Professional Licenses
Intern Temporary License
In order to pursue the profession of journalist, it is necessary to hold the respective professional license.
The beginning of the profession
The journalist profession begins with an obligatory internship, which must be successfully completed, of 12-month duration, in the case of someone with a BA Honours degree (licenciatura) in the area of the media or a qualification from an equivalent course, or of 18-month duration in other cases.
Adult citizens who prove that journalism is their main, permanent and gainful occupation are eligible to hold a professional license. Intern journalists pursue the profession under the supervision of a professional journalist appointed by the editor of the news outlet.
Granting of the intern temporary license
The application for the intern temporary license must be submitted in the first 30 days after the internship begins. The license is valid for all the internship period. After that period, the journalist has 30 days to convert his/her temporary license to a professional license.
How to submit the application
The applications for granting and renewing the professional licenses can be directly submitted online via the Private Area.
The other options are to personally submit the applications at our office (Rua Artilharia 1, n.º 107 1099-502 Lisbon), by e-mail (carteira.press@ccpj.pt), registered mail or fax (+351 213 221 229).
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
1) Granting:
a) Form duly filled in and signed;
b) Copy of the applicant’s personal identification card;
c) One passport photo;
d) Copy of the school certificate/diploma *;
e) A document issued by the news outlet (or the company that owns it) stating that journalism is the applicant’s main, permanent and gainful occupation;
f) Declaration of internship form signed by the news outlet editor and the supervising journalist;
g) Payment.
* if the applicant has an academic degree awarded by a foreign educational institution, he/she must obtain, from the Direção-Geral do Ensino Superior, the recognition of his/her degree (further information at https://www.dges.gov.pt/en/pagina/degree-and-diploma-recognition)
2) Replacement card (when changing the news outlet):
a) Form duly filled in and signed;
b) A document issued by the news outlet (or the company that owns it) stating that journalism is the applicant’s main, permanent and gainful occupation;
c) Declaration of internship form signed by the news outlet editor and the supervising journalist;
d) A report written by the supervising journalist stating that the previous internship was concluded (indicating the months the internship started and ended), describing the activities carried out by the intern, as well as the competences he/she acquired in this period (this document must include a grade and the signatures of both the supervising journalist and the editor);
e) Temporary internship license;
f) Payment.
3) Replacement card (when lost or stolen):
a) Form duly filled in and signed;
b) Payment.
4) Suspension due to incompatibility:
a) Form duly filled in and signed;
b) Intern temporary license;
c) Document stating/explaining the incompatibility.
5) License termination:
a) Form duly filled in and signed;
b) Intern temporary license.