What is it?

The Term of Responsibility (commonly known as Model 4) is a statement by which the resident in Portuguese territory, whether a national citizen or a foreign citizen entitled to stay regularly in Portuguese territory, takes responsibility for the foreign citizen in relation to the conditions of stay and removal expenses in the event of an illegal stay in Portuguese territory (article 12, no. 1 and 2 of Law no. 23/2007 of July 4th).

What is it for?

This term of responsibility serves to ensure that the grantor is responsible for everything the foreign national does during their time in Portugal, including:

(1) Food costs;

(2) Costes if the foreign national is expelled from national territory, such as travel the country of origin;

(3) In the event of the death of the foreign national, costs incurred in moving the body to the country of origin;

(4) And, finally, co-responsibility if the foreign national violates Portuguese law.

Changes made recently

On October 28th, 2024, the Agency of Integration Migration and Asylum (AIMA) announced that, as of November 4th, 2024, the aforementioned Terms of Responsibility will only be accepted by this entity if the signature of the grantor is duly recognized by a Lawyer, Notary or Solicitor.

Impact of this measure

Based on the premise of security in immigration processes, this measure ensures the authenticity of the document, eliminates the risk of fraud and entails an increase in responsibility for signatories of this document. It also allows AIMA to ensure transparency and understanding of the legal obligations relating to Model 4.