Author
An ‘applicant in need of special reception needs’ is defined in terms of reduced ability to benefit from the rights and comply with the obligations stemming from the Asylum Act due to their vulnerability. The Asylum Act provides for a non-exhaustive list of applicants with an increased vulnerability risk profile that could need special reception conditions: children, unaccompanied children, disabled people, elderly people, pregnant women, single parents with minor children, victims of human trafficking, persons with serious illnesses, persons with mental disorders and persons who have been subjected to torture, rape or other serious forms of psychological, physical or sexual violence, such as victims of domestic violence and female genital mutilation.[1]
While the Asylum Act also refers to guarantees available to particularly vulnerable persons,[2] the two concepts seem to be used interchangeably, meaning that any person with special reception needs is a priori a vulnerable person for the purposes of the Asylum Act.[3]
The identification of persons with special needs and the nature of such needs must take place upon registration of the asylum application or at any stage of the asylum procedure,[4] but within reasonable time following registration.[5]
The provision of special reception conditions should take into consideration: (i) the material reception needs of particularly vulnerable persons;[6] (ii) their special health needs, including those particular to survivors of torture and serious violence.[7]
The law further details the modalities of some of these categories of special reception conditions particularly regarding the special needs of children[8] (including unaccompanied children)[9] and housing conditions.
There are no specific mechanisms, standard operating procedures, or units in place to systematically identify asylum applicants in need of special reception conditions in all types of procedures and reception contexts. The only exceptions are age assessment procedures and procedures for the identification and protection of potential victims of trafficking that present practical and technical implementation challenges (see Identification).
AIMA states that it carries out an individual assessment in order to select the location and type of facility to accommodate an applicant, taking into account specific needs, family unit, availability of places, and characteristics of the reception centre. No further information on its practical implementation has been provided.
Indeed, according to CPR’s observation, AIMA’s Reception Unit has been conducting brief interviews prior to referral to host entities to gather preliminary information on potential vulnerabilities, although these do not always result in a clear assessment of individual needs. It is unclear if this practice is implemented in cases involving applications from outside Lisbon, given the constraints in accessing AIMA offices. According to CPR’s observation, this is not applied to applicants subject to administrative detention.
The lack of adequate reception arrangements for vulnerable people is a persistent concern,[10] as demonstrated by instances where the release from detention of asylum applicants with special reception needs was delayed due to the absence of suitable reception solutions.
In practice, in the framework of admissibility (including Dublin) and accelerated procedures on the territory, asylum applicants who present apparent vulnerabilities entailing special reception needs such as children, disabled people, elderly people, pregnant women, single parents with minor children, persons with serious illnesses or mental disorders referred to CPR for the provision of material reception conditions, are generally identified by the organisation.
This can be based on information received from AIMA prior to their referral to CPR’s reception centres, but mostly depends on information collected during the provision of material reception conditions and/or legal assistance by the organisation. Documentation collected by border authorities, including health-related information, is not systematically transmitted by AIMA and is in most cases only shared upon express request by CPR, requiring direct coordination between CPR and PSP.
Upon admission in its reception facilities, CPR has developed a screening and reception mechanism in order to overcome challenges concerning the lack of relevant social and health-related information upon referral by the authorities. CPR adopted a proactive and preventive reception model in which screening is the basis of the process. Priority is given to situations of vulnerability, the preventive assessment of applicants on arrival and the design of life projects that are adapted to the personal needs of each individual.
CPR’s teams often liaise with other organisations to provide specific support to the special needs of particularly vulnerable residents.
According to ISS, there are two social responses that cover persons with special reception needs and that are developed in autonomous facilities. The Temporary Accommodation Centres are designed to accommodate adults in need for a limited period of time, with a view to future referral to the most appropriate social response. At the national level, there are 28 Temporary Accommodation Centres with capacity for 942 people. The Insertion Communities comprise a set of integrated actions aimed at the social insertion of various target groups who, due to certain factors, find themselves in a situation of social exclusion or marginalisation. This social response may or may not involve accommodation. At national level, there are 45 Integration Communities with capacity for 2,890 people. Both social responses are not exclusive to applicants/beneficiaries of international protection.
According to SCML, asylum applicants referred to the organisation by the SOG benefit from specific social counselling and may be referred to homeless shelters managed by the organisation on a temporary basis to address specific vulnerabilities. Rooms with individual bathrooms can also be used to respond to certain special needs. Similarly, according to ISS special needs are assessed and vulnerable asylum applicants are provided differentiated support, notably in the case of children, disabled and the elderly.
According to UNHCR, issues related to vulnerabilities were discussed within the working group on migration and asylum led by the Judicial High Council, primarily within the framework of detention measures.
In 2025, UNHCR, IOM and OTSH provided training to PSP within their respective regular training programmes, covering: specific needs of vulnerable groups, identification and protection of vulnerable groups, and vulnerability indicators for trafficking victim identification, including particularities relating to children (including unaccompanied children) and referral procedures for suspected cases. IOM also extended its training to GNR.
Reception of families and children
The accommodation of unaccompanied children who are 16 and over in adult reception centres and the initiation of family tracing are dependent on a best interests’ assessment.[11] Under the Asylum Act, the best interest of the child also requires that children:
- Be placed with parents or, in their absence, with adult relatives, foster families, specialised reception centres or tailored accommodation;
- Not be separated from siblings;
- Are offered stability, notably by keeping changes in place of residence to a minimum;
- Are ensured well-being and social development;
- Have security and protection challenges addressed, notably where there is a risk of human trafficking; and
- Express their opinion, taking into consideration their age and maturity.[12]
The provision of special reception conditions for unaccompanied children during the asylum procedure is managed by ISS, within the framework of the national promotion and protection system.
According to ISS, at the end of 2025, there was an constant capacity of 288 places for unaccompanied foreign children (not only asylum-seeking children) through 5 types of social responses:
- 1 Reception centre with a specialised residential unit for emergency situations – with 12 places;
- 2 Specialised reception centres – 27 places;
- 1 Reception centre with two support units for promoting autonomy – 14 places;
- 3 Supervised autonomies with sheltered accommodation;
- 9 Autonomy apartments – 45 places;
- 7 Supervised autonomies – 190 places.
To complement and meet needs, unaccompanied children were also referred to child-care facilities of the general national protection system.
ISS has not specified which entities are involved in the management of these centres. CPR is aware of some entities involved in the reception of unaccompanied children, such as Aldeias de Crianças SOS and Fundação O Século, due to the provision of legal support.
By the end of 2025, a total of 294 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children were under guardianship/supervision of ISS, both in specialised and general child-care facilities.
According to Aldeias de Crianças SOS, several unaccompanied children were accommodated after periods of homelessness in Lisbon, having had to wait for AIMA services to reopen after weekends. While ISS activated placements promptly upon identification, significant logistical constraints were observed in the referral process, particularly for inter-city transfers, with children arriving late at night and not always having been provided with food. Information available at the time of referral was limited to basic biographical data, hampering the quality of reception. The organisation further noted that current referrals are based exclusively on vacancy availability.
CACR is a specialised reception centre for unaccompanied children with a specialised residential unit for emergency situations managed by CPR (see Types of Accommodation). CPR provides material reception conditions to unaccompanied children regardless of the stage of the asylum procedure, in accordance with protective measures adopted by Family and Juvenile Courts in the framework of the Children and Youths at Risk Protection Act (see Legal Representation of Unaccompanied Children). CPR promotes family tracing, in partnership with the Portuguese Red Cross (CVP), if considered to be in the best interest of the child and taking into consideration the child’s opinion.
To the extent that it is possible, and with consent of the applicants, family unity should be preserved in the provision of housing.[13] Adult asylum applicants with special reception needs should be accommodated with adult relatives who are legally responsible for them and already present on the territory.[14]
CPR’s reception centres offer facilities to accommodate disabled people and playgrounds for children who are systematically enrolled in public education. Despite practical challenges, families are generally given separate accommodation either at CAR or in external accommodation. Asylum applicants are generally referred to the SNS for health assessments and care, including differentiated care, even though referral constraints particularly for mental health care and certain categories of specialised medical care have been traditionally experienced.
According to the Asylum Act, adequate measures must be adopted to avoid sexual and gender-based violence and harassment in reception centres and other housing provided to asylum applicants.[15] Among the measures adopted by CPR in this regard are the definition of separate room areas, the development awareness raising activities, the possibility to make accommodation arrangements adapted to the specific needs of individuals, and monitoring by staff.
UNICEF[17] reported being aware of instances where unaccompanied children were assigned the protective measure of ‘independent living’[18] without full consideration for their needs and effective protection, inter alia:
- Insufficiency of the financial allowance granted to such children to cover essential living costs, and inconsistent practices regarding the amounts paid, methods and frequency of payment;
- Challenges faced by children in obtaining proper accommodation in the private housing market due to the very high prices of housing in the country and the limited amounts of the financial allowances applicable, leading them to resort to solutions without the appropriate legal protection and to share accommodation with adults, and making it impossible to ensure the adequacy of the living environment.
Reception of survivors of torture and violence
While ISS is responsible for ensuring access to rehabilitation services for survivors of torture and serious violence,[19] the provision of material reception conditions and health care adapted to the special needs of vulnerable persons seems to be dependent on the responsibility-sharing rules applicable to asylum applicants in general.
The provision of reception conditions by ISS following a dispersal decision by the social monitoring subgroup is done in accordance to agreed standards. In each district there is a responsible officer for reception conditions who reports directly to central services, but there is no specialised team dedicated to survivors of torture and/or serious violence. According to ISS, caseworkers can make referrals to specialised services at local level, for instance, for asylum applicants placed in the area of Coimbra, ISS has the possibility to make referrals to the Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Psychogenic Trauma that provides differentiated mental health care adapted to the needs of survivors of torture and/or serious violence.
The Victim Support Offices (Gabinetes de Atendimento à Vítima) operate under a partnership between AIMA and the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG), providing integrated and continuous support to migrants, asylum applicants and beneficiaries of international or temporary protection who are victims of domestic violence, gender-based violence, or harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation and child or forced marriage. Services include personalised assistance, information and guidance, risk assessment and management, safety planning, mediation and referral. The offices are located at AIMA service points in Lisbon, Porto and Faro.[20]
[1] Article 2(1)(ag) Asylum Act.
[2] Article 2(1)(y) Asylum Act.
[3] Article 77(1) and (3) Asylum Act.
[4] Article 77(2) Asylum Act.
[5] Article 77(3) Asylum Act.
[6] Articles 56(2) and 77(1) of Asylum Act.
[7] Articles 35-B(8), 52(5), 56(2), 78(3)-(4) and 80 Asylum Act.
[8] Article 78 Asylum Act.
[9] Article 79 Asylum Act.
[10 In addition to CPR, this has been identified as a structural obstacle by Aldeias de Crianças SOS, Crescer, and Associação VITAE in their contributions to the 2025 AIDA Report.
[11] Article 79(10) and (14) Asylum Act.
[12] Article 78(2)(a)-(h) Asylum Act.
[13] Articles 51(2) and 59(1)(a) and (b) Asylum Act.
[14] Article 59(1)(c) Asylum Act.
[15] Article 59(1)(e) Asylum Act.
[16] Information provided by UNICEF to the 2023 AIDA Update.
[17] Information provided by UNICEF to the 2023 AIDA Update.
[18] Unofficial translation (“autonomia de vida”). This is a protective measure that can be applied to children over 15 years old and that aims to promote its autonomy and ability to live independently, while providing economic assistance as well as social and pedagogical support (article 45 Act no.147/99, of 1 September, as amended).
[19] Article 80 Asylum Act.