Portugal has committed to pay the amount so that it does not have to host any asylum seekers coming from other Member States, such as Spain or Italy. The government has thus agreed to take part in the European solidarity mechanism, despite having requested an exemption from the European Commission, which is still assessing the Portuguese case.
Portugal opts to pay more than €8 million rather than host refugees from other Member States
Monday, 12 January 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
The Immigration Law is Portugal’s legal framework that governs entry, residency, asylum and deportation of non-nationals. It was amended by Law No. 61/2025 on October 22, 2025, after parts of an earlier draft were rejected by the Constitutional Court; the changes reorganise administrative responsibilities and introduce stricter control measures that affect visas, residency and family reunification processes.
