Would be interesting to know how people are getting on with the platform, and is it working correctly. Are there agencies that can help with this for a fee? And is it working for foreign residents also ?
Last I heard, was it was probably going to go back at the Post Office as the platform was to complicated, and kept failing. ?
The law defining the new model for the social mobility subsidy between the mainland and the autonomous regions, which will now be called the territorial continuity mechanism, was published today, without a maximum limit for reimbursement purposes or a regularized contribution situation. It will come into effect on Saturday.
According to the law published in the Official Gazette, Decree-Law 1-A/2026 of January 6, which defines “a new model for the allocation of a social mobility subsidy [SSM] within the scope of air services between the mainland and the autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira and between these regions,” was amended by parliamentary review.
“The allocation of the SSM (Service Voucher) to the beneficiary implies the purchase and effective use of the ticket and corresponds to the payment of a variable amount, without a maximum limit to the eligible cost of the ticket,” the decree stipulates.
The subsidy amount, it is added, “is based on the eligible cost for each connection and beneficiary category, regardless of whether the ticket is one-way or round-trip,” and the amount to be borne by the beneficiary cannot be “reduced, split, or subject to reduction coefficients based on the type of ticket” or if it is only “one-way.”
To receive the support, the application is submitted on the platform with the required documentation, “by the beneficiary or by a commercial intermediary, including travel agencies, businesspeople” and other entities, “with the express authorization of the beneficiary”.
“The allocation and payment of the SSM (Social Security Benefit) do not depend on verifying the regularity of the beneficiary’s tax and social security contributions with the Tax and Customs Authority and Social Security, and this verification cannot be established by regulation, nor can it be required,” it is further determined.
For the purposes of processing the subsidy application, “the presentation of the invoice proving the purchase of the ticket or an equivalent document is considered sufficient,” and “the receipt or other proof of actual payment for the ticket must be presented within 30 days of the granting” of the support.
The allocation of the subsidy, in the different validation phases, is carried out through the Single Portal for Digital Services, and the “electronic platform must allow the registration and operation of commercial intermediaries, including travel agencies” and other representatives of the beneficiary.
The electronic platform must also allow the beneficiary to link members of their household, as well as their first- and second-degree ascendants, to their account, whether or not they are part of that household, provided they are eligible under the terms of the scheme.
Decree-Law 1-A/2026 stipulates that it “enters into force on the day following its publication, producing its effects on January 7, 2026,” and the parliamentary document adds that the designation of SSM will “be renamed ‘territorial continuity mechanism (MCT)’.”
In enacting the law, the President of the Republic, António José Seguro, warned that “the elimination of the maximum limit on the eligible cost of airfares may have several effects that will require careful regulation and rigorous monitoring of the implementation of the new regime.”
The changes to the SSM were approved in a final global vote on April 10, with votes in favor from PS, Chega, BE, Livre, PAN and JPP, abstentions from CDS-PP, IL and PCP, and a vote against from PSD (with the exception of the six deputies elected by the Azores and Madeira, who voted in favor).
The amount of the refund granted to residents and students of the autonomous regions is the difference between the eligible cost of the ticket and the maximum fare paid by the resident. If the cost of the ticket exceeds the maximum fare, the passenger must pay that additional amount.
The subsidy establishes a maximum fare of 79 euros for residents and 59 euros for students on journeys between Madeira and the mainland (round trip), eliminating the previous maximum fare of 400 euros for reimbursement purposes.
In the Azores, the maximum fare paid by residents for trips to the mainland is 119 euros, and the fare paid by students is 89 euros, rendering the recently set maximum fare of 600 euros ineffective.