New State of Emergency – What Changes from 9th December Onwards
9 December 2020
A new State of Emergency has come into force at 12am on the 9th December. Since it changes every two weeks, this new State of Emergency is adopted until the 23rd December.
The rules are the same as before and keep the whole territory divided in 4 COVID levels:
- Moderate: Municipalities with < 240 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days;
- High: Municipalities with a number of cases between 240 and 479 per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days;
- Very high: Municipalities with a number of cases between 480 and 959 per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days;
- Extremely high: Municipalities with > 960 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days.
Where do I check which level is my municipality?
Please click here
to know which municipalities are within the 4 levels.
What changed from the previous State of Emergency?
For municipalities with a “high” risk level, in addition to the measures applied to the entire continental territory:
- Action to monitor compliance with mandatory remote working;
- Maintenance of the opening hours of establishments (10pm, except restaurants and cultural facilities at 10:30pm).
For “very high” and “extremely high”
municipalities, in addition to the measures applied to the entire national territory, the following also apply:
- Action to monitor compliance with mandatory remote working;
- Prohibition of circulation on public roads between 11pm and 5am on weekdays;
- Prohibition of circulation on public roads after 1pm, during the next two weekends (12-13 and 19-20 December);
- During weekends, commercial establishments and restaurants must close at 1pm (with a few exceptions).
Which measures are applicable in the 4 zones?
1. Mandatory use of mask in the workplace
2. There is the possibility of carrying out body temperature measurements, through non-invasive means, at:
- Workplaces;
- Educational institutions;
- Means of transportation;
- Commercial, cultural and sporting venues.
3. There is also the possibility of requiring diagnostic tests for COVID-19, in access to:
- Health facilities;
- Residential venues;
- Educational establishments
- Professional establishments at the entrance and exit of national territory – by air or sea
- Other locations, by determination of the DGS.
4. Another measure is to mobilize human resources to strengthen screening capacity (e.g., conducting epidemiological surveys, contact screening, monitoring of people under active surveillance);
In summary
All citizens living in the country must join in a nation-wide effort to contain the virus.

On 16 July 2025, the Portuguese Parliament approved major changes to the legal framework governing immigration (Law no. 23/2007). The reform ends the manifestação de interesse mechanism, tightens rules for job-seeker visas and family reunification, and sets a final deadline for transitional applications.

The Portuguese Parliament has decided to postpone the vote on the proposed amendments to the Nationality Law until September 2025. The decision was taken in a meeting of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees, following pressure from several political parties who requested more time to assess the implications of the proposed reform. The delay allows for additional hearings with legal experts, immigrant associations and civil society representatives before a final vote is held in plenary session. The proposed reform introduces significant changes to the current legal framework for acquiring Portuguese nationality. Among the most impactful measures is the extension of the minimum legal residence period required before applying for naturalisation. Under the new proposal, this period would increase from the current five years to seven years for nationals of CPLP countries (Community of Portuguese Language Countries), and to ten years for applicants from all other countries. Another major change concerns the introduction of mechanisms to revoke Portuguese nationality . According to the proposal, naturalised citizens who are convicted of serious crimes — defined as those resulting in prison sentences of five years or more , within ten years of acquiring nationality — could see their Portuguese citizenship revoked by a court decision, based on a proposal from the Public Prosecutor’s Office. In addition, the reform would tighten the requirements for acquiring original Portuguese nationality through birth in Portugal. For children born in Portuguese territory to foreign parents, it would become mandatory that at least one parent has been residing legally in Portugal for a minimum of three years , instead of the current two years. Although the government initially intended to approve these changes before the summer recess, political consensus has not yet been reached. Left-wing parties have raised concerns regarding the constitutionality of retroactive revocation of nationality and the potential impact on the rights of long-term residents and immigrant communities in Portugal. In response, the parliamentary committee agreed to postpone the process and schedule a new round of expert hearings in early September. A final vote on the reform is now expected to take place later that month. Until then, the current version of the Nationality Law remains in force , including the five-year legal residence requirement for naturalisation. Applicants who meet this requirement and wish to apply under the current rules may still do so in the coming weeks.