Is voting compulsory in Portugal?

Compulsory (not enforced)

Compulsory voting was introduced in 1933 but not enforced.

Portugal is one of 8 countries classified “Compulsory (not enforced)” for compulsory voting — 5% of the 176 with data. (Also searched as mandatory voting.)

Source

Taken from
Wikipedia: Compulsory voting
Last checked
7 July 2026
How it was classified
Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.

Nearby countries

Spain
Compulsory (not enforced) Compulsory voting was in place 1907–1923 but not enforced.
Morocco
Voluntary Voting is voluntary.
France
Voluntary Voting is voluntary.
Algeria
Voluntary Voting is voluntary.
Ireland
Voluntary Voting is voluntary.
Switzerland
Compulsory (not enforced) Voting is compulsory in law but not enforced in practice in Switzerland.

Other laws in Portugal

Voting Age
18
Minimum Working Age
16+

Every law in Portugal → · Which countries have compulsory voting? →

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.