Portugal's Constitutional Court clears Return Law after presidential review

Constitutional Court clearance

Portugal's Constitutional Court ruled on 28 August 2026 that the Aliens and Asylum Law, commonly known as the Return Law, does not violate the Portuguese Constitution. The court announced its decision not to find unconstitutionality during a public reading held at Palácio Raton in Lisbon on Friday afternoon. The judgment concluded an abstract preventive review requested earlier in the month by President António José Seguro. The case constituted the first constitutional assessment carried out since newly appointed judges took office at the court. Parliament had passed the legislation in July 2026 with backing from right-wing parliamentary groups.

Accelerated deportations and detention limits

The approved text establishes accelerated deportation mechanisms for undocumented immigrants and expands administrative detention parameters. Under the statutory terms, individuals entering Portugal irregularly face a maximum detention limit of 360 days, extendable by 180 days to execute expulsion orders. Foreign nationals may also remain detained in temporary installation centres for up to 180 days. International protection applicants contesting rejected claims face equivalent 180-day detention limits during court appeals, with authorities permitted to extend or resume detention if new circumstances arise. The statute mandates health checks, security evaluations, and biometric data collection during initial processing. Migrants, including minors, must stay in designated screening centres for up to 7 days, a period subject to extension in exceptional situations.

Presidential referral and fundamental rights

President Seguro referred the diploma to the Constitutional Court on 7 August 2026, asking whether its terms adhered to structural constitutional principles. The presidential request asked judges to assess compliance with the dignity of the human person, proportionality, personal liberty, and effective judicial protection. Seguro emphasized the need to combat irregular migration, manage legal entries, and protect Schengen area borders while maintaining legal safeguards.

The security of our borders is not incompatible with human dignity.

The head of state raised specific concerns over several statutory provisions, focusing on the potential separation of families and risks to the best interests of children. These measures permit the deportation of foreign parents whose minor Portuguese children live in the country, the expulsion of foreign children under age five born in Portugal, and the detention of unaccompanied minors. The president also challenged rules establishing non-suspensive appeals and border return mechanisms requiring applicants to remain in airport international transit zones.

Compromise text and European migration pact

The final legislation originated from a compromise substituted by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) parliamentary group. The government initially put forward a separate Return Law that met substantial opposition regarding detention periods in reception centres and timeline targets for territorial expulsions. To address those disputes, the PSD redrafted the initiative as the Aliens and Asylum Law, structuring it as Portugal's transposition of the European pact on migration and asylum. The resulting framework implements border return procedures that mandate immediate departure upon rejection of international protection, preventing formal territorial entry while applicants remain in temporary facilities.