Professional Licenses
Professional Journalist License
In order to pursue the profession of journalist, it is necessary to hold the respective professional license.
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.
Granting and renewing
The professional license must be required 30 days from the issue of the document proving the internship is completed.
The license is valid for two years from its granting. It must be renewed in the month prior to its expiration.
Citizens who, independently of whether or not they effectively pursue the profession, have performed journalistic activity as their main, permanent and gainful occupation for a continuous period of 10 years, or for 15 years on an interrupted basis, are also considered to be journalists, provided that they request and keep their respective professional license updated.
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 (when converting the intern temporary license to professional license):
a) Form duly filled in and signed;
b) One passport photo (obligatory every five years);
c) A report written by the supervising journalist stating that the 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);
d) 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 (freelance journalists may substitute this document by copies of news signed by him/her, as well as recent salary receipts/invoices);
e) Payment.
2) Renewing:
a) Form duly filled in and signed;
b) One passport photo (obligatory every five years);
c) 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 (freelance journalists may substitute this document by copies of news signed by him/her, as well as recent salary receipts/invoices) [Journalists who have performed journalistic activity as their main, permanent and gainful occupation for a continuous period of 10 years, or for 15 years on an interrupted basis are exempted from these items];
d) Payment;
e) Document proving the situation of unemployment (if needed);
f) Document proving that the situation of incompatibility is over (if needed).
3) Replacement card:
a) Form duly filled in and signed;
b) Payment.
4) Suspension due to incompatibility:
a) Form duly filled in and signed;
b) Professional license;
c) Document stating/explaining the incompatibility.
5) License termination:
a) Form duly filled in and signed;
b) Professional license.