Mental Health Licensing & Regulation in Portugal: 2025 Guide

Choosing a therapist in Portugal comes down to one check. Psychology is a regulated profession, and the register is public.

We are a clinician-run directory. This guide keeps to what the law says and what you can verify.

The short answer: who is regulated

The profession of psicólogo is regulated by law. The Order was created by Lei n.º 57/2008, and its statute now runs in the wording given by Lei n.º 138/2015.¹

Under that statute, the professional title, its use and the exercise of the profession all depend on registration with the Order.² The Order alone grants the professional title and the specialty titles.⁵

Psychiatrists are medical doctors and sit under medical regulation. Labels like counsellor, coach and terapeuta are a different matter, covered below.

How to check a registration in two minutes

The Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses (OPP) runs a public directory. You can search it by professional name or cédula number.⁶ The OPP directory page itself states that registration with the Order is the legal condition for practising psychology in Portugal.⁶

1. Ask the professional for their cédula number.
2. Open the OPP directory and search the name or the number.
3. Confirm the person is listed as a member. On registration, a member is issued a cédula profissional, the professional card.⁴
4. If the name is not there, ask why before you book. The OPP invites the public to raise doubts with it directly.

The kinds of professional, and which one you need

People use the word therapist loosely. In Portugal, these are the roles that matter.

The specialty layer is set in the statute. The Order runs specialty colleges in clinical and health psychology, educational psychology, and work, social and organisational psychology.³ Counsellor and terapeuta do not appear in that list.³

Which one do you need? For talking therapy, a registered psychologist is the standard route. If medication may help, see a psychiatrist, through your family doctor or privately.

Protected title: what the law reserves

The title is not a decoration. Holding it, using it and practising the profession all require inscription with the Order,² and the Order grants it exclusively.⁵

So a person calling themselves a psicólogo should appear in the directory. If they do not, that is a fair question to ask them, and to ask the Order.

If something goes wrong: making a complaint

If your psychologist is registered, the Order is the body to write to. Its disciplinary framework covers professional conduct for all members.

Put the complaint in writing and keep copies. If the person is not registered at all, it is a legal matter rather than an Order one, and the OPP itself asks the public to report suspected unqualified practice via its directory page.⁶

Trained abroad? Getting recognised to practise

This section is for clinicians, not for people seeking help. EU-qualified psychologists use the EU recognition route; others need their qualification recognised first. Rules change, so confirm the current process with the Order before planning a move. You then register like any other member.

Find a registered therapist in Portugal

When you are ready, start with a list you can verify. Our directory shows the credentials each therapist states, and you can check any psychologist against the OPP directory yourself.

See our guide to choosing the right therapist. It covers what to ask and what to check.

Written and reviewed by Team TherapyRoute, a clinician-run directory. Last verified 2026. Rules change, so confirm current status with the Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses.

References

1. [1] Lei n.º 138/2015, de 7 de setembro, Artigo 1.º - segunda alteração à Lei n.º 57/2008, que criou a Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses e aprovou o seu Estatuto ordemdospsicologos.pt (Diário da República PDF).
2. [2] Estatuto da Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses (anexo à Lei n.º 138/2015), Artigo 53.º - Obrigatoriedade ordemdospsicologos.pt (Diário da República PDF).
3. [3] Estatuto OPP (anexo à Lei n.º 138/2015), Artigo 48.º - Colégios de especialidade ordemdospsicologos.pt (Diário da República PDF).
4. [4] Estatuto OPP (anexo à Lei n.º 138/2015), Artigo 60.º - Cédula profissional ordemdospsicologos.pt (Diário da República PDF).
5. [5] Estatuto OPP (anexo à Lei n.º 138/2015) - atribuições da Ordem: conceder, em exclusivo, o título profissional e os títulos de especialização profissional ordemdospsicologos.pt (Diário da República PDF).
6. [6] Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses - Diretório de psicólogos/as: pesquisa pública por nome profissional ou n.º de cédula; a inscrição na Ordem é condição legal necessária para o exercício da Psicologia em Portugal ordemdospsicologos.pt/pt/membros.