the established hours €250–€3,740 for individuals, enforced by GNR, PSP, ASAE and the municipality.

Alcohol and tobacco: the rules at 18

Since 1 July 2015 the age limit for any alcoholic drink – anything above 0.5 per cent by volume – has been 18; the original 2013 law allowed beer and wine from 16. Selling or serving alcohol to under-18s in public places or places open to the public is prohibited, minors may not drink there, and staff may demand an ID showing your age whenever in doubt. Shops must display the under-18 notice, and self-service shops must separate and label alcoholic drinks.

RuleWhat applies (Decreto-Lei 50/2013 and Lei 37/2007, as amended)
Alcohol sales hoursNo sales between 00:00 and 08:00 in any shop, except restaurants, bars, nightlife venues and airside shops at ports and airports
Where alcohol cannot be soldVending machines; petrol stations on motorways or outside towns, including their shops; canteens and bars of health establishments
Concerts, festivals and student partiesDrinks served in light, non-contundent containers – no glass; bars may only let drinks be taken outside in such containers
Tobacco, e-cigarettes and nicotine refillsNo sales under 18, age proven by photo ID; no sales online, by phone or post, or from vending machines without an age lock; no loyalty schemes or promotional packs
SmokingBanned in public administration buildings, all workplaces, customer-service areas, health facilities, schools, museums, theatres, cinemas, shopping centres and shops, hotels, and restaurants, cafés and bars including dance venues; tobacco advertising banned in almost all media

Source: the consolidated law texts published by the Procuradoria-Geral Distrital de Lisboa, read 24 September 2026.

Visitors, borders and the bottle deposit

Guests from outside the EU: since 10 April 2026 the EU Entry/Exit System is fully in force at all Portuguese air and sea border points, recording biometric data instead of a passport stamp for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. ETIAS, the EU travel authorisation for visa-free travellers, is not yet in operation; its fee has been set at €20. A visitor arriving from another Schengen country over a border without controls, and staying with you rather than in a hotel, must make an entry declaration at the PSP or GNR within three working days.

At the supermarket, plastic bottles and cans marked Volta have carried a €0.10 deposit since 10 April 2026, refunded in cash or vouchers when you return the empty container (part 13). For getting around, part 12 has the passes: the navegante metropolitano for the whole Lisbon area costs €40 a month, free up to and including age 23, and the national Green Rail Pass costs €20 for 30 days.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Save 112 and 808 24 24 24, plus the lines in the table aboveToday
2Put the 13 holidays and your municipal holiday in your calendarFirst week
3Plan large payments by transfer – never €3,000 or more in cashBefore paying a deposit or a car
4Carry photo ID for alcohol and tobacco purchasesAlways
5Check with your câmara municipal whether it restricts opening hoursBefore opening a business
6Tell non-EU visitors about the Entry/Exit System and the 90-day ruleBefore they book

Source: the Portuguese Government (ePortugal), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ visa portal and the Labour Code, read 24 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 24 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.