Presidential

Portuguese citizens over the age of 18 who are registered in the Portuguese electoral register, in the national territory or abroad, and Brazilian citizens who have the status of equal political rights can vote.

All national citizens who turn 17 and are in possession of a Citizen Card or Identity Card, are unofficially and automatically registered in the electoral register, on a provisional basis, in the parish corresponding to the address shown on the respective civil identification document.

Yes, since he was automatically registered at the age of 17, on a provisional basis, becoming an effective voter on the date he turns 18.

If you live abroad and hold an Identity Card, you must register for voter registration at the Portuguese diplomatic representation in your area of residence.

NOTE: To vote in the election of the President of the Republic on January 18, 2026, you must register for voter registration by November 18, inclusive. From this date onwards, voter registration updating operations are suspended and will only be resumed on the day following the election.

You must update your address on your Citizen Card, with the transfer of your voter registration being carried out automatically.

NOTE: Voter registration update operations are suspended on the 60th day before the election, so only updates resulting from Citizen Cards that have been issued and activated by November 18th will be covered. Transfers resulting from a change of address on the Citizen Card that is issued and activated after that date, are only made from the day following the election (the date on which the updating of the voter registration legally resumes). In these cases, voters can only vote in the parish of their previous residence.

You can obtain information about your voting location, in the fifteen days before the election:

at the Parish Council;
at the City Council;
via the Internet (https://www.recenseamento.mai.gov.pt/);
by SMS (write the following message: RE <space> civil identification number without check.digit <space> date of birth YYYYMMDD example: RE 1444880 19531007 and dial 3838) or;
Through the Voter Support Line: 808 206 206.

The right to vote is exercised in the place where you are still registered and which, in this case, corresponds to your previous address. This is because voter registration is suspended on the 60th day before the election (November 19), and only after updating the address on the Citizen Card will your registration be automatically transferred to the parish corresponding to the new address.

You can obtain information about your voting location, in the fifteen days before the election:

at the Parish Council;
at the City Council;
via the Internet (https://www.recenseamento.mai.gov.pt/);
by SMS (write the following message: RE <space> civil identification number without check.digit <space> date of birth YYYYMMDD example: RE 1444880 19531007 and dial 3838) or;
Through the Voter Support Line: 808 206 206.

If the address on your Citizen Card is abroad, you must update it as quickly as possible. As soon as the change is made and activated, your registration in national territory will be unofficially and automatically carried out in the parish corresponding to the address indicated on the civil identification document.

If you have a valid Identity Card and an updated address in the national territory, you must register for electoral registration with the Census Commission/Parish Council of your residence.

NOTE: To vote in the election of the President of the Republic on January 18, 2026, you must register for voter registration by November 18, inclusive. From this date onwards, voter registration updating operations are suspended and will only be resumed on the day following the election.

Yes, you can, as long as you are registered on the electoral register.

NOTE: If you have a Citizen Card you are automatically registered in the electoral register, as long as you have not requested or chosen to cancel your registration.

The right to vote in this election is exercised in person at diplomatic representations, consulates or external delegations of Portuguese ministries and public institutions.

Abroad, voting takes place on January 17th between 8:00 am and 7:00 pm (local time) and on January 18th, election day, from 8:00 am (local time) until the deadline for exercising the right to vote in national territory (8:00 pm in Lisbon), without exceeding 7:00 pm local time.

No, unless you are a Brazilian citizen with the status of equal political rights, a situation in which you appear on the electoral roll.

The voter number has been deleted. Therefore, on election day, to exercise your right to vote, when appearing before the board, simply indicate your name and hand the President of the board your civil identification document.

If you do not have a civil identification document, you can identify yourself through any other official document that contains an updated photograph, or through two voting citizens who attest, under oath, to your identity, or even through unanimous recognition of the members of the board.

You can obtain information, in the fifteen days before the election:

at the Parish Council;
at the City Council;
via the Internet (https://www.recenseamento.mai.gov.pt/);
by SMS (write the following message: RE <space> civil identification number without check.digit <space> date of birth YYYYMMDD example: RE 1444880 19531007 and dial 3838) or;
Through the Voter Support Line: 808 206 206.

Voting citizens of Portuguese origin, over 35 years of age.

Candidacies are presented before the Constitutional Court.

Applications must be submitted up to 30 days before the scheduled election date.

Candidates can only be presented by a minimum of 7,500 and a maximum of 15,000 voting citizens.

The presentation of candidacies is exclusively up to voting citizens, so you do not need to be affiliated with any party.

The submission of applications consists of submitting:

Declaration signed by the proposing voters containing the name and other identification details of the candidate;
Document proving that the candidate is over 35 years old;
Document proving that you are originally Portuguese;
Document proving that you enjoy all civil and political rights;
Document proving registration in the electoral register;
Declaration by the candidate stating that he or she is not covered by the ineligibility provided for by law;
Declaration from the candidate stating that he or she accepts the candidacy;
Declaration by the candidate designating the representative and indicating the respective address in Lisbon and, if so desired, the district representatives and/or for each consular area abroad;
Documents proving registration in the voter registration by the proponents, also indicating the number, date and entity issuing the identification document.

Yes, from the date of submission of candidatures and until the day of the election, candidates have the right to be exempt from performing their respective professional duties, whether public or private, counting this time for all purposes, including the right to remuneration, as effective service time.

Any candidate may withdraw from candidacy up to 72 hours before election day, by means of a written declaration with a signature recognized by a notary, presented to the President of the Constitutional Court.

No, each voting citizen can only propose a single candidacy for the Presidency of the Republic.

It is an electronic platform that allows voting citizens to support candidacy proposals for President of the Republic. It also allows candidates or representatives to submit their application and manage it on the platform.

Access is via Digital Mobile Key or Citizen Card with PIN, via the address https://www.portaldacandidatura.mai.gov.pt/.

Any Portuguese citizen registered in the electoral register, in national territory or abroad, as well as Brazilian citizens with equal political rights status.

No, the Candidacy Portal only allows support for one candidacy per election, and the system blocks multiple supports and alerts the user before confirming support.

Yes, as long as the candidacy has not yet been formally presented to the Constitutional Court. The Application Portal allows you to withdraw support given to an application and then support another application.

Yes. Support registered on the Candidacy Portal has legal validity equivalent to support provided on paper, as long as the citizen is duly registered and authenticated.

No, the candidacy must always be presented at the Constitutional Court.

On election day, delegates monitor and supervise voting operations and tabulation of results.

Delegates enjoy the following powers:

Occupy the seats closest to the voting table, in order to monitor all electoral operations;
Be heard and clarified about all questions that arise during the operation of the board, during the voting or counting phase;
Consult copies of the electoral rolls used by the board at all times;
Present, orally or in writing, complaints, protests or counter-protests within the scope of electoral operations;
Sign the minutes and initial, seal and seal all documents relating to voting and counting operations;
Obtain all certificates relating to voting and tabulation operations that require.

No. Candidate delegates may not be registered in the electoral register in the parish corresponding to the polling station or section where they will carry out their duties.

Yes, you can.

No, the effective delegate and the substitute cannot perform functions simultaneously. In the absence of the effective delegate, his deputy performs duties and vice versa.

No, candidate delegates cannot be appointed to replace absent panel members.

No. The President of the Board performs functions incompatible with those of a delegate. On election day, he is responsible for directing the Board's services, in order to ensure its normal functioning, providing the necessary information to voters and monitoring, in the most efficient way possible, the process of establishing polling stations.

Yes, candidate delegates enjoy the right to be exempt from professional activity on election day and the following day, without prejudice to all their rights and benefits, including the right to remuneration. To this end, they must present the credential and certificate issued and signed by the President of the respective board to the employer.

Yes, the credential remains valid for the exercise of functions on the date of the repeat election.

Polling station members must be registered in the parish where they work and must know how to read and write Portuguese.

The polling station members are appointed by the Mayor of the City Council, up to the 22nd day before election day (27th December) from among the registered voters at each polling station or section.

Any voter can complain about the choice of board members to the President of the City Council, within two days following the posting of the notice containing the names of the chosen polling station members.

Yes, as long as they are registered in the parish where they work. However, it is not recommended that they be part of the polling stations in order to avoid any embarrassment to voters or other polling station members during voting and tabulation operations.

You can register with the electoral agents exchange, at your City Council or Parish Council. You can also register with the Electoral Agents Exchange (BAE), on the Voter Portal.

It should be noted, however, that the pool of electoral agents is only activated when the number of citizens selected in general terms is insufficient, either in the designation phase or on the day of the election itself, to replace absent polling station members.

Performing the duties of a board member, which constitutes a fundamental civic duty, is mandatory, except for reasons of force majeure or just cause.

The justifying reasons for impediment are as follows:

- Age over 65 years old;

- Illness or physical impossibility proven by the municipal health delegate;

- Change of residence to the area of another municipality proven by the Parish Council of the new residence;

- Absence abroad, duly proven; and,

- Carrying out professional activity of an urgent nature, duly proven by a superior.

In this situation, you must immediately notify the Mayor of the City Council, justifying the reason for the impossibility, no later than three days before the election.

Yes, panel members enjoy the right to be exempt from professional activity on election day and the following day, without prejudice to all their rights and benefits, including the right to remuneration. To this end, they must present the respective appointment license and the certificate issued and signed by the President of the respective board to the employer.

Table members are given a bonus, exempt from taxation.

In the election for the President of the Republic, all voters registered in the national territory can vote in advance in mobility.

Yes, you can vote in advance on mobility. To this end, you must express this intention, between January 4th and 8th, by post to the Electoral Administration of the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration, electronically to adm.eleitoral@sg.mai.gov.pt or on the Early Vote Portal (https://www.votoantecipado.pt) with the following information:

Full name;
Date of birth;
Civil identification number;
Household;
Municipality where you intend to exercise the right to vote in advance in mobility;
Telephone contact and, whenever possible, email address.

On January 11th (Sunday before the election), go to the municipality you chose and the polling station where you will vote, and identify yourself by presenting your civil identification document, indicating your parish of registration in the electoral register.

To exercise the right to vote on mobility, at least one table is set up in each municipality on the mainland and in the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira.

Yes, you can vote in advance on mobility. (See FAQ 46 and 47)

Yes, you can vote in advance. You must apply to the Electoral Administration of the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration, by postal mail, electronically at adm.eleitoral@sg.mai.gov.pt, or through the Early Voting Portal (https://www.votoantecipado.pt), providing your civil identification number. The request must be made by December 29, 2025.

Along with the request, you must submit:

Proof of impediment issued by your attending physician and confirmed by the management of the healthcare facility.

Between January 5th and 8th, you must wait, on a previously announced day and time, for the presence of the Mayor, or his representative, at the hospital, to exercise your right to vote.

Yes, you can vote in advance. You must apply to the Electoral Administration of the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration, by post, electronically to adm.eleitoral@sg.mai.gov.pt or on the Early Vote Portal (https://www.votoantecipado.pt), indicating your civil identification number. The application must be made by December 29, 2025.

Along with the application you must send:

Document proving the impediment issued by the director of the prison establishment.

Between January 5th and 8th, you must wait, on a previously announced day and time, for the presence of the Mayor, or his representative, at the prison, to exercise your right to vote.

Yes, if you are traveling abroad due to public or private duties, you can exercise your right to vote in advance between January 6th and 8th at diplomatic, consular representations or at external delegations of Portuguese ministries and public institutions previously defined by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You must carry your Citizen Card, Identity Card or other identifying document, such as a driving license or passport.

Yes, you can vote in advance, as long as the team you represent is organized by a sports federation with public sports utility status. You can exercise your right to vote between January 6th and 8th at diplomatic and consular representations or at external delegations of Portuguese ministries and public institutions previously defined by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You must carry your Citizen Card, Identity Card or other identifying document, such as a driving license or passport.

Yes, you can vote early between January 6 and 8 at diplomatic or consular representations or at external delegations of Portuguese ministries and public institutions previously defined by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You should bring your Citizen Card, Identity Card, or another identification document, such as a driver's license or passport.

Yes, you can vote early between January 6 and 8 at diplomatic or consular representations, or at the external delegations of ministries and Portuguese public institutions previously defined by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You should bring your Citizen Card, Identity Card, or another form of identification, such as a driver's license or passport.

Yes, you can vote in advance, as well as your companion. You can exercise your right to vote between January 6 and 8 at diplomatic or consular representations or at external offices of Portuguese ministries and public institutions previously designated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You should bring your Citizen Card, Identity Card, or another form of identification, such as a driver's license or passport.

No. Early voting is legally provided only for voters registered in the electoral roll within national territory.

Throughout the national territory, the election will be held on January 18, 2026.

Abroad, voting begins on the day before (January 17) and ends on January 18. On January 17, voting takes place between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. (local time), and on January 18, the election day, from 8:00 a.m. (local time) until the deadline for exercising the right to vote in national territory (8:00 p.m. in Lisbon), without exceeding 7:00 p.m. local time.

To vote, the voter must provide their name and identify themselves with the Citizen Card or Identity Card, or, if these are not available, a document that contains a recent photograph and is commonly used for identification.

You can vote by being identified through two citizens who are voters and who attest, under an oath of honor, to your identity, or through the unanimous recognition of the polling station members.

You can obtain this information in the fifteen days prior to the election:

at the Parish Council;
at the City Hall;
online (https://www.recenseamento.mai.gov.pt/);
by SMS (write the following message: RE <space> civil identification number without check.digit <space> date of birth YYYYMMDD example: RE 1444880 19531007 and dial 3838) or;
Through the Voter Support Line: 808 206 206.

Yes. Portuguese citizens residing abroad, provided they are registered in the Portuguese electoral roll, can exercise their right to vote in person at Portuguese diplomatic representations at the polling stations established there.

In national territory, voting takes place continuously from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. After this time, only voters who are already inside the polling station or voting section can vote.

Yes. A voter card is not required to vote; its issuance was discontinued in October 2008. You just need to identify yourself with the Citizen Card or Identity Card, or, if you don’t have one, a document containing a recent photograph that is commonly used for identification.

No. In Portugal, voting is done directly and in person by the voter at the polling station corresponding to the place where they are registered in the electoral roll.

No. In Portugal, voting is done personally, and no form of representation or delegation is allowed.

Voting accompanied is only allowed if the voter has a noticeable illness or physical disability, which the polling station verifies prevents them from exercising their right to vote alone. In this case, the voter can be accompanied by another voter of their choice, who ensures the faithful expression of their voting intention and is bound to absolute confidentiality.

Yes. The polling station provides a braille ballot to voters with visual impairment so that they can exercise their right to vote independently.

The voter enters the voting booth located in the polling station/section and there, alone, marks an X in the box corresponding to their voting choice. Then they fold the ballot paper in four, with the printed side facing inward.

You should ask the President of the polling station for another one, returning the first ballot. The President will mark the returned ballot as "void," initial it, and keep it separately.

Inside the polling station and outside, up to a distance of 500 meters, no one can reveal which candidate they voted for or intend to vote for.

No, the ballot box cannot leave the polling station or voting section. In extreme cases, the polling station may allow it when absolutely necessary, and after consulting the delegates of the present candidacies, for the voter to mark the ballot outside the voting chamber, in a place (within the voting section) where the secrecy of the vote is strictly preserved.

Voting can be interrupted in the following situations:

When the minimum number (3) of table members is not present;
When neither the Chair of the table nor their substitute is present;
When any disturbance occurs or any disruption is observed that prevents the normal conduct of the voting.

Interrupting the electoral operations for more than three hours results in the closure of the voting.

Yes, any voter registered in the assembly/voting section or any of the candidates’ delegates can submit a written complaint to the polling station.

The polling station cannot refuse to receive complaints; they must be initialed and attached to the minutes.

No. Marks on the electoral registers must be made with a pen to prevent any alterations.

In addition to the voters exercising their right to vote, candidates, their representatives, and delegates of the candidacies may be present in the polling station/assembly, provided they do not disrupt the proceedings.

No, election campaigning is prohibited inside polling stations/assemblies and outside them within a distance of 500 meters. Campaigning also includes the display of symbols, logos, signs, badges, or stickers of any candidacies.

Yes. Near polling stations, survey agents from polling companies, duly accredited by the National Election Commission, can question voters after they have cast their vote. That is, pollsters are allowed to be near polling locations but are prohibited from entering the rooms where the voting operations take place.

No. Publishing survey results is prohibited from the end of the election campaign until the closing of the polls throughout the entire national territory.

Generally speaking, no, however, the following aspects must be taken into account:

It is prohibited to engage in propaganda, directly or indirectly, by any means, on the eve and on the day of the election;
It is prohibited to disrupt the regular functioning of the polling stations or voting sections;
Hunting is prohibited on the day of the election.

The holding of these events is not prohibited at all. However, it is absolutely necessary that they do not disrupt or interfere with the voters' right to vote and the normal operation of electoral processes, and they should take place in a location sufficiently far from the polling stations/voting sections.

Similarly, for events that involve the mass movement of voters outside their parish areas, the date of elections or referendums should be avoided.

Yes, hunting is prohibited under the terms of paragraph 4 of Article 89 of Decree-Law No. 202/2004, of August 18.

The vote counting consists of determining the results of the election. In this election, the counting is divided into three phases:

the partial count, carried out at the polling station/section after the close of voting;
the district count (Autonomous Region) / intermediate count abroad, carried out in an assembly established in each district (Autonomous Region) / consular jurisdiction area for this purpose; and
the general count, carried out at the general counting assembly at the Constitutional Court.

After the polls close, the results are counted at the polling station/section itself, through the following steps:

Counting the unused and voided ballots;
Counting the voters based on the check marks in the electoral rolls;
Opening the ballot box and counting the votes it contains, which, after being counted, must be placed back into the ballot box. If the number of voters counted from the rolls does not match the number of votes in the ballot box, the latter number will prevail;
Publication of a notice indicating the number of ballots placed in the ballot box, posted on the main door of the polling station after being read aloud by the President;
Subsequently, one of the scrutineers unfolds the ballots, one by one, and announces aloud the candidate voted for, while the other records it on a blank sheet, or on the tally sheets, preferably in a well-organized table, the votes allocated to each candidate, the blank votes, and the null votes.
Counting of votes for the candidates, blank votes, and null votes;
Publication of a notice to be posted on the main door of the assembly building or voting section, specifying the number of votes allocated to each candidate, the number of blank votes, and the number of null votes.

NOTE: Abroad, in polling stations with fewer than 100 registered voters, the ballots are placed in envelopes, sealed and closed, in the presence of the voters who remain at the polling station and are immediately sent, via diplomatic channels, along with the records of the operations and the electoral registers, to the nearest polling station with more than 100 voters, so that the counting can be carried out there by the respective board and in the presence of the candidates' delegates.

A vote is considered null:

One that has a cross in more than one box;
One about which there are doubts regarding the marked box;
One that is marked for a candidacy that has withdrawn;
One that contains any cut, drawing, erasure, or in which any word has been written;
An early vote whose ballot does not arrive under the legally prescribed conditions, or that is received in envelopes that are not properly closed.

Ballots that contain a cross that is not very well drawn or that goes outside the box, but that clearly expresses the voter's intention, should not be considered null.

A blank vote is a ballot that does not contain any type of mark.

No. Blank votes and null votes are not considered validly expressed votes, and for that reason, they do not influence the count of votes obtained by each candidate.

Yes. The secretary of the table prepares the minutes of the voting and partial counting operations, which must include:

The names of the members of the table and the delegates of the candidacies;
The opening and closing times of the voting, as well as the location of the assembly or voting section;
The decisions made by the table during the voting and counting operations;
The total number of registered voters and those who voted;
The civil identification number of voters who voted in advance;
The number of votes obtained by each candidate, the number of blank votes, and the number of null votes;
The number of ballots that were subject to complaint or protest;
Any discrepancies in the count, if any, with precise indication of the differences noted;
The number of complaints, protests, and counter-protests attached to the minutes.
Any other occurrences that the board deems pertinent to mention.

This minutes, once signed by the board members and by the delegates of the present candidacies, is to be sent to the District Counting Assembly (Autonomous Region) / Intermediate (abroad).

The District Counting Assembly (Autonomous Region) has the following composition:

A judicial magistrate, appointed by the President of the Court of Appeal of the respective judicial district, who will serve as President, with a casting vote;
Two lawyers chosen by the President;
Two teachers, preferably of mathematics, who teach in the district headquarters area, appointed by the member of the Government responsible for education;
Six Presidents of polling stations appointed by the district court with jurisdiction in the district headquarters or Autonomous Region;
A judicial secretary from the district headquarters, chosen by the President, who serves as secretary, without vote.

The Intermediate Counting Assembly (abroad) has the following composition:

Head of the consular post or section, who presides;
A legal expert;
One President of a polling station for each group of up to 100,000 voters, appointed by the President.

The District Counting Assembly (Autonomous Region) must be constituted by the day before the election day, and a public notice must be published, posted on the door of the district court with jurisdiction in the district or Autonomous Region's capital, containing the names of the citizens who compose it and, in the case of subdivision, the area it covers.

The Intermediate Tallying Assembly (abroad) must be established by the day before the start of voting, with a public notice posted on the door of the embassy or consulate building containing the names of the citizens who make it up.

The district (Autonomous Region) / Intermediate (abroad) tallying is carried out based on the minutes of the polling station operations, the electoral rolls, and other accompanying documents.

Previously, the district (Autonomous Region) / Intermediate (abroad) tallying assembly decides on the ballots regarding which there have been complaints or protests, correcting, if necessary, the tallying of the respective polling station.

Next, it begins the work, which consists of the following:

Verification of the total number of registered voters and voters in the district;
Verification of the total number of votes obtained by each candidate, the number of blank votes, and the number of null votes.

The district counting operations (Autonomous Region) begin at 9 a.m. on the day following the election, at the location determined for this purpose by the magistrate presiding over the counting assembly.

The district counting (Autonomous Region) must be concluded by January 26, with the results published by means of a notice posted on the door of the court of the district or Autonomous Region.

The intermediate counting operations (abroad) start at 9 a.m. on the day following the last day of voting at the embassy or consulate building. The intermediate counting (abroad) must be completed by January 22, and the respective record is immediately sent to the General Counting Assembly.

The General Counting Assembly has the following composition:

The President of the Constitutional Court, who will preside with a casting vote;
Two judges of the Constitutional Court, appointed by lottery;
Three mathematics professors, appointed by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation;
The secretary of the Constitutional Court, who acts as secretary, without vote.

The General Counting Assembly must be constituted by the day before the election, with a notice published and posted on the door of the Constitutional Court, listing the names of the citizens who make it up.

The general counting operations begin at 9 a.m. on January 26, at the Constitutional Court.

The general counting must be completed by January 28, with the results proclaimed by the President and then published by notice posted on the door of the Constitutional Court.

The general counting is carried out based on the minutes of the operations of the district/intermediate counting assemblies (abroad).

The general counting consists of:

Verifying the total number of registered voters and voters in the single constituency;
Verifying the total number of votes obtained by each candidate, the number of blank votes, and the number of null votes;
Determining the elected candidate.

Presidential

VOTING RIGHTS AND ELECTORAL REGISTRATION

APPLICATIONS

CANDIDACY DELEGATES

POLLING STATION MEMBERS

EARLY VOTE

VOTING

VOTE COUNTING

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