Portugal is offering financial incentives of up to €5,317 to workers, self-employed professionals, entrepreneurs and remote workers who relocate to the country's interior regions under a government-backed scheme aimed at attracting people to less populated areas.
The programme, called Emprego Interior MAIS (Interior Employment MORE), is administered by Portugal's Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP). It provides financial support to individuals who move their residence to designated inland territories to take up a new job, transfer an existing job, start a business or work remotely from those regions.
The measure is open to Portuguese citizens, emigrants returning to the country, citizens of the European Union, Switzerland and the European Economic Area, as well as third-country nationals who legally reside in Portugal, including beneficiaries of temporary protection.
Who can apply?
According to IEFP, the scheme is available to:
- Unemployed individuals registered with employment services
- Employees seeking new opportunities
- Self-employed workers
- Remote workers and digital nomads
- Portuguese emigrants who left the country after December 31, 2015 and lived abroad for at least one year
- Foreign nationals with legal residence in Portugal
Applicants must relocate to an eligible inland municipality or parish and meet the programme's residence and employment requirements.
How much support is available?
The amount of financial support depends on the applicant's professional situation.
Individuals who move to an inland area with a permanent employment contract, transfer an existing permanent job, or create their own business can receive €3,759.91, equivalent to seven times Portugal's Social Support Index (IAS).
Those with fixed-term employment contracts of at least 12 months or scholarship contracts lasting 12 months or more can receive €2,685.65, equivalent to five times the IAS.
For 2026, the IAS has been set at €537.13.
Additional benefits for families
The programme also includes incentives for family relocation.
Applicants receive an additional 20% of the base support amount for each household member who moves with them to the interior region.
A further €805.70 is available to help cover transportation and moving expenses.
Digital nomads also eligible
The scheme extends to foreign remote workers and digital nomads who work for employers or clients based outside Portugal.
To qualify, applicants must legally reside in Portugal, move to an eligible inland territory and earn at least the national minimum wage. The remote work arrangement must have started after January 1, 2022.
What is the condition?
Applicants must generally maintain their new residence in the inland territory for at least 12 months.
For those starting a new job or business, the move must take place within 180 days before or after the start of the employment contract or creation of the business.
Employment contracts must offer a salary equal to or higher than Portugal's national minimum wage. Entrepreneurs creating a business must create at least one full-time job for themselves and, where applicable, hold a majority ownership stake.
Through the Emprego Interior MAIS programme, the government aims to encourage workers, entrepreneurs and remote professionals to settle in less populated areas while supporting regional economic development and job creation.
