Is prostitution legal in Portugal?

Decriminalized / unregulated

Selling sex is legal, but third-party profit and organized prostitution are illegal.

Portugal is one of 38 countries classified “Decriminalized / unregulated” for sex work — 17% of the 219 with data. (Also searched as prostitution.)

Source

Taken from
Wikipedia: Prostitution in Europe
Last checked
17 September 2026
How it was classified
Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.

Nearby countries

Spain
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal in Spain, though pimping is illegal and regulation varies by region.
Jersey
Decriminalized / unregulated Selling sex is legal, but keeping a brothel is outlawed.
Guernsey
Decriminalized / unregulated Selling sex is legal, but related activities like solicitation and brothel keeping are prohibited.
Morocco
Illegal Selling sex has been illegal since the 1970s.
France
Buying illegal (Nordic model) France criminalizes the purchase of sex under the Nordic model, while selling remains legal.
Monaco
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal, but organized prostitution, pimping, and solicitation are prohibited.

Other laws in Portugal

Same-Sex Marriage
Marriage legal
Same-Sex Activity
Legal
Age of Consent
14–15
Divorce
Legal
Same-Sex Adoption
Joint adoption legal
Incest Laws
Legal between adults
Marriage Age
18+

Every law in Portugal → · Where is sex work legal? →

A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.