Departure of Minors from National Territory

In accordance with the legislation in force in Portugal, national minors and foreign minors legally residing in Portugal who wish to leave the country and travel unaccompanied by both parents, must show an exit permit. Authorization is required for travel between States party to the Schengen Agreement.

The exit authorization must be in a written document, dated and with the signature of the person who exercises legally certified parental responsibility, also conferring monitoring powers on the part of duly identified third parties.

This authorization can be used an unlimited number of times, the period of validity must be mentioned in the document and cannot exceed the period of one calendar year. If no deadline is mentioned, the authorization is valid for six months from the date of issue.

Emancipated minor does not need to show the exit authorization, just show the marriage certificate or birth certificate.

Given the diversity of family relationships and who exercises parental responsibility:

Minor, child of married parents/De facto Union, must be issued and signed by one of the parents, only if the minor travels without either of them; if the minor travels with one of the parents, authorization is not required, as long as there is no opposition from the other;

Minor, child of single parents, divorced, legally separated from persons and property, or whose marriage has been declared null or annulled, the exit authorization must be provided by the ascendant to whom it was entrusted and/or with whom it resides;

Minor, orphan of one of the parents, the exit authorization must be prepared by the surviving parent;

Minor, whose affiliation has been established for only one of the parents, the exit authorization must be authored by the parent for whom the affiliation is established;

Minor adopted or in the process of being adopted, depends on the authorization of the adopter or one of the adopters, if they are married;

Minor, entrusted to a third person or to an education or assistance establishment, the exit authorization is the responsibility of the person to whom the court attributed the exercise of parental responsibility;

Minor entrusted to an education or assistance establishment, public or private, it is the director of this establishment who must sign the exit authorization;

Minor, subject to guardianship:

– If minors are subject to guardianship, whose parents have died or are inhibited from exercising parental responsibility, or have been effectively prevented from exercising parental responsibility for more than six months or are incognito, the exit authorization must be issued by the guardian appointed by the Juvenile Court;