Will my UK qualifications be recognised?

For most jobs in Portugal, the employer decides whether your UK qualifications are enough. But regulated professions, and some visas and public jobs, need your degree formally recognised, and many professions also need you to join a professional order (ordem).

Do you need recognition?

DGES, the higher education authority, says access to most professions in Portugal is free, so for unregulated jobs your employer sets the requirements. For regulated professions, you need recognition and usually registration with the body that controls the profession. Check the EU regulated professions list, which names the Portuguese authority for each job.

The three types of degree recognition

All three have the same legal value. For a job that needs a degree level, automatic or level recognition is enough. For a regulated profession, you usually need specific recognition. Only degrees on the official list qualify for automatic recognition, and it must be exactly the same degree, not “equivalent”. The old “equivalência” process no longer exists.

How to apply

1. Apply through the single online form on the DGES website and choose DGES or a public university as the deciding body
2. Upload your degree certificate (authenticated) and, for level or specific recognition, your transcript with subjects, hours and grades; a master’s needs a copy of the dissertation
3. Documents in English do not need translating for DGES; other languages may need a certified Portuguese translation
4. You can also ask for your final grade to be converted to the Portuguese 0–20 scale; there are special rules for UK classifications
5. Fees: €32.20 for automatic recognition at DGES. Level and specific fees are set by each institution, so check before you apply

Many bodies want UK documents legalised with an apostille. The FCDO charges £45 per paper document (£35 for an e-Apostille, where available).

Doctors

The Ordem dos Médicos registers doctors. If you trained outside the EU, it asks for a certificate of specific recognition of your degree from a Portuguese public university, legalised documents, a recent criminal record and good-standing certificate from countries where you lived in the last 2 years, a NIF and a CV. If your degree was not taught in Portuguese, you must first prove your language skills, by passing its medical communication test or holding a B2 certificate with that test. Its Southern Region FAQ lists a registration fee of €375 (about £318) for a doctor with autonomy and €300 for the communication test. Press reports describe specific recognition of a medical degree as including knowledge and clinical exams and taking a year or more.

Nurses, engineers and lawyers

• Nurses register with the Ordem dos Enfermeiros. Law 8/2024 says the professional orders must accept foreign qualifications that have been recognised in Portugal, without extra tests beyond the rules in force, so start with recognition
• Engineers join the Ordem dos Engenheiros, which analyses course content against the core of each specialty. Ask it whether your degree needs specific recognition first
• UK lawyers should contact the Ordem dos Advogados (the Portuguese Bar Association) or its regional council where they will work, says GOV.UK
• Teachers in state schools: DGES suggests contacting DGAE, the school administration authority, about which recognition you need

School and vocational qualifications

DGES only deals with higher education. For A levels, GCSEs or vocational qualifications, use the Directorate-General for Education (DGE). GOV.UK’s guidance on recognising UK educational qualifications in Portugal points degree holders to a Portuguese state university.

Timeline

• Start online before you move: the whole process runs through the DGES portal
• Allow 1 to 3 months for degree recognition once your file is complete, longer for medicine
• Order apostilles and any translations early: missing documents cause most delays
• Tell your employer if your job offer depends on registration