How long can a phone or internet contract last in Portugal, and how do I end it?
A lock-in period (fidelização) may last at most 24 months, and operators must also offer contracts with no lock-in. A lock-in is allowed only in return for benefits identified and quantified in the contract, such as a subsidised device or free installation.
Phone and internet contracts often start with a minimum term and then run on. How long that first term may be, and how much notice you give once it is over, depends on the rules in Portugal.
📜 The rules in Portugal
The details
- Before an automatic renewal, your operator must tell you on a durable medium when the lock-in ends, how to cancel and its best prices. After the renewal you can cancel at any time, free of charge, with at most one month's notice. (anacom-consumidor.pt)
- A new lock-in after the first one needs your express agreement and new, quantified benefits, and again may not exceed 24 months. Your monthly bill shows when the lock-in ends and what leaving early would cost. (anacom-consumidor.pt)
- No lock-in charges if you move and the operator cannot serve the new home equivalently, emigrate unexpectedly, or are dismissed or unable to work for over 60 days and lose 20% or more of your income. Give 30 days' written notice. (anacom-consumidor.pt)
- Cancel in writing, in a shop, by phone if the line checks your identity, in the online customer area or on the public Plataforma de Cessação de Contratos. The operator must confirm in writing within 5 working days and give the end date. (anacom-consumidor.pt)
ANACOM – Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações
Telecom regulator: explains your rights, receives every complaints-book complaint and can sanction operators. It does not settle your individual dispute and refers you to the consumer arbitration centres.
Centros de Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo (CACC)
Consumer arbitration centres that settle disputes with your phone or internet operator by mediation, conciliation or arbitration. Free for communications services; the operator must accept arbitration if you choose it.
🪜 Step by step
- Find your start date and termYour contract summary or online account shows when the minimum term ends and whether the contract now runs on.
- Check the notice periodOnce the minimum term is over, the notice period is often short. The rule for Portugal is on this page.
- Give notice in a way you can proveUse the provider’s online cancellation, an email or a letter, and keep the confirmation with the end date.
- Return equipment and check the last billSend back rented equipment if you are asked to, and check that you are not billed after the end date.
📇 Who to contact
Sponsor this page → One labelled block, €100 a month. Founding price €75 until 31 January 2027.
❓ Questions
Can I leave during the minimum term?
Usually only by paying an exit fee or the remaining charges. Some situations, such as a change to your contract terms, can give you the right to leave earlier.
Does my contract renew automatically?
Many contracts run on after the minimum term. Whether the provider must remind you first, and how you can end it then, is in the rules for Portugal on this page.
Does a phone bought with the contract change anything?
A phone or other equipment bought with the contract can come with its own payments. Check whether they continue if you end the service.
📎 Sources
- anacom-consumidor.pt →
- anacom-consumidor.pt →
- anacom-consumidor.pt →
- anacom-consumidor.pt →
- anacom-consumidor.pt →
- anacom-consumidor.pt →
- deco.pt →
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