Key takeaways
Most families searching this question are expats in Lisbon, Cascais, the Algarve, or the Silver Coast – and Portugal is one of the few EU countries that actually gives them a straight answer. Yes, homeschooling in Portugal is legal. But the pathway that applies to your family depends on one thing: whether you're a Portuguese citizen or an expat on a visa. Those are two different legal situations with different paperwork requirements – and getting them confused wastes time.
- Homeschooling in Portugal is legal under Decreto-Lei 70/2021, which established Ensino Doméstico as a formal pathway
- Portuguese citizens using Ensino Doméstico must register with a supervising Agrupamento de Escolas and sit national exams
- Expat families enrolled in an internationally accredited online school use a separate pathway – no domestic registration required
- Legacy provides an Enrollment Confirmation Letter, Academic Transcript, and Verification Letter for use with Portuguese authorities
Contents
We are a US-accredited international online school that coexists with local schooling. Families are responsible for ensuring compliance with any local education requirements applicable to their situation.
What the Law Actually Says about Home Education
Decreto-Lei 70/2021 formalized homeschooling in Portugal. Before that, the legal status was genuinely murky. Since 2021, there’s a defined framework: Ensino Doméstico is recognized, children are assessed periodically against the national curriculum standards, and oversight runs through a supervising school.
As the law itself states:
“Portugal’s Decreto-Lei 70/2021 establishes that home education is a legitimate educational modality, subject to pedagogical supervision and periodic assessment aligned with national learning outcomes.”
— Decreto-Lei n.º 70/2021, Diário da República
For Portuguese citizens, this means notifying the local Direção-Geral da Educação (DGE), coordinating with an assigned Agrupamento de Escolas, and preparing children for national exams. Real process, real oversight. The DGE also assigns a professor tutor to each enrolled child to monitor academic progress throughout the year.
Portugal is still far more flexible than most EU neighbors. Germany’s Schulpflicht makes home education effectively illegal. The Netherlands requires school attendance from age 5. Portugal built an actual legal pathway – and then went further, acknowledging that internationally mobile families have different needs.
What This Means for Expat Families
If you’re on a digital nomad visa, a Golden Visa, or NHR residency, the Ensino Doméstico framework wasn’t written with you in mind. Expats enrolling their child in a WASC-accredited online school use the international online school pathway – outside the Portuguese system, outside Decreto-Lei 70/2021. Different category, different rules.
No Agrupamento de Escolas registration. No Portuguese national exams. What you need is documentation: an Enrollment Confirmation Letter, an Academic Transcript, and a Verification Letter. Those three documents are what Portuguese authorities and visa services ask for.
The DGE’s own guidance confirms the distinction:
“O ensino doméstico [é] aquele que é lecionado, no domicílio do aluno, por um familiar ou por pessoa que com ele habite. (Home education is that which is taught at the student’s home by a family member or a person living with them.)”
— DGE, Ensino Doméstico
By definition, Ensino Doméstico is taught at home by a family member or someone living with the child. Legacy is neither of those things – it’s a WASC-accredited school with qualified teachers. Different category, different rules.
For families navigating the Ensino Doméstico pathway specifically, ANPED – Portugal’s national homeschooling parents association – provides guidance on registration requirements and supervising school coordination.
The Costa Family in Cascais
Sara and Henrique Costa relocated from Brazil to Cascais in 2023 on a D8 digital nomad visa. Their 13-year-old daughter had been enrolled in a Brazilian school – and losing her academic credits wasn’t an option.
She enrolled in Legacy’s online middle school in September 2023. By October, the family had the Enrollment Confirmation Letter and Academic Transcript. Residency renewal went through without difficulty.
She’s now in Legacy’s online high school, working toward a US diploma, sitting in Cascais.
The Vermeer Family in Porto
Anna and Marc Vermeer moved from Amsterdam to Porto in early 2024 on an EU residence permit. Their two children – aged 7 and 10 – had been attending a Dutch public school, but the family wanted an English-language education without the €18,000/year price tag of Porto’s international schools.
In the Netherlands, online schooling as a primary option wasn’t legally possible under Leerplichtwet. Portugal changed that. They enrolled both children in Legacy’s Live Group plan in March 2024. By April, they had Enrollment Confirmation Letters for both. The family presented the documentation to satisfy their residency requirements, and both children continue their education through Legacy.
Both children are now progressing through Legacy’s curriculum in English while the family arranges Portuguese language tutoring locally – exactly the setup that wasn’t available to them in Amsterdam.
Curriculum, Costs, and What Legacy Actually Provides
Legacy uses the FlexPoint Education Cloud curriculum, developed by Florida Virtual School (FLVS). It covers K–12 in English from elementary through secondary education, with 19 Advanced Placement (AP) courses available at the high school level. AP credits are accepted by 500+ universities worldwide. Transcripts are WASC-verified with QR codes.
Three learning plans: Live Group (daily live classes, up to 15 per class), One-on-One (individual instruction), and Self-Paced (no fixed schedule, teacher-graded). All three produce the same accredited outcome.
Compare that to local international schools in Lisbon – typically €15,000+ per year, concentrated in a handful of cities, no flexibility on schedule. Legacy covers the full curriculum, handles the documentation, and sends parents weekly updates on academic progress. See current tuition and fees.
Learners also get access to virtual clubs and extracurricular activities and virtual field trips – a genuine school community, not just a content library.
Thinking about making the move? Book a free trial class or talk to the admissions team about how other families in Portugal are using Legacy. Part-time K–12 and summer school options are also available.
Top Tips from Our Expert
Maya Robinson, College Prep Advisor at Legacy Online School
- Request your Enrollment Confirmation Letter and Academic Transcript the same week you enroll. Not when visa renewal is coming up. The week you enroll. Portuguese bureaucracy doesn’t move fast, and neither should you wait.
- Expatriate families on a visa are almost never on the Ensino Doméstico pathway. That’s for Portuguese citizens. Knowing this upfront saves a confusing conversation with a local school official who has no idea what to do with your situation.
- Get a Portuguese immigration lawyer to look at your visa conditions before assuming the international online school pathway covers everything. One call. Worth every euro.
- AP course planning starts in 9th grade, not 11th. Which APs your child takes should connect directly to where they’re applying – not just what sounds impressive. We have 19 to choose from.
- September is the ano letivo start. Enrolling in October still works, but the paper trail is cleaner from day one. Onboarding takes 48 hours.
We are a US-accredited international online school that coexists with local schooling. Families are responsible for ensuring compliance with any local education requirements applicable to their situation.
Legacy Online School is a WASC-accredited international online school serving expat families in Portugal. Enrollment with Legacy is intended to fulfill the escolaridade obrigatória (compulsory education) obligation through the international online school pathway. Legacy provides an Enrollment Confirmation Letter and Academic Transcript upon request. Families are responsible for confirming any specific requirements associated with their visa or residency status. Legacy does not provide legal or immigration advice.
