A Portuguese law banning clothing that hides the face, or prevents it from being shown, in roads and public places takes effect on 23 September. Kuwait’s embassy in Lisbon announced the date and asked citizens travelling to Portugal to comply.
Where it applies
Roads and public places, premises that provide services to the public, events, sporting activity and demonstrations. It is not limited to government buildings.
The fine
Between 400 and 3,000 euros when the breach is deliberate, and 150 to 750 euros when it is negligent. Police write the ticket; the municipality where it happened sets the fine.
Where it does not apply
On board aircraft, inside embassies and consulates, and in places of worship. Covering the face for health, work, artistic, safety or weather reasons is also exempt.
A clause that protects the individual
The law also criminalises forcing anyone to conceal their face by threat, violence, coercion or abuse of authority. That carries up to two years in prison or a fine, increased where the victim is a minor.
Numbers worth saving
Kuwait embassy emergency line in Lisbon 00351916666645; the Foreign Ministry consular contact centre 00965159.
Background
Portugal’s Assembly of the Republic passed the law on 17 July. It was published in the official gazette on 24 August and comes into force thirty days after publication.
Photo: São Bento Palace in Lisbon, seat of the Portuguese parliament that passed the law. Matthew Black, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Source: Portuguese Law 58/2026, Diário da República, 24 August 2026; statement by the Embassy of the State of Kuwait in Lisbon, via Al-Jarida, 19 September 2026.
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