On 27 March the Portuguese government announced measures to ensure the right to health and public service for people with pending residence applications, such as asylum applications or people having applied for regularisation.
The decision states inter alia that persons who applied for international protection or applied for regularisation are considered to be regularly in the country and thereby qualified for health care and public services. The measures as presented are temporary and do not result in automatic asylum or regularisation.
The decision establishes a series of documents that should be considered valid in all public services and allow their holders to have access to the national healthcare System and to social support measures, to enter into housing rental contracts and employment contracts, to open bank accounts and to contract essential public services (non-exhaustive list). Applicants only need to provide evidence of an ongoing request to qualify, meaning that no new types of residence permits are being issued.
For further information:
AIDA, 2018 Update: Portugal, April 2019
Photo: CC fdecomite, July 2013
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