Guide · Moving to the interior
Does Portugal pay you to move there? The Emprego Interior MAIS grant
In one specific case, yes. Emprego Interior MAIS pays a grant to a worker who moves home to the interior of mainland Portugal to take a job, to work for themselves or to start a small business there. The base amount is EUR 3,759.91. You get 20% more for each member of your household who moves with you, and EUR 805.70 towards the cost of moving your belongings.
The public employment service (IEFP) pays it to the worker, and the company that hires you receives nothing from this measure. EU citizens qualify, and so do citizens of other countries who live in Portugal legally. We know of no general scheme that pays people to settle in the country. If you are moving a business, the interior offers more through grant rates, corporate tax and hiring support than through this payment.
Figures checked against the official sources between 18 and 19 September 2026. We never promise approvals.
- What it is
- A relocation grant for workers, paid by IEFP, the public employment service
- Base amount
- EUR 3,759.91 with a permanent contract, self-employment or a new business; EUR 2,685.65 with a fixed-term contract or research grant of at least 12 months
- Family top-up
- 20% of the base amount for each household member who moves with you
- Moving costs
- EUR 805.70 towards transporting your belongings to the new home
- Payment
- 60% after approval and 40% in the 13th month
- Deadline
- Apply within 180 days of the start of the job or business
- Status
- Open since 20 August 2020, until the budget runs out
Who can apply
IEFP lists the people it accepts. You fit if you are one of these and you move your permanent home to an interior territory:
- An unemployed person or a first-time jobseeker registered with IEFP or with the employment services of the Azores or Madeira.
- An employee or a self-employed worker who changes job or place of work.
- An independent professional who moves to the interior and starts working remotely from there.
- A Portuguese emigrant who left after 31 December 2015 and lived abroad for at least one year.
- A citizen of the European Union, Switzerland or the European Economic Area.
- A citizen of any other country who lives in Portugal legally, including people under temporary protection.
You can apply whether or not you paid Portuguese Social Security contributions in the month before. Pensioners and people who move without working are outside the measure: it supports a move made for work.
What counts as moving for work
- A permanent employment contract, which gives the higher amount.
- A fixed-term contract or a research grant of at least 12 months, which gives the lower amount.
- Creating your own job, as a self-employed worker.
- Starting a small company with up to 10 jobs.
The contract has to pay at least the national minimum wage, and the place of work has to be in an interior territory. The government defines those territories in a published list of municipalities and parishes. It covers most of inland Portugal and leaves out Lisbon, Porto and most of the coast. The page on incentives in interior Portugal links to the official list.
The conditions on the move itself
- You move your permanent home, and you stay for at least 12 months.
- You move within 180 days before or after the contract or the business starts.
- Your previous home was outside the interior. A move from one interior territory to another counts when the two are at least 100 km apart.
- Your new home is in an interior municipality or parish. IEFP also accepts a home elsewhere when the workplace is in the interior and no more than 50 km away.
IEFP pays 40% of the grant in the 13th month. Plan to stay the full year: the second payment depends on it.
How much you get
| Part | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Base grant | EUR 3,759.91 | Permanent contract, own job or new small company |
| Base grant, lower | EUR 2,685.65 | Fixed-term contract or research grant of at least 12 months |
| Family top-up | 20% of the base, per person | Each household member who moves with you |
| Moving costs | EUR 805.70 | Transport of your belongings to the new home |
IEFP calculates the amounts from the social support index (IAS), which is EUR 537.13 in 2026, so they change each January. A person who moves alone with a permanent contract receives up to EUR 4,565.61 in total. A couple with two children receives up to EUR 6,821.56: the base, three family top-ups and the moving costs.
How to apply
- Start the job or the business, and move. The measure pays for a move that has happened. It does not fund a plan to move.
- Register on iefponline, the IEFP portal. The form and the portal are in Portuguese.
- File the application within 180 days of the start of the contract, of the business or of the change of workplace. Attach the documents the form asks for, which prove the job or the business and the change of address.
- Wait for the decision. IEFP pays 60% after approval and 40% in the 13th month.
Applications stay open until the budget of the measure runs out, so apply soon after you move.
What people moving from abroad get wrong
- Reading it as a payment to move to Portugal. It pays for a move to the interior, for work. A move to Lisbon, Porto, the Algarve coast or the islands gets nothing from this measure.
- Applying before there is a job. IEFP needs the contract or the registered business.
- Missing the 180 days window. The clock runs from the start of the contract or the business.
- Expecting it to fund the business. The amount helps with a removal van and a deposit on a flat. Funding for the company comes from other programmes.
If you are moving a business, look here instead
A company that sets up in the interior gets more from the programmes aimed at companies than its founder gets from this grant:
- Portugal 2030 calls with budgets and conditions reserved for low-density territories: Portugal 2030 grants.
- Corporate tax at 12.5% on the first EUR 50,000 of profit for SMEs: the corporate tax rate guide.
- A hiring incentive with a 35% uplift for jobs in the interior: hiring incentives.
- The full picture by territory: incentives in interior Portugal.
Frequently asked questions
Does Portugal pay foreigners to move there?
Only through this measure, and only for a move to the interior for work. IEFP accepts citizens of the EU, Switzerland and the European Economic Area, and citizens of other countries who live in Portugal legally. The payment is EUR 3,759.91 plus the family and moving top-ups.
Can remote workers get it?
IEFP lists independent professionals who move to an interior territory and start working remotely from there. The conditions on the move apply: a permanent home in the interior for at least 12 months, and an application within 180 days.
Can I get it if I start my own company?
Yes. Creating your own job counts, and so does starting a small company with up to 10 jobs. Both give the higher base amount.
Which places count as the interior?
The government publishes a list of municipalities and parishes. It covers most of inland mainland Portugal. Check the parish, because some municipalities are only partly covered. The official list is linked from incentives in interior Portugal.
Does the company that hires me receive anything?
Nothing from this measure. A company that hires in the interior can apply for the IEFP hiring incentive, which has its own rules and an uplift for interior jobs. See hiring incentives in Portugal.
Official sources
The official texts are in Portuguese. The figures on this page were checked against them.
- IEFP: Emprego Interior MAIS (iefponline) (checked 18 September 2026)
- Tax Benefits Statute (EBF), article 41-B (interior territories) (checked 18 September 2026)
- Corporate Income Tax Code (CIRC), article 87, as amended by Law 64/2025 (checked 18 September 2026)
- IEFP: +Emprego measure (iefponline) (checked 18 September 2026)
Moving a business to the interior?
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