Study Moving Abroad Daily Life More
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01
Language 🗣

The official language in Portugal is Portuguese. However, due to the tourist influx and even historical elements, some of the languages used to communicate are Spanish, English and French.

02
Banks & Currency 🏦

Banks usually open Monday to Friday, from 8.30am to 3pm and are closed on weekends.
Banks generally require a Portuguese taxpayer number in order to open an account. In addition, proof of address, proof of registration and personal identification (CC or BI) is also required. Some universities have agreements with local bank branches, allowing international students to open an account.
Look into the international relations office at your faculty for more information.

03
Time Zone ⏰

Currently Western European Summer Time (WEST), UTC +1

04
Weather ☀️

In Porto, summer is pleasant, dry with almost cloudless skies; winter is cool, with precipitation and partly cloudy skies. Throughout the year, the temperature generally ranges from 6 °C to 24 °C and is rarely less than 1 °C or above 30 °C.

05
Driving 🚙

In Portugal, in order to drive a vehicle on public roads, you must be legally qualified, that is, you must have a driving license.

You can get a driving license from 18 years of age, as long as you have no physical or mental impairments.

In Portugal, as in most European countries, you drive on the right side of the road, that is, the driver is sitting on the left in the car. Driving in Portugal is safe, there are many new roads, especially highways.

06
Eletricity 🔌

The electricity voltage in Portugal is the same as in most European countries, 220 220V 50Hz.

07
Emergencies 🚑

In case of an emergency, from North to South of Portugal, the number to dial is 112 – European Emergency Number – which can be connected via landline and mobile phones. The call is free and is immediately answered by the emergency centers that activate the medical, police and fire systems, depending on the situation.

08
Mobile Phones 📞

Each programme will have general entry requirements and programme-specific entry requirements. Once you’ve decided which programme(s) you’d like to apply for, check both sets of requirements to determine your eligibility.

Be sure to check relevant application dates and deadlines well in advance of the semester you’d like to start your studies. Generally, the application deadline will be in mid-January for the autumn semester (August), and mid-August for the spring semester (January).

09
Opening Hours ⏳

Commercial establishments in Porto are divided in two realities, traditional commerce and shopping centers.
Traditional shops are usually open between 9am and 7pm, with a mandatory day off which is Sunday.

Shopping centers are open from Monday to Sunday between 10am and 11pm /midnight.

10
Sustainability ♻️

The city of Porto is increasingly committed to promoting sustainability and good environmental practices, having signed an agreement with several entities to further develop strategies in this regard.

Porto also intends to reduce the distance of its citizens to the green spaces for recreation and leisure, preserving and creating greater connectivity between the existing ones; renaturalizing water lines; developing new green solutions; converting and permeabilizing squares, block interiors or commercial areas; expanding and transforming abandoned land into edible gardens that require “zero” maintenance from the administration.

11
Student Card 🧑‍🎓

Whenever you go out to see the sights in Porto (or really anywhere in Portugal or Europe), make sure you carry your student ID with you. Or, better yet, get yourself an ISIC card. Since Europe is so student-friendly, lots of museums and other historical attractions will give you a discount just for being a study abroad student. Score! It may also get you discounts at various restaurants, hotels, and tour packages, so be sure to always carry it with you and ask what kind of discounts are available for students.

12
Who is who ⁉️

Porto Municipal Police

Porto Municipal Police (PM) is a specialized, armed and uniformed body, formed by officers, chiefs and agents belonging to the Public Security Police (PSP), who upon request by the National Director serve Porto City Council. The PM mission is to enforce the Regulatory Code of the Municipality of Porto; to cooperate with other municipal services and with external entities, monitoring their activities; to participate in the licensing of economic activities; to ensure policing and security of municipal events and facilities; and to collaborate in programmes to combat social exclusion.

Contacts

Tel: 226 198 260

Email: policiamunicipal@cm-porto.pt

PSP – Polícia de Segurança Pública

The Public Security Police, called PSP, is a uniformed and armed security force, with a public service nature and endowed with administrative autonomy whose mission is to ensure democratic legality, to guarantee internal security and citizens’ rights, under the Constitution and the Law.

Contacts

Largo 1º de Dezembro, s/n – Edifício Aljube

4000-404 PORTO

Tel.: 222092000

Fax. 222080615

National Republican Guard – GNR

The National Republican Guard is the national gendarmerie force of Portugal, constituted by soldiers, who belong to the military troops and are endowed with administrative autonomy, and are responsible for patrolling 94% of the national territory and coastal control.

The GNR is subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Administration and to the Ministry of National Defence. It is the only security force of military nature and organization, and thus characterized as a Military Security Force.

Members of the GNR are military personnel, subject to military law and organisation.

The National Guard’s mission, within the scope of national security and protection systems, is to ensure democratic legality, to guarantee internal security and the rights of citizens, as well as to collaborate in the implementation of national defence policy, under the terms of the Constitution and the Law.

Contacts

Rua do Carmo, nº 11

4099-041 Porto

Telef: 223 399 600/ 737/ 760

Fax: 223 399 781/ 785/ 786

Firefighters

The mission of the Firefighting Battalion of Porto (BSB) is to ensure the protection of people, property and the environment, especially in the area of ​​the Municipality of Porto, by preventing dangerous situations, relieving negative consequences, minimizing personal damage, providing services to the highest standards and professionalism, in order to be a reference in the areas of prevention and relief in Portugal.

Thus, the Firefighting Battalion of Porto is a reference in the areas of prevention and relief in Portugal due to the quality of the services provided.

The BSB operates in the scope of the protection of people, property and the environment, mainly in the area of ​​the municipality of Porto. The BSB workforce currently consists of 268 staff, including management, sappers and civilian personnel.

The Battalion of Firefighters of Porto

Contacts

Telef.: 225 073 700 

Fax: 225 073 705

E-mail: geral.bsb@cm-porto.pt

Volunteer Fire Brigades in Porto

Contacts

Rua Rodrigues Sampaio, 153 4000-425 Porto

Tel: 222055845

Fax: 222080366

E-mail: bvporto@netcabo.pt

Website:http://bombeiros.pt/cbs/cb.php?cb=2202

Porto Volunteer Firefighters 

Contacts

Rua das Cruzes, 580 

4100-191 Porto 

Telef:226 151 800/ 226 151 806 

E-mail: geral@bvportuenses.pt 

http://www.bvportuenses.pt

Civil Protection

The Municipal Civil Protection Service is responsible for ensuring the functioning of all municipal civil protection bodies, as well as centralizing, processing and disseminating all information received at municipal level.

The actions of the Municipal Civil Protection Service are mainly developed in the fields of prevention, planning and assistance.

The mission of this service is to provide the city with an evident feeling of collective security in the face of threats and risks arising from natural or technological action.

Contacts

Largo Duque da Ribeira, nº 47 – 4050-006 Porto

Tel: (+351) 222 071 310

 E-mail: dmprociv@cm-porto.pt

13
Useful Contacts 📞

Telecommunications

Phone code: Portugal + 351, Porto 22.

To call Portugal from abroad, dial 00, followed by the country code, the city code and the desired number.

Telecommunications: phone calls accessible from public phone boxes, where coins can be used as means of payment or phone cards, which can be purchased in Portugal Telecom stores, post offices, kiosks and other designated places. To call Portugal from abroad, dial 00, followed by the country code, the city code and the desired number.

 

 

Porto Waters
General and Malfunctions: 225 190 800
Digital Counter – https://balcaodigital.aguasdoporto.pt/

Airport
ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal, SA.
Information: 229 432 400

Bus
Sociedade de Transportes Colectivos do Porto, S.A. – www.stcp.pt
General: 225 071 000
Blue Line: 226 158 158/ 808 200 166

Firefighters

The Battalion of Firefighters of Porto: 225 073 700
Volunteer Fire Brigades in Porto: 222 038 387
Porto Volunteer Firefighters: 226 151 800

Railways
CP – Railways of Portugal, EPE
Informações: www.cp.pt | 707 210 220

Electricity
EDP
Customer Service: 800 505 505
Technical assistance: 800 506 506
Counter Reading: 800 507 507

Emergency
European Emergency Number: 112
National Social Emergency Line: 144
National Forest Protection Line: 117
Intoxications: 808 250 143

Red Cross
Ambulance – Emergency Service: 226 006 353

Gas
Portgás
Emergency Gas: 800 215 215
Attendance: 808 100 900
Reading Counter: 800 500 330

Hospitals
Joaquim Urbano: 225 899 550
Maria Pia: 226 089 900
Maternidade Júlio Dinis: 226 087 400
Militar Regional n.º 1: 226 063 011
Magalhães de Lemos: 226 192 400
Conde Ferreira: 225 071 200
Santo António: 222 077 500
São João: 225 512 100
IPO-Porto: 225 084 000

Porto Citizen Shop
300 003 990

Police

Public Security Police: 22 209 2000
National Republican Guard: 223 399 600
GNR – Fiscal Brigade: 223 394 960
GNR – Traffic Brigade: 223 399 760
Municipal Police: 226 198 260
Judiciary Police: 225 088 644
Maritime Police (General): 222 070 970 / Maritime Police Picket: 916 352 954
Foreigners and Borders Service of the Northern Regional Directorate: 228 330 200

Civil Protection
Nacional: 214 165 100
District: 226 197 650
Douro River Precision and Flood Prevention Center: 223 389 660

The unique number for every municipality services. Porto. Line