At what age can I start working?
Conditional: the minimum age is 16, with mandatory schooling completed. The basis is the Labour Code (arts. 66 to 83), revised by Law 13/2023. To work you need to be 16 and have completed (or be completing) mandatory schooling (to 18 / 12th grade), with adequate capacity. Under-16s may only do light work that doesn't harm school or development. 16–18s have hour limits (8h/day, 40h/week), a mandatory break and a ban on night work (22:00–07:00) and hazardous work. Parents can object to the contract. In short: yes, from 16 and with reinforced protection.
📋 The rules
- Minimum age 16 + mandatory schooling
- Under-16s: only light work
- 16–18: maximum 8h/day, 40h/week + break
- Banned: night work (22:00–07:00) and hazardous
- Parents can object to the contract
🔓 Exceptions
- Cultural/artistic activities: possible under 16 with ACT authorisation
- No overtime, except a serious, unforeseeable threat to the firm
- Under-16 light work only if it doesn't harm school
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Fines are set in UC (1 UC = €102) and applied by the ACT. A serious breach (e.g. exceeding hours) runs from about €612 (6 UC) to €9,690 (95 UC); a very serious one (hiring below the minimum age, hazardous or illegal night work) runs from €2,040 (20 UC) up to €61,200 (600 UC) at the largest firms. Beware the Brazil confusion: "you can work at 14 with parental permission" is false in Portugal — that's Brazil's "menor aprendiz" (from 14); Portugal's minimum age is 16 + schooling. To hire a young person: confirm age and schooling, respect the hour limits, avoid night and hazardous work, and heed any parental objection.
📎 Official sources
❓ Frequently asked
At what age can I start working?
As a rule, from 16, provided you've completed or are completing mandatory schooling, which runs to age 18 or the 12th grade. Below 16, only light work is allowed, which doesn't harm the minor's health, development or school attendance.
Can a minor do night work?
No. Minors between 16 and 18 cannot, as a rule, work at night, between 22:00 and 07:00, except in very limited cases set in law. This is one of the reinforced protections of work by minors, alongside hour limits and the ban on hazardous work.
How many hours can a minor work?
A minor between 16 and 18 can work, at most, 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, with a mandatory break and never more than four and a half hours in a row. The light work allowed below 16 has even lower limits, of 7 hours a day.
Can parents stop their child from working?
Yes. The law allows legal representatives, usually the parents, to object to a minor's employment contract, even at 16, and can invalidate it. This possibility of objection is an extra protection that recognises the parents' role in their minor children's decisions.
Is it true you can work at 14?
In Portugal, not as a rule. The minimum age to work is 16, with schooling completed, only light work or authorised artistic activities being allowed below that age. The idea of working at 14 with parental permission corresponds to Brazil's "menor aprendiz", not Portuguese law.
🔎 Common searches
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