On Monday the 5th of January 2026, the Government published in the Official Gazette Decree-Law No. 1-A/2026, which introduces the first amendment to the Social Mobility Allowance (SSM) regime, approved in March 2025, adjusting it to the entry into operation of the new electronic platform for the management of support for air travel between the mainland and the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira.
According to the document, the diploma clarifies and harmonises the legal framework of the SSM with the ordinance that regulates the digital platform, whose respective ordinance was also published yesterday, and which will be “fully functional from the 1st of July.” Until then, a transition period is foreseen, during which it is intended to ensure the continuity of the service and avoid constraints to beneficiaries. This period will maintain reimbursements through the entity that has been providing the service until the 31st of December 2025, namely CTT.
Among the main changes is the strengthening of the legal definitions, namely concerning “student passengers” and “equivalent resident passengers.” The Government extends and densifies the criteria applicable to students, explicitly including those attending postgraduate, master’s, or doctoral degrees, and clarifies the eligibility of workers with a contract, even if of less than one year’s duration, provided that the activity is carried out in the autonomous regions.
The decree-law also introduces stricter rules regarding the return of amounts received in error. Beneficiaries who do not refund the subsidy are prevented from accessing the SSM on future trips, and a maximum period of 30 days is set for payment after notification. At the end of this period, the debt is coercively collected by the Tax and Customs Authority through a certificate issued by the managing entity.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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