In Portugal, the number of security guards at a concert isn't something you negotiate with a supplier: it's set by a government order (portaria) and depends on two factors the organiser controls — the type of venue and the expected number of spectators. From 1,000 people in a temporary venue, and from 3,000 in a fixed venue without seating, there's a legal obligation to have a security plan and venue stewards.
When does Portugal require hiring private security for an event?
When one of two thresholds is crossed: 1,000 expected spectators in a temporary venue, or 3,000 in a fixed venue for artistic performances without permanent seating. The obligation stems from paragraph 3 of Article 9 of Lei n.º 34/2013, of 16 May, which makes holding events in authorised venues conditional on having a security system in place. The preamble of Portaria n.º 293/2020 sums it up: holding events in authorised venues «depende do cumprimento da obrigação de disporem de um sistema de segurança no qual se incluem os assistentes de recintos de espetáculos e demais medidas de segurança previstas na lei» (depends on compliance with the obligation to have a security system in place, which includes venue stewards and the other security measures provided for by law).
The government set the figures in Portaria n.º 102/2014, of 15 May, which started out with a single 3,000-spectator threshold. Portaria n.º 293/2020, of 18 December split it in two. Its Article 2 gives this wording to paragraph 2 of Article 1: the use of private security personnel is mandatory «a) Em recintos fixos de espetáculo de natureza artística, não dotados de lugares permanentes e reservados aos espetadores […] em que o número de espetadores previsto seja igual ou superior a 3000; ou b) Em recintos improvisados […] em que o número de espetadores previsto seja igual ou superior a 1000» (a) In fixed venues for artistic performances, without permanent seating reserved for spectators […] where the expected number of spectators is 3,000 or more; or b) In temporary venues […] where the expected number of spectators is 1,000 or more).
The same portaria defines what counts as a temporary venue: «os espaços delimitados cobertos ou descobertos, com características construtivas ou adaptações precárias, montados temporariamente para um espetáculo ou divertimento específico, em lugares públicos ou privados» (delimited spaces, covered or uncovered, with makeshift construction features or adaptations, set up temporarily for a specific performance or entertainment event, in public or private places). A marquee, a stage in a square or a temporary stand all fall under this. The Ministério da Cultura summed up the change when it was published: the revision served to «clarificar as situações em que a adoção do sistema de segurança é obrigatória, reduzindo a lotação a partir da qual se torna exigível no caso dos recintos improvisados» (clarify the situations in which adopting a security system is mandatory, lowering the capacity threshold at which it becomes required for temporary venues) (culturaportugal.gov.pt, 18 December 2020).
| Scenario | Threshold of expected spectators | What it triggers | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed venue for artistic performances without permanent seating | 3,000 or more | Security plan, coordinator and venue stewards | Art. 1, para. 2, a) |
| Authorised temporary venue | 1,000 or more | Security plan, coordinator and venue stewards | Art. 1, para. 2, b) |
| Fixed seated venue where the seats are removed | No threshold of its own | Only the obligations in points b) to d) of Art. 3, para. 1 | Art. 3, para. 2 |
The third case is the most surprising. If a theatre or arena with fixed seating removes the seats, wholly or partly, to put on a standing concert, Portaria n.º 102/2014 applies the obligations on coordinator, stewards and CCTV directly, and the promoter must submit the venue's prevention and security plan «juntamente com prova de autorização por parte da Inspeção-Geral das Atividades Culturais» (together with proof of authorisation from the Inspeção-Geral das Atividades Culturais). Removing seats changes the security regime.
How many venue stewards does the law require?
Between 6 and several dozen, depending on the expected number of spectators. Article 7 of Portaria n.º 102/2014, as amended by Portaria n.º 293/2020, sets out a five-tier scale that starts at 1,000 spectators and grows in blocks of a thousand from 15,000 upwards.
| Expected spectators | Venue stewards (minimum) | Point in Art. 7, para. 1 |
|---|---|---|
| More than 1,000 and up to 3,000 | 6 | a) |
| More than 3,000 and up to 5,000 | 12 | b) |
| More than 5,000 and up to 10,000 | 20 | c) |
| More than 10,000 and up to 15,000 | 30 | d) |
| 15,000 or more | 30 plus 2 for every 1,000 above 15,000 | e) |
That scale produces a sum almost nobody does before signing off the security budget. A festival expecting 25,000 people needs 50 stewards: the 30 from the previous tier plus 20 for the ten blocks of a thousand above the limit. With 40,000 people, it's 80. This is our own calculation based on Article 7, not a figure published by the PSP.
Two caveats round off the calculation. Paragraph 2 warns that these figures, «sendo critérios mínimos, não desoneram o promotor do dever de garantir a contratação de coordenadores de segurança e de assistentes de recinto de espetáculos em número suficiente para assegurar que o evento decorre em condições de segurança» (being minimum criteria, do not relieve the promoter of the duty to ensure that enough security coordinators and venue stewards are hired to guarantee the event runs safely), are a floor, not a ceiling. And paragraph 3 reaches down to small events: below the thresholds, the promoter must assess with the competent security force whether a coordinator and stewards are needed; if they are, paragraph 4 sets that «o número mínimo de assistentes de recinto de espetáculos não pode ser inferior a dois» (the minimum number of venue stewards cannot be fewer than two). Article 3, paragraph 4 also reserves access-control and ticket-checking duties for staff with the venue-steward specialism, even at events not covered by the portaria. Putting two production crew on the door won't do.
What must the prevention and security plan include?
Eight content blocks and an opinion that's no mere formality. Article 4, paragraph 1 obliges the promoter to submit the plan to the venue's licensing authority «até 30 dias úteis antes da realização do evento» (up to 30 working days before the event takes place), and requires it to include «parecer obrigatório e vinculativo das forças de segurança, dos serviços de emergência médica, dos serviços de proteção civil e bombeiros territorialmente competentes» (a mandatory, binding opinion from the police, the emergency medical services and the civil protection and fire brigade with territorial jurisdiction). Binding means that an unfavourable report stops the event — it's not something you attach and carry on regardless.
Paragraph 2 lists what it must contain. Three measures touch directly on ticket sales: «controlo de venda ou qualquer outra forma de oferta de títulos de ingresso» (control of sales or any other form of offering tickets), the «definição de lotação do recinto ou, quando ocorram vários eventos no mesmo recinto […] das zonas que o compõem» (definition of the venue's capacity or, where several events take place at the same venue […] of the zones that make it up) and surveillance aimed at «impedirem o excesso de lotação em qualquer zona do recinto» (preventing capacity from being exceeded in any zone of the venue), keeping access routes, evacuation paths and emergency exits clear. Then come the security perimeters and access-control systems, which may include personal searches meeting the requirements of Article 19 of Lei n.º 34/2013, the parking areas for security and emergency vehicles, and the internal emergency plan.
Portaria n.º 293/2020 added two more points. Point g) requires a «plano de evacuação e a localização dos pontos de encontro exteriores, com previsão da respetiva capacidade» (evacuation plan and location of outdoor assembly points, with their expected capacity): it's not enough to mark the exits, you have to say where people are going and how many the assembly point can hold — the same logic that applies when designing evacuation routes for a mass-attendance event. Point h) requires, for events with a capacity of 15,000 or more, defining an operations centre to coordinate the event with accredited representatives.
That same threshold also brings in CCTV. Article 3, paragraph 1, d) imposes it «quando o número de espetadores previsto seja igual ou superior a 15 000» (when the expected number of spectators is 15,000 or more), and the new Article 7-A sets its minimum coverage: entrances, ticket sales points, cash machines and any other locations required by other rules. The system is governed by Article 31 of Lei n.º 34/2013, which keeps recordings «pelo prazo de 30 dias» (for a period of 30 days) and requires the public to be notified that the venue is under CCTV surveillance.
What must the promoter notify, and how far in advance?
Three notifications, each with a deadline, and two of them depend on box-office data. Article 5 of Portaria n.º 102/2014 requires the promoter to submit the plan up to 30 working days in advance and to «informar, até 24 horas antes do início do espetáculo, a força de segurança territorialmente competente, do número de títulos de ingresso distribuídos e/ou da estimativa de número de espetadores» (inform the competent security force, up to 24 hours before the event starts, of the number of tickets distributed and/or the estimated number of spectators). The figure you give the PSP or the GNR comes from your sales system: if accreditations, invitations and external channels aren't consolidated, that number simply won't exist in time.
The third notification is the security company's responsibility. Article 6, a), as amended in 2020, requires it to «assegurar a designação do coordenador de segurança e dos assistentes de recinto de espetáculos, através de comunicação dos respetivos números de cartão profissional à força de segurança territorialmente competente, até seis horas antes do início do espetáculo» (ensure the designation of the security coordinator and venue stewards, by notifying their professional card numbers to the competent security force, up to six hours before the event starts), and to report any change before the replacement starts work. The same article puts the security coordinator in operational charge of the stewards during the event.
| Deadline | What to do | To whom | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 working days before | Submit the prevention and security plan with the opinions | Licensing authority | Art. 4, para. 1, and Art. 5, a) |
| 15 working days before | Request the special noise licence, if applicable | Municipal council | Art. 15, para. 2, RGR |
| 24 hours before | Notify tickets distributed or the audience estimate | Security force | Art. 5, b) |
| 6 hours before | Notify the professional card numbers of the coordinator and stewards | Security force | Art. 6, a) |
And if the event is a sports event?
Then this portaria doesn't apply. Matches are governed by Portaria n.º 261/2013, as amended by Portaria n.º 294/2020, of 18 December, which requires a security coordinator and sports-venue stewards — a different professional specialism — for competitions «de risco elevado» (classified as high risk), and whose Article 4, paragraph 4 sets a useful counting rule: «o número de espetadores é determinado pelo número de ingressos ou convites emitidos até 72 horas antes do início de cada espetáculo desportivo» (the number of spectators is determined by the number of tickets or invitations issued up to 72 hours before each sports event starts). For sport, the cut-off is the tickets issued three days beforehand; for the arts, it's the forecast you notify 24 hours in advance.
What licence does the venue where you set up the stage need?
It depends on whether the venue already exists or you're building it. If you're building it, Decree-Law n.º 268/2009, of 29 September governs, and its Article 3 is unequivocal: «O licenciamento relativo à instalação dos recintos itinerantes e improvisados compete à câmara municipal territorialmente competente» (licensing for the installation of travelling and temporary venues falls to the municipal council with territorial jurisdiction). There's no national one-stop shop: the application is handled at municipal level, and each council has its own regulations and fees.
Article 15 lists what must accompany the application, and point d) of paragraph 3 is worth reading carefully: «Local, área, características do recinto a instalar, lotação admissível, zona de segurança, instalações sanitárias, planta com disposição dos equipamentos e demais actividades» (location, area, characteristics of the venue to be installed, permitted capacity, safety perimeter, sanitary facilities, layout showing the arrangement of equipment and other activities). To that are added the «plano de evacuação em situações de emergência» (emergency evacuation plan) of point e) and, under paragraph 4, the «fotocópia da apólice do seguro de responsabilidade civil e de acidentes pessoais» (photocopy of the public liability and personal accident insurance policy). The capacity you declare here is the one your sales system must then respect: capacity control stops being good practice and becomes the limit set by a licence, as we explain in the guide to real-time capacity management.
The response deadline is short. Article 16 obliges the council to notify the promoter, «no prazo de cinco dias» (within five days), of approval or refusal, and the approval order stands as the operating licence. Paragraph 5 flags its expiry: the licence «é válida pelo período requerido para a duração do evento e só pode ser objecto de renovação por uma vez e pelo mesmo período» (is valid for the period required for the duration of the event and may only be renewed once, for the same period). One extension, and that's it.
If the venue already exists and is fixed, the process falls under Decree-Law n.º 23/2014, with the Documento de Identificação do Recinto (venue identification document) and periodic inspection, and capacity is set by the authorities: Article 12, paragraph 6 states that «o parecer fixa a lotação máxima de espectadores em função das diversas atividades» (the opinion sets the maximum number of spectators depending on the various activities). The fiscal and documentary side of that same decree-law — promoter registration, prior notification, mandatory ticket content — is covered in the guide to how to sell tickets in Portugal.
What do fire and noise rules require at a temporary venue?
Both have their own rules, and both apply to temporary set-ups too.
Fire safety: use-type VI
An open-air festival doesn't escape the fire safety regime. Article 8 of Decree-Law n.º 220/2008, of 12 November classifies as use-type VI, «espetáculos e reuniões públicas» (performances and public gatherings), the «edifícios, partes de edifícios, recintos itinerantes ou provisórios e ao ar livre que recebam público, destinados a espetáculos, reuniões públicas, exibição de meios audiovisuais, bailes, jogos, conferências, palestras, culto religioso e exposições» (buildings, parts of buildings, travelling or temporary venues and open-air venues that receive the public, intended for performances, public gatherings, audiovisual screenings, dances, games, conferences, talks, religious worship and exhibitions). The risk category — from 1st to 4th — is calculated using height, occupancy, floors below the reference level and fire load, and the self-protection measures in Article 21 depend on it: prevention procedures, internal emergency plan, safety records, training and drills. The party responsible during operation is whoever operates the venue, not the author of the design.
Noise: the special licence
The General Noise Regulation, approved by Decree-Law n.º 9/2007 and as amended by Decree-Law n.º 278/2007, prohibits in its Article 14 temporary noisy activities near homes «aos sábados, domingos e feriados e nos dias úteis entre as 20 e as 8 horas» (on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and on working days between 8pm and 8am), and also near schools during school hours and hospitals. Almost any concert falls foul of that. The way round it is Article 15: the municipality can authorise them «em casos excepcionais e devidamente justificados, mediante emissão de licença especial de ruído» (in exceptional, duly justified cases, by issuing a special noise licence). It must be requested «a antecedência mínima de 15 dias úteis» (at least 15 working days in advance), stating the location or route, start and end dates, times, the reasons justifying the activity at that place and time, and noise prevention and reduction measures. If the licence is issued for more than a month, it's conditional on not exceeding, at sensitive receptors, 60 dB(A) during the evening period and 55 dB(A) at night.
How much does non-compliance cost?
Enough to make it cheaper to hire properly in the first place. Under the private security regime, Article 59 of Lei n.º 34/2013 grades offences as minor, serious and very serious, with fines ranging from €150 to €3,000 for individuals and from €1,500 to €44,500 for companies, depending on severity. In sport, the cross-reference is explicit: Article 5, paragraph 3 of Portaria n.º 261/2013, as amended by Portaria n.º 294/2020, treats «a insuficiência de assistentes de recinto desportivo» (insufficient sports-venue stewards) as a breach of point d) of paragraph 3 of Article 59 of Lei n.º 34/2013.
On top of that comes the regime for live events. Article 36 of Decree-Law n.º 23/2014 punishes the first tier of infringements with fines of €250 to €2,500 for individuals and €500 to €15,000 for companies, and the second tier with €600 to €3,000 and €1,200 to €30,000. And there's a penalty that isn't measured in euros: an unfavourable opinion from the security force on the prevention and security plan arrives when the tickets are already sold, as consumer complaints about refunds and fees for live events in Portugal have shown.
And what part does Futura Tickets cover?
It's worth separating out responsibilities. The venue licence, the prevention and security plan, the contract with the private security company and the notifications to the PSP or the GNR are the promoter's responsibility: no ticketing provider replaces them, and the scale in Article 7 is met with people holding a professional card, not with software.
What does depend on the sales system is the data that fills in those documents. Futura Tickets is a Spanish SaaS ticketing platform for professional organisers, selling in 9 languages and across 11 country domains. Three features line up with what the Portuguese framework asks for: capacity by zone, which is what Article 4, paragraph 2, b) requires the plan to define; the count of tickets distributed that must be notified 24 hours beforehand; and speed at the door, since the Futura Tickets app validates a QR code in 1-2 seconds and an NFC wristband in under 1 second. In its operational guide, Futura Tickets recommends setting capacity alerts at 80% and 95% of each zone's capacity, which is the practical translation of the duty to prevent capacity being exceeded in any zone of the venue. If you're comparing systems, the ticketing software page summarises what to ask each provider.
Checklist before opening ticket sales in Portugal
Seven checks, each with a deadline.
Classify the venue before you set a price. Temporary or fixed, seated or standing: that box determines the 1,000 or 3,000 threshold, and whether the paperwork goes through the municipality or the IGAC.
Count stewards using the current Article 7 scale, not last year's. The version in force starts at 6 stewards from 1,000 spectators; the 2014 version started at 12 and from 5,000.
Finalise the prevention and security plan 30 working days in advance. The opinions from the police, emergency medical services and civil protection are binding, and each needs its own time to process.
Lock the capacity by zone into the sales system. The plan declares a lotação (capacity) per zone, and the municipal licence declares a lotação admissível (permitted capacity): if sales can exceed either, you're automatically in breach.
Prepare the 24-hour figure. Tickets distributed plus invitations and accreditations, as a single exportable number, with the door-level detail that a well-designed access control system requires.
Check whether you're going over 15,000. That threshold activates CCTV covering entrances and box offices, plus an operations centre with accredited representatives.
Request the special noise licence 15 working days in advance. And check the timing: Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and the 8pm-to-8am window are prohibited without it near homes.
Conclusion
Portugal has settled in writing the question that other markets answer by custom: how much private security a show needs. The answer is a public scale, with tiers, points and a minimum of two stewards even below the thresholds. The hard part isn't reading it, it's feeding it: the expected number of spectators, the capacity by zone and the tickets distributed all come from the sales system, and the deadlines — 30 working days, 15, 24 hours, 6 hours — count backwards from the door. Anyone comparing this with the German model will see a different approach, because there the VStättVO starts from the venue's capacity rather than from the spectator numbers the promoter expects. In Portugal, it's the promoter who does the counting, and that's why the figure they declare is binding on them.
Sources
- Portaria n.º 102/2014, of 15 May, text published in the Diário da República, 1st series, n.º 93, pp. 2831-2833 (PSP, Departamento de Segurança Privada, PDF)
- Portaria n.º 293/2020, of 18 December, first amendment to Portaria n.º 102/2014, Diário da República, 1st series, n.º 245, pp. 114-117 (PDF)
- Portaria n.º 294/2020, of 18 December, sports-venue stewards, Diário da República, 1st series, n.º 245, pp. 118-120 (PDF)
- Official notice from the Ministério da Cultura on Portaria n.º 293/2020 (culturaportugal.gov.pt)
- Lei n.º 34/2013, of 16 May, regime governing private security activity, consolidated text (Procuradoria-Geral Distrital de Lisboa)
- Decreto-Lei n.º 268/2009, of 29 September, licensing of travelling and temporary venues (Procuradoria-Geral Distrital de Lisboa)
- Decreto-Lei n.º 220/2008, of 12 November, legal regime for fire safety in buildings (Procuradoria-Geral Distrital de Lisboa)
- Decreto-Lei n.º 23/2014, of 14 February, operating regime for artistic performances (Procuradoria-Geral Distrital de Lisboa)
- General Noise Regulation, Decreto-Lei n.º 9/2007 as amended by Decreto-Lei n.º 278/2007: printout of the consolidated text from the Diário da República Eletrónico (PDF)