Entry into the training of judges and public prosecutors is done through public tender, published in the Diário da República (DR) and involves various selection methods.
It aims to fill vacancies in judicial courts (judges and public prosecutors) or to fill vacancies for judges in administrative and tax courts (TAF).
Interested parties can apply in two ways:
- academic qualification – you need to have held a degree in Law for five years or less, provided that it is complemented, in this case, by a Masters or PhD in the field of Law obtained at a Portuguese university, or by equivalent academic degrees recognized in Portugal (article 5(b) of Law n.º 2/2008, of 14 January, in conjunction with article 40(c) of the Estatuto dos Magistrados Judiciais (EMJ – Judiciary Statute) and article 146(c) of the Estatuto do Ministério Público (EMP – Public Prosecution Statute));
- professional experience – you need to meet the requirement for the academic path, plus have professional experience, in the forensic area or in other related areas, relevant to the exercise of the functions of a magistrate, with an effective duration of not less than five years.
To be admitted to the contest, whichever way you apply, you must:
- be a Portuguese citizen or a citizen of Portuguese-speaking States with permanent residence in Portugal, with a recognized right to exercise the functions of a magistrate under the terms of the law and under conditions of reciprocity;
- academic qualification – you need to have held a degree in Law for five years or less, provided that it is complemented in this case, by a Masters or PhD in the field of Law obtained at a Portuguese university, or by equivalent academic degrees recognized in Portugal (article 5(b) of Law n.º 2/2008, of 14 January, in conjunction with article 40(c) of the Estatuto dos Magistrados Judiciais (EMJ – Judiciary Statute) and article 146(c) of the Estatuto do Ministério (EMP – Public Prosecution Statute));
- meet the other general requirements for the provision of public functions.
- In the contest to fill vacancies in the judicial courts, for each magistracy (judicial and the Public Prosecutor's Office), an admission quota of 25% is reserved for each of the two admission routes.
In the contest to fill vacancies for TAF judges, an admission quota of 25% is reserved for each of the two admission routes.
Candidates are selected by the following methods, all of which are eliminatory:
- Written phase
- Oral phase
- Selection psychological exam