The Portuguese government has extended temporary protection for Ukrainians until the end of the year. The relevant resolution was adopted on February 22. Previously, the country extended protection for Ukrainians for 6 months, observador.pt reports.


Portugal has approved that temporary protection documents for refugees from Ukraine will be valid until the end of 2024. This is longer than before, when protection was extended for only 6 months.


Temporary protection in Portugal is granted automatically and used to last for a year. The government later extended it in March and September 2023.


According to the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, as of January 2023, Portugal had issued 59,532 temporary protection permits for Ukrainian citizens. However, 1,566 of these refugees applied for cancellation of their status.


According to the latest Eurostat data, 58,800 refugees from Ukraine benefit from temporary protection in Portugal.