In Portugal, mobility and internationalisation in education and training focus on three priority areas: cooperation at EU level, international cooperation and development cooperation.

This involves a variety of national bodies, such as:

• the General Secretariat of Education and Science, which coordinates the international work of the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI), ensuring coherence of their respective bodies and services, as well as coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

• Others bodies that include:

  - the Directorate-General for Higher Education (regarding higher education), 

  - the Directorate-General for Education (regarding school education) 

  - the National Agency for Qualification and Vocational Education, I.P. (regarding vocational education and training and adult education), 

  - the National Agency for Erasmus + Education and Training (which coordinates the implementation of Erasmus+, an European Union programme, under the supervision of the MECI and the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security).

European Union

In relation to the European Union, cooperation in education and training takes place both at national and European levels via a diversity of programmes, activities and projects.

The European Union has an extensive track record and good results regarding mobility for learning purposes, which is an essential factor with regard to creating the European Education Area and dealing with skills shortages in the EU. One of the objectives of the National Implementation Plan for the Council Recommendation on vocational education and training (VET) and the Osnabrück Declaration is to promote opportunities for European and international mobility experiences, contributing to young people’s and adults’ personal and professional development.

The Erasmus+ programme (2021-2027) for education, training, youth and sport programme prioritises social inclusion, ecological and digital transitions, and young people’s participation in democratic life, in line with European Education Area, the Action Plan for Digital Education and the European Skills Agenda. 
In Portugal, Erasmus+ is managed by two national agencies, the National Agency for Erasmus+ Youth and Sports and the National Agency for Erasmus+ Education and Training (for the areas of school education, vocational education and training (VET) and adult education).
In the field of education and training, the Erasmus+ programme foresees three Key Actions:

• Key Action 1: Learning Mobility of Individuals.
• Key Action 2: Cooperation among organisations and institutions
• Key Action 3: Support to policy development and cooperation, including support for the preparation and implementation of the EU's general and sectoral policy agendas on education and training.

Erasmus+ also includes the Jean Monnet Actions (but in a centralised way by the European Commission) in the field of education and training.

For more information on mobility under the Erasmus+ Programme, see the Websites of the respective agencies. 

Portugal also collaborates on the European Commission project "Design a system to monitor the implementation of the law on inclusive education in Portugal", by the Structural Reform Support Service (DG Reform), implemented by the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education. This project aims to create a system to monitor the implementation of the legal framework on inclusive education in Portugal.

International cooperation

Regarding international cooperation, it is worth mentioning bilateral relations via cultural agreements with approximately 100 countries around the world, and bilateral cooperation in the field of education, in conjunction with the Portuguese body responsible for coordinating cultural cooperation, Camões, Instituto de Cooperação e da Língua, I.P.), as well as the activities of numerous international organisations in the field of education, such as OECD, the Council of Europe, the OEI, ONU and the UNESCO.

For more detailed information, see Subchapter 13.7 - Bilateral agreements and worldwide cooperation.

The Portuguese education system and educational policies have been widely scrutinised by leading international institutions through international surveys, evaluations and reports, such as PISA (OECD), Education and Training Monitor, Education at a Glance (OECD), TALIS (OECD), TIMSS and PIRLS. 

Portugal also takes part in the second cycle of OECD's Programme for the Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), the results of which were published in December of 2024 Do Adults Have the Skills They Need to Thrive in a Changing World? | This year it will continue to participate in round two of data collection (2024-29), as part of cycle 2 of PIAAC OECD.

Portugal has been working closely with the OECD and the European Commission on ambitious and comprehensive projects, such as the School Resources Review and the Future of Education and Skills: Education 2030 project. In addition to this, a network of Portuguese schools was set up (both nationally and abroad) to pool experiences and debate curriculum management and new learning environments for the acquisition of key competences for the 21st century. 

As part of the OECD's Education 2030 project, which aims to create an international reference framework of knowledge, abilities, attitudes and values for the 21st century, MECI participated in the international questionnaire on the impact assessment of curriculum change, An Evolution of Mathematics Curriculum | OECD, as well as in the Curriculum Flexibility and Autonomy | OECD project, in which, for the first time, comprehensive curriculum analyses were conducted through the co-creation of new knowledge with a wide range of stakeholders, including policy makers, academic experts, school leaders, teachers, NGOs, social partners and, most importantly, students.   

It is also worth mentioning participation in the OECD project, Strength through Diversity: Education for Inclusive Societies, which seeks to address inclusion in educational systems. As a result, the “Review of Inclusive Education in Portugal” report was published in 2022.

During 2024, this working group focussed on analyses of intersectionality generating potential to drive more tailored approaches to effective policy interventions related to the role learning outcomes, students' attitudes towards the future, empowering identification of socio-emotional needs and well-being. As a consequence, some countries have altered their policies in the areas of governance, resources, development, capacities, promoting interventions and monitoring in schools, to consider intersectionality, gaps and challenges related to intersectional approaches.

Development cooperation

In terms of development cooperation, be it bilateral or multilateral, all activity is undertaken in close coordination with Camões, I.P., the body that is responsible for coordinating cooperation policy at the level of Portuguese administration.

There are also strong multilateral relations with the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa - CPLP), which holds an annual meeting of Ministers of Education, and where the work of the International Institute of Portuguese Language (Instituto Internacional de Língua Portuguesa - IILP) is of special relevance.

Internationalisation has become increasingly important regarding education development, as demonstrated by the implementation of several international initiatives, in accordance with the Portuguese education system's strategic development plan.

After Portugal signed up to the Bologna process, it became necessary to promote student, teacher and researcher mobility, both inside and outside the EU.

Various measures have been implemented to ensure efficient and less bureaucratic student and graduate mobility processes, both national and international, which implies the removal of obstacles to the recognition of prior learning and qualifications.

Decree-Law No 74/2006, 24 March established the legal framework for degrees and diplomas in Portugal (later revised and complemented by Decree-Law No 107/2008, 25 June), introducing the necessary regulations for mobility of students between national and foreign HEIs, based on the application of European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS).

HEIs in Portugal consider the level of credits and the academic area in which they were obtained, and, within their cycles of studies, credit education undertaken within the scope of other higher education cycles in foreign HEIs.

It is worth mentioning that this legislation establishes the legal framework for the creation of dual, multiple or joint degrees between Portuguese and foreign HEIs, which shows the importance of collaborative projects between institutions. The creation of dual, multiple or joint degrees and diplomas is supported by the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degrees, an integral part of the Erasmus + Programme, which is centrally managed by the European Commission.

In Portugal, the recognition of academic degrees and diplomas awarded by foreign HEIs in Portugal is regulated by Decree-Law No 66/2018, 16 August. This Decree-Law standardises the procedures for recognising foreign qualifications, making them more transparent, fair and simple. It introduces changes to the previous systems, clarifying concepts and extending the recognition of foreign qualifications to non-degree higher education diplomas of the same level, objectives and nature as vocational higher technical courses. It introduces simplified procedures, establishing a system of precedence in level recognition, ensuring a more automatic decision process, thus avoiding repetition and reducing costs and response times for recognition decisions. 

Ordinance No 33/2019, 25 January, regulates aspects of the procedure for recognising academic degrees and diplomas awarded by foreign higher education institutions.

Ordinance No 43/2020, 14 February 2020, amends Ordinance No 33/2019, 25 January, which regulates aspects of the procedure regarding the recognition of academic degrees and diplomas awarded by foreign higher education institutions.

Decree-Law No. 86/2023, 10 October amends the legal framework for the recognition of academic degrees and diplomas awarded by foreign HEIs.

For additional information, see Subchapter 13.2 – Mobility in Higher Education.