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The Government approved the ‑lei decree Decree-Law No º 65/2026of 5 March It creates the free ticket for persons with disabilities accompanying them in performances and cultural facilities managed by public authorities. The measure aims to promote cultural inclusion and accessibility, ensuring that no one is prevented from participating in cultural life by economic or practical barriers.

Free of charge applies to museums, monuments, palaces, interpretative centres and performance venues of an artistic nature located in continental territory, provided that they are managed by the Public Administration, by entities of the corporate public sector or by public foundations.

According to the diploma, each person with a disability is entitled to a free ticket for one accompanying person per session, provided that the disability is duly proven. The accompanying person’s ticket is non-transferable and is only valid when issued at the same time as the disabled person’s own ticket, for the same date and time.

Proof of disability is made ‑se, in the case of residents in Portugal, through the Multipurpose Medical Disability Certificate, with a degree of disability equal to or greater than 60%. For foreign nationals, equivalent medical documentation is accepted.

The law also obliges cultural promoters to adapt ticketing systems, ensuring the registration and control of these tickets, compliance with data protection rules and the availability of the free ticket in all sales channels, physical and digital, with accessibility and usability criteria equivalent to other tickets.

The Inspectorate-General for Cultural Activities (IGAC), in liaison with the Institute for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (formerly the National Institute for Rehabilitation), will be responsible for monitoring the measure and producing an annual report on its implementation, including the number of tickets issued and the impact on cultural accessibility.

Entities covered have one year to adapt their IT systems, with a transitional regime allowing temporarily the manual issuance of free tickets.