How do I change jobs in Portugal?
An ordinary Portuguese work-based residence permit doesn’t tie you to one employer: you can switch by telling AIMA, without a new card. The main things to plan are your notice period, your final pay, and keeping enough income for your next permit renewal.
In 30 seconds
- On an employee residence permit you can change employer by telling AIMA; no new card is needed. EU Blue Card holders are more restricted in their first 12 months
- To resign you give written notice (aviso prévio): 30 days with up to 2 years’ service, 60 days with more. Your final pay includes untaken holiday, holiday pay and a share of the Christmas payment
- If you resign without just cause you usually can’t claim unemployment benefit. The government’s “Trabalho XXI” labour reform was rejected by Parliament on 19 June 2026, so the current Labour Code still applies
What your permit allows
The Foreigners Act (Law 23/2007) sets the rules for third-country nationals, including Britons who moved after Brexit:
| Permit | Changing job |
|---|---|
| Employee permit (atividade profissional subordinada) | You can change employer by telling AIMA, without a new card. You need a lawful work contract and social security registration |
| Self-employed permit (atividade independente) | You can change the type of activity by telling AIMA. Switching to employment, or adding self-employment to an employee permit, means replacing your card |
| EU Blue Card | In the first 12 months you can only take jobs that meet the Blue Card conditions. Tell AIMA in writing, in advance if possible, about a new employer; AIMA can object within 30 days |
| Highly qualified (including Tech Visa) | Check with AIMA or a lawyer before you move, as the permit is based on your contract or a certified company |
| D8 digital nomad | The permit is for remote work for people or companies based outside Portugal. A job with a Portuguese employer needs a different permit |
| Permanent residence or EU long-term residence | You work on the same terms as Portuguese citizens. See How do we get permanent residence and citizenship? |
A temporary residence permit lasts 2 years from issue and is then renewed for 3 years at a time. Ask to renew at least 30 days before it expires; the receipt for your renewal request counts as your permit for 60 days, and this can be extended. To renew, you need means of subsistence, somewhere to live, and to be up to date with tax and social security. Check AIMA’s current document list before your appointment See Which Portuguese visa do I need?
Resigning: notice (aviso prévio)
- On a permanent contract you give written notice of at least 30 days with up to 2 years’ service, or 60 days with more than 2 years
- A collective agreement or your contract can raise this to up to 6 months for management or senior roles, so read yours
- On a fixed-term contract: 30 days if the contract is for 6 months or more, 15 days if shorter
- If you don’t work your notice, you owe your employer your base pay for the missing days
- You can withdraw a resignation within 7 days of your employer receiving it, unless your signature was notarised in person
- In the trial period (período experimental) either side can usually end the contract without notice. It is 90 days for most staff, 180 days for technical or responsible roles, and 240 days for directors
Your final pay
When the contract ends, your employer must pay:
- Salary to your last day
- Holiday you earned but didn’t take, plus the matching holiday payment (subsídio de férias)
- Holiday and holiday payment in proportion to the time you worked in the year you leave
- The Christmas payment (subsídio de Natal) in proportion to the time worked that year
- You must also get a work certificate (certificado de trabalho) with your dates and roles, and, if you ask, the unemployment declaration (form RP 5044) for social security
If your employer ends your job
| How it ends | What the Labour Code gives you |
|---|---|
| Collective dismissal or job elimination | 14 days’ base pay per full year of service, capped at 12 months’ pay (with a cap on the salary counted at 20 times the minimum wage) |
| You leave with just cause (for example, unpaid wages) | 15 to 45 days’ base pay per year, at least 3 months’ pay, if the reasons are proven |
| End of the trial period by the employer | 7 days’ notice after 60 days of trial, 30 days after 120 days |
Unemployment benefit (subsídio de desemprego)
- You need at least 360 days of pay records in the 24 months before you lost your job, and you must live in Portugal and be registered at your local job centre (IEFP)
- Foreign nationals need a valid residence permit that allows them to work
- Your unemployment must be involuntary: dismissal, the end of a fixed-term contract, or resigning with just cause. A mutual agreement only counts in restructuring cases within set quotas. Ordinary resignation doesn’t count
- It pays 65% of your reference pay, between €537.13 (or €617.70 if you earned at least the €920 minimum wage) and €1,342.83 a month, and never more than 75% of your net reference pay
- It lasts 150 to 540 days depending on your age and contribution record. Apply within 90 days of your last day
Losing your job doesn’t cancel your permit by itself, but renewal depends on having means of subsistence. Tell AIMA if your situation changes, and keep payslips and benefit letters for your renewal. Ask AIMA or an immigration lawyer how benefit counts in your case
Non-compete and training clauses
A clause stopping you working for a competitor is only valid in writing, for up to 2 years (3 for roles of special trust), where your work could harm the employer, and with compensation paid to you. A “stay” clause (pacto de permanência) can bind you for up to 3 years in return for costly training; you can leave early by repaying those costs. Compare offers with the pay calculator and see What are my rights at work?
What to do next
- Find your notice period in your contract or collective agreement
- Tell AIMA about a new employer as soon as the contract is signed
- Ask your employer for form RP 5044 and your work certificate when you leave
Keep going
- Law 23/2007, the Foreigners Act (consolidated text including Law 61/2025, PGDL)
- Código do Trabalho (Law 7/2009, consolidated text, PGDL; last amended by Law 32/2025)
- Segurança Social: Practical guide to unemployment benefit (subsídio de desemprego), published 29 Jul 2026 (PDF)
- Despacho: Labour reform rejected: what happened in the vote (updated 20 Jul 2026)
- TSF: Labour package falls; Chega votes against (19 Jun 2026)