Ensino doméstico and ensino individual
Teaching your children at home in Portugal, without the guesswork.
The law, the paperwork and the exams, explained from the official texts. Plus calm, practical tools for the annual plan, the portfolio and exam practice.
The essentials
- Who teaches
- In ensino doméstico, a parent or relative living with the child who holds at least a licenciatura. In ensino individual, a qualified teacher.
- Where you apply
- To the director of a school that offers your child's year. The child stays enrolled there.
- What you hand in
- A request, then a signed protocolo with the school, and a portfolio at the intervals it sets.
- Which exams
- Provas ModA in 4.º and 6.º ano, and exams in every subject at the end of each cycle.
- How many families
- About 560 children were in ensino doméstico in 2024/25, most of them in 1.º ciclo.
One school year, drawn out
Home education in Portugal runs on the school calendar. These are the moments that matter, using 2026/27 dates.
September
Request or renewal, interview at the school, protocolo agreed and signed.
December
First term ends on 15 December. First portfolio, if your protocolo asks for one per term.
March
Registration for the end-of-cycle exams, 5 to 18 March 2027. Second term ends on 19 March.
May and June
Provas ModA for 4.º and 6.º ano, then the provas de equivalência à frequência.
July
Results, the tutor's appraisal, and the plan for next year.
Two legal routes
Ensino doméstico
A parent or relative in the same household teaches. They need at least a licenciatura, in any subject. Most families use this route.
Ensino individual
A qualified teacher is hired to teach the child at home. The teacher's qualifications and criminal record certificate go with the request.
The guide
Written from the Diário da República, cross-checked against school practice, and dated.
Working with the school
For families already doing it
The paperwork, handled calmly
Every document you prepare is tied to the official learning outcomes, the Aprendizagens Essenciais, and shows the source a teacher will recognise.
See plans and prices- 01Annual plan
- A planificação your school will accept, at the level of detail the law actually asks for. Word and PDF.
- 02Learning log
- Write down what happened today. We suggest which learning outcomes it covered, and you decide.
- 03Portfolio
- Evidence, your child's self-assessment and your appraisal, gathered per term and ready to hand in.
- 04Practice exams
- Mock provas in the format your school publishes, with answer keys and marking criteria.
Recent changes to the rules
- School calendar 2026/27: secondary start moved to 21 SeptemberDespacho 10430/2026 amends the 2024 to 2028 school calendar: secondary cursos científico-humanísticos start on 21 September 2026. Key 2026/27 dates.
- Revised Aprendizagens Essenciais in public consultationEduQA consulted the public on revised learning outcomes for every subject from 27 March to 28 April 2026. The current ones still apply in 2026/27.
- Despacho Normativo 3/2026: exam rules for 2025/26 to 2027/28Rules for ModA, PEF, provas finais and exames until 2027/28. Homeschoolers are now enrolled in ModA automatically. Registration windows fixed to 2028.