Hire Childcare Workers and Nannies from Abroad in Portugal (2026)

7 min

Shortage, Feasibility, and What Hiring Abroad Costs

In Portugal, finding qualified childcare workers and private nannies has become an operational hurdle for private crèches, nurseries, and private households. The shortage is concentrated in major urban centers, specifically the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (including Cascais, Sintra, and Oeiras), the Porto Metropolitan Area, and tourist-heavy zones in the Algarve. Local childcare professionals often migrate to other EU countries for higher pay, while expansion in private early childhood facilities has increased competition for remaining candidates.

Hiring non-EU childcare workers or nannies from abroad is entirely legal, but it is not a fast or effortless shortcut. Following major legislative reforms in June 2024, Portugal permanently abolished the former expression of interest mechanism (Artigo 88, n.º 2), which previously allowed workers to enter on a tourist visa and regularize their status later. Today, every non-EU national must secure a valid work visa from a Portuguese consulate in their home country before entering Portugal. For employers, this means you must commit to a candidate, issue a binding work contract, and navigate administrative steps months before the worker steps foot in your facility or home.

Because of this lead time, many private households and smaller nurseries first attempt to recruit locally through national employment portals or local word-of-mouth. Sourcing abroad becomes practical mainly when local searches yield no qualified applicants, when specific language skills (such as fluent native English or French) are required by private families, or when institutional employers are hiring for positions starting in the upcoming academic year.

What this costs you, roughly

IEFP job declaration and administrative processing: 0 EUR to 150 EUR in standard official submission fees.
Consular and work visa filing fees: 90 EUR to 120 EUR, usually paid by the applicant or reimbursed by the employer by mutual agreement.
Qualification recognition and background checks: 50 EUR to 200 EUR for sworn translations, police record clearances, and diploma equivalency filings.
Inbound travel allowance: 300 EUR to 900 EUR depending on the candidate's country of origin.
Initial relocation support or temporary housing: 500 EUR to 1,500 EUR if providing temporary lodging or a settling-in allowance upon arrival.

The Legal Route: Visas, AIMA, and Employer Filing

To employ a non-EU citizen in Portugal under a standard employment contract, you must follow the subordinate work visa route (Visto D1 for Subordinate Work). The central state bodies governing this process are the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional - IEFP) and the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo - AIMA), operating alongside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through local diplomatic posts.

The legal workflow follows a strict sequence driven primarily by the employer:

Step 1: IEFP Labour Market Clearance: Before offering a contract to a non-EU candidate, the employer must advertise the vacancy on the official IEFP portal for a mandatory period (typically 15 to 30 days). If no suitable Portuguese or resident candidate applies, IEFP issues a declaration confirming that the position cannot be filled from the national labor market.
Step 2: Formal Job Offer or Contract: The employer issues a written, binding employment contract (Contrato de Trabalho) or formal promise of employment (Promessa de Contrato de Trabalho) compliant with Portuguese labor law.
Step 3: Consular Visa Application: The candidate submits the contract, the IEFP declaration, proof of accommodation in Portugal, a clean police record from their home country, and proof of qualifications to the Portuguese consulate or VFS Global application center in their home country.
Step 4: Visto D1 Issuance and Travel: Once approved by the consular services in coordination with AIMA, a double-entry D1 visa valid for 4 months is stamped in the candidate's passport, allowing legal entry into Portugal.
Step 5: AIMA Residence Permit Appointment: Upon arrival in Portugal, the worker attends a scheduled appointment at an AIMA service point to submit biometric data and receive their official Residence Permit (Título de Residência) valid initially for two years.

Immigration regulations in Portugal change frequently. Employers should verify current administrative procedural updates directly with AIMA (aima.gov.pt) or the diplomatic portal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before initiating contracts.

Timeline: From Decision to Worker Starting

Employers should plan for a realistic timeline of 4 to 7 months from the moment they publish a vacancy until the worker begins duties. Attempting to complete this process faster usually results in operational frustration.

Weeks 1 to 4: Local Sourcing and IEFP Clearance: Posting the position locally and waiting for the mandatory IEFP recruitment period to elapse.
Weeks 5 to 8: Candidate Selection and Contract Signing: Interviewing candidates, conducting background checks, signing employment contracts, and preparing visa support documentation.
Weeks 9 to 20: Consular Processing and Security Vetting: The candidate books and attends their visa appointment at the Portuguese consulate abroad. Consular review and AIMA security clearances typically take between 60 and 90 days.
Weeks 21 to 24: Travel, Onboarding, and AIMA Registration: Candidate arrives in Portugal, registers with the tax authority (AT) for a NIF, obtains a Social Security number (NISS), and begins work while awaiting their final AIMA residence card.

For institutional childcare providers (such as private crèches and kindergartens), recruitment for the September academic intake must begin no later than February or March of the same year.

Pay, Contracts, Housing, and Qualification Recognition

Employers in Portugal must comply with national statutory pay rules and mandatory social contributions. Remuneration in Portugal is structured around 14 monthly payments per year rather than 12: the employee receives a holiday bonus (subsídio de férias) in summer and a Christmas bonus (subsídio de Natal) in December.

Statutory Base Pay: The minimum wage in Portugal for 2026 is set by national decree (projected around 920 EUR per month, paid 14 times per year). For entry-level childcare assistants (Auxiliar de Ação Educativa) or general live-out nannies, gross monthly salaries typically range between 920 EUR and 1,200 EUR. Experienced private nannies or specialized early childhood staff in metro areas command between 1,200 EUR and 1,800 EUR gross per month.
Social Security Contributions: Employers must pay 23.75 percent in social security contributions (Taxa Social Única - TSU) on top of the gross wage. The worker pays an 11 percent contribution, withheld at source.
Working Hours: Standard full-time employment is capped at 40 hours per week, with daily maximums governed by the Portuguese Labour Code (Código do Trabalho). Any overtime must be compensated in accordance with statutory rates.
Housing Obligations: For private household nannies, if a live-in arrangement is agreed, the employer provides a private bedroom and meals. Under Portuguese law, live-in housing benefits cannot be arbitrarily deducted to reduce the employee's net pay below statutory minimum thresholds. If hiring live-out staff in high-rent regions like Lisbon or Cascais, employers often provide a monthly housing allowance to ensure candidate retention.
Qualification Recognition: Early childhood teachers (Educador de Infância) who hold a degree from outside the EU must apply for professional diploma recognition through the Directorate-General for Education (Direção-Geral da Educação - DGE) or a public Portuguese university. This process can take several months. Unlicensed roles, such as nanny or childcare assistant (Auxiliar), do not require academic equivalency, but employers must legally obtain a certified Portuguese criminal record check (Registo Criminal) specifically clearance for working with minors.

Recruitment Ethics and Employer Liability

Under Portuguese labor legislation and international labor standards, a legitimate employer or recruitment entity never charges a prospective worker any recruitment, placement, or administrative fees. All legal costs associated with creating the job opening, securing IEFP clearance, and issuing official work offers are strictly the employer's operational responsibility.

Workers who are asked by intermediaries or third-party brokers to pay money to secure a job offer or a contract in Portugal are being exploited. Employers who collaborate with entities that charge candidate fees face severe legal risks, including liability under human trafficking and labor exploitation statutes enforced by the Working Conditions Authority (Autoridade para as Condições do Trabalho - ACT). Ensuring your recruitment pipeline is ethical protects your organization from severe fines, criminal liability, and reputational damage.

Finding Childcare Candidates on Workuro

If you have decided to recruit a non-EU childcare worker or nanny and are prepared to handle the consular visa process, you can search for candidates directly through the Workuro registry.

Workuro is not a recruitment agency. It is a public directory where foreign workers publish their professional profiles, qualifications, and employment preferences specifically indicating their desire to relocate to countries like Portugal. As an employer, you can filter candidates by language proficiency, childcare experience, and current location.

You contact candidates directly through the platform to arrange interviews and negotiate terms. Workuro takes no per-hire fees, placement commissions, or finder fees, and employers manage their own recruitment and legal filing processes. Please note that the Workuro registry is young and continuously growing; profile availability for specific regions or specialized qualifications varies as more international candidates register over time.