Resignation Letter in Portugal: How to Resign Formally

You work for a Portuguese company and you have decided to leave. In Portugal, resigning is a formal act with rules attached: a notice period set by the Labour Code, a written communication, and consequences if you get either wrong. This guide explains, in English, how resignation works for employees in Portugal, how long your notice is likely to be, why the letter should travel as a carta registada com aviso de receção (a registered letter with a signed proof-of-delivery slip), and what to actually write, with a sample letter in Portuguese explained paragraph by paragraph.

How resignation works in Portugal

What English speakers call resigning is, in Portuguese labour law, the denúncia do contrato de trabalho pelo trabalhador: the employee's unilateral termination of the employment contract. You do not need your employer's agreement and you do not need to give a reason. What you do need is to communicate it in writing and to respect a notice period (aviso prévio).

This is different from termination by mutual agreement (revogação), where you and the employer sign a joint document, and from resignation with just cause (resolução), where the employer is at fault and different rules and compensation apply. This article covers the ordinary case: you simply want to leave.

The notice period: how long before you can go

As a general rule, for a permanent contract (contrato sem termo), the Portuguese Labour Code sets the employee's notice at:

• 30 days if you have up to two years of seniority with the employer;
• 60 days if you have more than two years of seniority.

Fixed-term contracts (contrato a termo) have shorter notice rules, and your individual contract or an applicable collective bargaining agreement (CBA, in Portuguese "contrato coletivo de trabalho") can modify these periods, in particular for management or trust positions. So treat the 30 and 60 days as the default, and check your contract and any CBA that covers your sector before you fix a leaving date.

Why send it by registered letter with proof of delivery

Handing a letter to your manager or sending an email may feel natural, but it leaves you exposed on the one fact that matters: the date the employer received your resignation. If that date is disputed, your notice period, your final day and any compensation calculation all become arguable.

A registered letter with AR (aviso de receção) sent through CTT, the Portuguese post office, closes that gap:

• The CTT registration proves you sent the letter, and when.
• The AR slip comes back signed, proving who received it at the company and on what date.
• That received date fixes the start of your notice period beyond argument, and it is the form of proof Portuguese institutions recognise.

A common and sensible approach is to do both: tell your manager in person or by email as a courtesy, and send the registered letter the same day so the formal clock starts with proof.

The letter must be in Portuguese

Your resignation is a formal declaration with legal effect addressed to a Portuguese employer. Write it in Portuguese, even if your workplace runs in English: it removes any argument about what was communicated. Keep an English translation for yourself. The letter should be short; a resignation letter is not the place for feedback, negotiation or explanations.

Sample resignation letter, explained

Below is a short standard letter in Portuguese, followed by what each part means and does.

Paragraph by paragraph:

• Header and date: your name and address, the company's name and address (ideally marked to HR, "A/C: Recursos Humanos"), and the place and date of the letter.
• Subject line: "Denúncia do contrato de trabalho" states unambiguously that this is a resignation, not a complaint or a request.
• First paragraph: the resignation itself. It cites article 400.º of the Labour Code (the provision on employee termination), identifies the contract by its start date, states your intended last day, and says you are respecting the applicable notice period. Set the last day at least the full notice period after the date the letter will be received.
• Second paragraph: asks the employer to prepare the documents you are entitled to on leaving (the work certificate and the social security declaration, which you may need for unemployment or future employers) and to settle final amounts such as untaken holiday and proportional subsidies.
• Sign-off: a standard formal closing and your handwritten signature. Sign the letter by hand, or digitally with the Portuguese Chave Móvel Digital, then scan or photograph it for sending.

How to send it, including from abroad

• 1

  Write and sign the letter in Portuguese

  Use the structure above. Sign by hand and scan it, or sign digitally.

• 2

  Upload it as a PDF or photo

  Enter your employer's registered address as the recipient and your own address as the sender. You see a preview of exactly what will be printed.

• 3

  Pay €14.99, all included

  Printing up to 10 pages, envelope, CTT postage and the aviso de receção. The letter is posted through CTT within 2 business days.

• 4

  Keep the proof

  You receive the proof of sending and the CTT tracking number by email; the signed AR slip proves the date your notice started counting.

This works whether you are in Portugal or not. If you have already left the country and need to resign from a Portuguese employer, the letter is printed and posted inside Portugal with your foreign address as the sender, exactly as described in our guide to sending registered letters to Portugal from abroad.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to give a reason for resigning?

No. An ordinary resignation (denúncia) requires no justification. If you are leaving because of serious employer misconduct, a different route (resolução com justa causa) may entitle you to compensation, but that has its own requirements and deadlines and is worth discussing with a lawyer.

When does my notice period start?

From the date the employer receives your resignation letter. With a registered letter with AR, that date is the one on the signed delivery slip, which is why this method protects you.

Can my employer refuse my resignation?

No. Resignation is a unilateral right; the employer's agreement is not required. The employer can only hold you to the notice period, or claim compensation if you do not respect it.

What am I owed when I leave?

As a general rule: salary up to the last day, untaken holiday and the corresponding holiday subsidy, and the proportional Christmas subsidy. The exact settlement depends on your situation and contract; the sample letter above asks the employer to pay these amounts and hand over the required documents.

Can I resign while on probation?

Yes, and during the probation period (período experimental) the notice requirements are much lighter as a general rule. Check your contract for the terms of your probation before assuming a specific rule.