However, according to an ordinance published this Tuesday in the Official Gazette, a "transitional period" is being introduced between the current support and that which will be approved for 2026, in order to allow "the closing of applications for returns to Portugal that occurred between 2019 and 2025."

Therefore, the measure now applies to emigrants who begin working in mainland Portugal between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2025. Companies or jobs created and open-ended employment contracts established during this period are eligible.

The application period begins 15 business days after the ordinance's publication—that is, on October 28—and ends on March 31 of the following year. Applications will be approved up to the established budget limit.

Regarding the access regime, the requirement for applicants to submit a copy of their employment contract and a declaration of no debt or authorization to consult their social security contributions online with the Tax and Customs Authority (AT) and Social Security is revoked.

The Institute of Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP) is responsible for publishing the respective application notice and publicizing the respective rules and deadlines. It must develop the technical regulations necessary for the program's implementation "within ten business days from the date the ordinance comes into effect," that is, starting Wednesday, October 8th.

In July, the coordinator of the Regressar Program, José Albano, reported that "the first half of 2025 broke all records in terms of the number of Portuguese people who returned," surpassing 36,000 emigrants.

More than 73% of the Portuguese people who returned to the program are between 25 and 44 years old, and of these, 34% are young people with bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degrees.

Coming from 116 countries, applications for the program are led by Switzerland, followed by France and the United Kingdom, currently registering an average of 405 applications per month in the first half of this year, the executive concluded.

According to the Government, between 2019 and 2024, this measure supported, on average, the return to Portugal of 2,217 emigrants annually.

The Regressar Program was created in 2019 by the Government of António Costa with the aim of encouraging the return of Portuguese and Portuguese-descendant emigrants, especially those who left the country during the Troika period. The measure offers several financial and tax incentives, including subsidies, co-payment of travel expenses, a line of credit to support business investment, and a 50% tax exemption on income for five years from the date of return.

In 2022, the scope of the program was expanded, both in time and in the universe of beneficiaries, but its validity ends on December 31, 2026, after which date it will be replaced by the Voltar Program.