Moving to Portugal with children: what to sort out first
Quick answer: Work on school and housing at the same time, not one after the other. Build a one-page profile for each child, ask the schools you contact the seven questions below, request records before your last week, and test the real school-run commute — not just the map distance — before treating any home as settled.
Maybe you're picturing a new home, a different pace of life, the chance for your kids to grow up somewhere new — and also quietly panicking about how you're supposed to choose a school from an entirely different country. Both feelings can absolutely live in your head on the same afternoon.
I'd start with a really ordinary question: what will an actual school day look like? Where will the kids go, how will they get there, and who's around when school lets out?
Work on school and housing together, at the same time. An apartment can be gorgeous and still make your mornings unnecessarily hard — you deserve to know that before you sign anything.
Start with your children, one at a time
Make a little page for each kid. Their current year or grade, languages, interests, routines, and any learning support they use. Leave yourself room to note what they might be excited about, and what might worry them, too.
Some of that page will help a school get to know your child. Other parts need an answer from the school, like year placement — don't worry if the grade names look totally unfamiliar, just ask how they'd assess your child's situation.
Portugal's government education guide covers the school system, recognition of foreign studies, and Portuguese-language support. Newly arrived kids may be eligible for Português Língua Não Materna, with the actual support level determined by the school's own assessment. Read the official education guide.
What to ask when you contact a school
You want to know whether your child could genuinely be happy and supported there. An email that just says "we're a welcoming school" isn't quite going to answer that. These questions should get you into the useful detail:
| Ask the school | Why you need the answer |
|---|---|
| How would you assess my child's year placement? | To avoid planning around an assumed grade |
| What records should we provide, and in what format? | To request the right documents before leaving |
| What language support would be available in this case? | To understand the actual offer |
| Is there a place, a waiting list or a later decision? | To distinguish interest from confirmed admission |
| What are the daily hours and transport options? | To test the commute and childcare plan |
| Who should we speak to about additional support? | To discuss specific needs with the right person |
| What costs should we expect? | To include meals, transport, activities and any fees |
Keep the replies together with the name of whoever you spoke to. After a phone call, a short "Thanks, just checking I've understood..." follow-up email can save you a lot of confusion down the road.
Request records before the last week
Ask your current school for whatever documents the receiving school has requested. Where foreign-study equivalence comes into play, Portugal's official guide sets out formal documentation, authentication and translation requirements — confirm which process actually applies to you before you pay for any translation or certification. See the section on foreign-study equivalence.
Ask whether a teacher's summary or a copy of an existing support plan would be helpful for the receiving school. These can give you a good starting point for the conversation, but check what support can actually be arranged in the new setting before you count on anything specific.
Keep education records, ID documents and any consent paperwork organized by child, and only share sensitive information with the people who genuinely need it.
Picture the school run from that lovely apartment
For every property you're seriously considering, map out an actual weekday:
- Departure time, route and a realistic school-run duration.
- How the adults get to work or back home afterward.
- Afternoon pickup and care arrangements.
- Access to groceries, outdoor space and activities you'd actually use.
Try the journey at the time you'd really be making it. Think about the version of the day where it's raining, someone's exhausted, and you've got a meeting to rush back for. A routine that actually works beats a short distance on a map every time.
If you're still waiting to hear from the school, say so clearly in your housing plan — it's very easy to start picturing a settled routine before the place itself is even confirmed.
Leave room for the first week
Be kind to yourselves during that first week. Leave breathing room between appointments and errands. If there are two adults around, talk through who's handling the urgent admin and who's with the kids.
Let your children choose a few familiar things to keep close rather than sending everything ahead in the shipment. Make a plan for calls with the people they'll miss. And you don't have to sell every part of this as exciting — it's okay to just listen when something feels hard for them.
For your own sanity, a short weekly catch-up can be enough: what have we confirmed, what are we still waiting on, and who's chasing the answer? Try to end each one with a small next step, not another giant list.
Frequently asked questions
Should I choose a home or a school first when moving to Portugal with kids? Work on both together. An apartment can be lovely and still make the school run unnecessarily hard — test the real commute before treating either the home or the school as settled.
What is Português Língua Não Materna? It's Portuguese-language support that newly arrived pupils may be eligible for, with the actual support level determined through the school's own assessment process, per Portugal's official government education guide.
What documents does a Portuguese school need for a transferring child? It depends on the school and whether foreign-study equivalence applies. Portugal's official guide sets out formal documentation, authentication and translation requirements for equivalence — confirm which process applies directly with the receiving school before paying for translation or certification.
What questions should I ask a Portuguese school before committing to a home nearby? Ask about year-placement assessment, required records and format, available language support, whether a place is confirmed or just a waiting list, daily hours and transport, who handles additional support needs, and expected costs (meals, transport, activities, fees).
Start my family's Portugal plan in Relokato
If it helps to have everything in one place, start a Portugal plan and add your school contacts, records and housing jobs as custom tasks where your access allows. Leave room in the plan for the questions you haven't answered yet.
Sources checked September 21, 2026. Confirm admission, placement and document requirements directly with the receiving school.