In Portugal students can apply to higher education through a special regime when they have specific personal conditions and educational achievement.
One of the special regime determined by law is intended to foreign staff of diplomatic missions accredited in Portugal and their family residing in Portugal, if the foreign country demonstrates reciprocal treatment to Portuguese citizens, and if those students meet all the legal conditions required by legislation.
_ Special Regime aims students who cumulatively:
_ Are foreign officials of diplomatic missions accredited in Portugal or are their relatives living here;
_ Demonstrate reciprocal treatment to Portuguese citizens, and
_ hold a secondary education course diploma:
_ Portuguese, or
_ Foreign completed in a foreign country, or completed in foreign educational establishment in Portugal, that constitutes, in that country, sufficient academic qualification for entry into official higher education.
_ Pairs institution/course of higher education to which can apply for
The application to a pair institution/course of higher education requires that students demonstrate the ability to attend that educational level, in each of the options that are indicated in the application form.
The ability to attend higher education is proven by taking into account the secondary education course.
_ Course of foreign secondary education:
Completed the foreign secondary education course the student may submit an application to a Portuguese pair institution/course of higher education that is congener of the course for which have an academic qualification for entry into official higher education of the foreign country of the habilitation.
Means:
The course counterpart of a given course is one that, although it has a different name, has the same academic level and gives equivalent training.
Thus, for example, if the student wishes to apply for the ISCTE - Lisbon University Institute, Economics course, having completed secondary education in the U.S., needs to present a document issued by the Official Education Services of that country certifying that the student has academic qualification for entry to university in the U.S. in Economics course or other course that, although has a different name, has the same academic level and minister equivalent training in Portugal.
In the application form the options are only valid to pair institution/course for which the student has an academic qualification that gives access to that course on the foreign country of the habilitation.
_ Documents
_ Application form – signed by the student. If the student is under age the application form must be signed by the holder of parental rights or the guardian;
_ Copy of Citizen Card / Identity Card / Diplomatic Identification Card / Passport of the foreign official;
_ Document certifying the situation of the foreign official of diplomatic mission accredited in Portugal, with the start date of the mission in here and if it remains at the time of application;
_ Document of reciprocal treatment to Portuguese citizens;
_ If the student is relative of the foreign official of diplomatic mission accredited in Portugal, in reciprocal treatment, to whom the special regime is intended to, it’s also necessary:
_ Copy of Citizen Card / Identity Card / Diplomatic Identification Card / Passport of the relative;
_ If the student does not have the Portuguese identification number, must apply with an internal number, for identification in the context of applications to Portuguese higher education, required and obtained at the Office of Access to Higher Education (GAES) or in Direção-Geral do Ensino Superior (DGES);
_ Document proving kinship; and
_ Document proving the relative accompanies the foreign official of diplomatic mission accredited in Portugal and resides with the official permanently here, indicating the beginning of the residence period and if it remains at the time of application;
_ Document proving graduation of high school course:
_Foreign, completed in a foreign country or foreign educational institution in Portugal - accompanied by a declaration that the habilitation is enough to enter official higher education of that country and a declaration issued by official education services also from that country that this habilitation is enough there to join upper counterpart course of that which is desired in Portugal.
_ Document proving the satisfaction of prerequisites, when required;
_ In the case of application for private higher education it’s necessary document proving prior approval of the higher education institution.
_Application
The application to higher education through a special regime is submitted in person at the Offices of Access to Higher Education (GAES) in Portugal, where the student could also acquire the application forms.
The student can indicate up to three options pair institution/course, in order of preference, and can freely change these options during the term to apply, being necessary the acquisition of a new application form, for this effect.
The application through special regimes follows a single stage.
For the academic year 2019-2020 it will occur from 22th of July to 09th of August. The calendar is approved and published and can be consulted in DGES website
_ Foreign documents
If the application process is submitted with foreign documents, the student must submit the original document authenticated by the competent official in the matter of the respective country and recognized by Portuguese diplomatic or consular authority or by diplomatic or consular authority from where the documents are originated.
If public documents are to be submitted, they must present the affixing of the Hague Apostille by the competent authority of the State where the document originates.
All foreign documents must be translated to Portuguese, except when their original language is Spanish, French or English. The translation requires the same authentications demanded to the original documents.
This information does not exempt consulting the legislation or the detailed information available in DGES’ (Direção-Geral do Ensino Superior) website:
_ Contents about special regimes
You can also consult all accredited and registered courses in 2019, in the index of courses in English available on the DGES website: http://www.studyinportugal.edu.pt/index.php/courses/1st-and-1st-2nd-cycles
