I learned about the Portuguese bench the hard way: a friend in Lisbon spent two years on the road to it, and I kept asking what it was actually like. The answer turned out to be less ‘dramatic courtroom revelation’ and more ‘long, well-organized, extremely competitive paperwork with opinions attached.’ So I went and read all the official threads myself.
Here’s what it takes to become a judge in Portugal in 2026 — the requirements, the exam, the training, and the career ladder. If you’ve been considering law as a life, this is the full map.
What a judge in Portugal actually does
A judge administers justice in the people’s name: applies the law to real cases, weighs evidence, and writes decisions based on the Constitution and current legislation. The role demands total independence from outside pressure — political, economic, personal — and the work varies a lot by court.
In first-instance courts, a judge can pick up civil, criminal, family, and labor cases depending on the size of the district. In the administrative and fiscal courts, the focus shifts to disputes between citizens or companies and the state: taxes, public contracts, licensing. Between hearings, the daily life is reading case files, drafting reasoned decisions and sentences, and chasing tight procedural deadlines — one of the hardest parts of the job, especially in the busiest courts.
Judge or prosecutor? Same entrance exam, two careers
It’s worth knowing that the same entrance exam opens two different careers: the judicial branch (judges) and the public prosecution (procuradores). The exams are identical; what differs is the job afterward.
The judge decides — they hear the case and issue the sentence, with full independence from the parties. The prosecutor represents the state and the public interest: they bring criminal charges, defend minors and those unable to defend themselves, and check legality across areas of law. You can pick either career when you apply, or get placed in the other if there’s no room in your first choice. Both trains leave from the same station: the initial training at the CEJ (Centro de Estudos Judiciários, the Judicial Studies Centre), after which the two careers follow their own hierarchies.
What you need to get in
You need a law degree — but the rules got friendlier recently. Until quite recently, anyone with the post-Bologna three-year bachelor’s had to also complete a full master’s, thesis included, before they could apply. That requirement is gone. Now any one of three routes works:
- The five-year pre-Bologna law degree;
- A post-Bologna law bachelor’s plus the coursework (no thesis) of a law master’s or doctorate;
- At least five years of professional experience in law or a closely relevant field.
Beyond the paper credentials, the exam screens for the human stuff: analytical ability, clear writing, and the emotional balance to decide under pressure — all tested in the phases below.
How the entrance exam works
The exam is public, and the opening notice always runs in the Diário da República (Portugal’s official gazette). After you apply, there are three sequential phases:
- Written knowledge tests — civil law, criminal law, labor law, or administrative and tax law, depending on which branch you applied for;
- An oral exam covering the same areas;
- A psychological evaluation to confirm you’re fit for the job.
Only candidates who clear all three, in ranking order, make it into the training course. Plan your application early: registration windows open several months before the course starts, and the exam syllabi are posted on the CEJ’s site.
The CEJ course and the traineeship
Admitted candidates become judges in training (auditores de justiça) and go through a theoretical-practical course in two cycles: the first, the more academic one, at the CEJ; the second is a traineeship in real courts and in the prosecution’s offices.
Training runs at the CEJ’s headquarters in Limoeiro, Lisbon, and at a second campus in Vila do Conde — opened to ease the load for candidates living in the north. During the course, trainees draw a monthly stipend equivalent to 50% of index 100 on the judicial salary scale, taxed and subject to social security contributions like any other grant. The exact amount is updated every year; the CEJ’s site and the Diário da República carry the current figures.
The career ladder
Finish the traineeship well, and you’re placed as a judge in a first-instance court — usually far from home, at least for the first few years. The career then climbs in three steps, managed under internal merit and seniority rules:
- Juiz de direito — first-instance courts;
- Juiz desembargador — the appellate courts (Relação);
- Juiz conselheiro — the Supreme Court of Justice.
Pay follows its own scale, fixed by the statute of the judiciary, with a compensation allowance and, in some cases, a housing allowance. By law, it’s capped at the Prime Minister’s base salary — a ceiling that has stood virtually untouched for over three decades. Current figures are published by the Conselho Superior da Magistratura (the superior council of the judiciary).
The 2026 intake: the biggest one in years
The Ministry of Justice has authorized 215 places at the CEJ for 2026 — the largest intake ever for training judges and prosecutors. The 43rd course (judicial courts) fills 168 places (79 for judges, 89 for the prosecution); the 13th course (administrative and fiscal courts) adds 47 more. The new courses start at the end of 2026, split between Lisbon and Vila do Conde.
For a sense of the competition: the 42nd course drew roughly 800 candidates for just over a hundred places.
So, no — becoming a judge in Portugal isn’t a quick or simple path. It takes years of preparation before you even walk into the CEJ. But the exam opens regularly, and if you meet the requirements, you can apply the moment a new notice lands in the Diário da República.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a master’s degree to apply?
No. That rule was dropped. A five-year law degree, a post-Bologna bachelor’s plus the coursework (without thesis) of a law master’s or doctorate, or at least five years of relevant professional experience — any one of the three is enough.
How long does the whole process take?
More than two years, from application to first posting. Add on top the law degree and whatever extra coursework or experience you need to qualify.
What if there’s no place in the branch I want?
You can be placed in the other magistracy — judge or prosecutor — if there’s room there but not in your first choice. Same entrance exam, different career track after training.
Where to read the official text: Lei n.º 7-A/2025, the Ministry of Justice on the 2026 intake, and the Ordem dos Advogados on the CEJ.
The Edit
The 215-place intake is the biggest in years — if Portugal, or a Portuguese law degree, is in your plan, 2026 is the year to start moving.
a note from Margot
I’ve used “closet” a lot in this journal. A career, it turns out, is the same exercise: you can’t shop the whole way, but you can edit it — one honest, well-organized step at a time.
