Cancel a contract in Portugal: phone, internet and gym

Quick answer

To end a phone, internet or TV contract in Portugal, send a denúncia (notice ending the contract). Once the fidelização (minimum-term lock-in, at most 24 months) is over and the contract has renewed automatically, you can leave at any time with at most one month’s notice (art. 132.º n.º 1 of the Lei das Comunicações Eletrónicas, LCE, approved by Lei n.º 16/2022). Leaving during the fidelização can cost an exit charge, which is capped for contracts from 14 November 2022. Cancelling must be no harder than signing up, and no registered letter is required. Electricity and gas can be cancelled at any time without charge, unless a fidelização of up to 12 months is running. Gyms follow the contract. Ask for written confirmation of the end date.

This guide covers consumer contracts in Portugal for phone, internet, TV, electricity, gas, gyms and similar subscriptions. It is general information, not legal advice. For insurance policies and tenancies, see our guides to cancelling insurance and tenant letters; if a company ignores you, see formal complaints in Portugal. Ending a contract, withdrawing from a new one within 14 days and cancelling a direct debit are three separate steps.

Check your contract first

Find the contract or customer number, the fidelização end date and the notice period (pré-aviso). Phone and internet bills must show the remaining fidelização and the current cost of leaving early (art. 122.º LCE). A denúncia ends a contract for the future without giving reasons; a resolução ends it for a cause, such as the provider’s breach. Changing tariff or accepting a new phone can start a new fidelização of up to 24 months, but only with your express consent and a quantified benefit (art. 131.º LCE). If the operator cannot prove you agreed to a fidelização, it may not charge for breaking it (art. 120.º LCE).

Phone, internet and TV

During the fidelização, the exit charge may not include any indemnity. For contracts concluded from 14 November 2022, it is capped at the lower of the contract’s stated benefit, pro rata to the time remaining, or a share of the monthly fees still to fall due: for an initial fidelização, 50% if you leave in the first year and 30% in the second (art. 136.º n.os 3–4 LCE). For older contracts, ANACOM, the communications regulator, says the charge is the unrecovered benefit, pro rata.

No exit charge is due if you move to a home where the operator cannot provide an equivalent service, make an unforeseeable move to a country outside the EU, or suffer a fall in income of at least 20% through involuntary unemployment or permanent incapacity for work or temporary incapacity lasting more than 60 days (art. 133.º LCE). Tell the operator in writing, e-mail included, at least 30 days ahead, with proof; it may bill that notice period. You can also end the contract free of charge within 30 days of being told of a detrimental change of terms, unless it is directly required by law or the regulator (art. 135.º LCE), or if the service is down for more than 15 days after you report it (art. 129.º LCE).

Cancellation channels may not be more demanding than those for signing up, and the operator may not ask again for documents it already holds (art. 136.º n.º 2 LCE). Under ANACOM’s 2012 decision on cancellations, which ANACOM still cites, the operator must accept a request sent by post or e-mail to any contact published in the contract, and confirm a valid request in writing within 5 working days of receipt, with the end date and any charges. If you switch internet provider or move your number, the old contract ends automatically (arts. 140.º and 141.º LCE). The online platform cessacaodecontratos.pt requires Portuguese digital identity (Chave Móvel Digital or Cartão de Cidadão).

Electricity, gas and gyms

Under the Regulamento de Relações Comerciais (RRC) of ERSE, the energy regulator, you can end an electricity or gas contract at any time without charges unless a fidelização is running (art. 81.º RRC). A fidelização may not exceed 12 months, does not renew automatically, and its penalty may not exceed the supplier’s direct losses (art. 19.º RRC). To switch, simply sign with a new supplier, which handles the change.

No specific law caps the term, notice or renewal of gym and similar subscriptions; the contract applies. In standard terms, excessive terms or notice periods, and automatic renewal with a deadline to object set too far before the end date, may be prohibited, judged case by case (art. 22.º DL n.º 446/85). A clause stopping you from cancelling when the gym breaches the contract is prohibited outright (art. 18.º). Whether a gym can insist on a registered letter is unsettled: if your contract expressly requires a carta registada com aviso de receção (registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt), send one yourself from a CTT post office (CTT is the Portuguese postal operator).

Withdraw from a new contract within 14 days

For a contract concluded online, by phone or away from the trader’s premises, you have 14 days to withdraw without giving reasons; for services and energy, they run from the day the contract is concluded (art. 10.º DL n.º 24/2014). It is 30 days for a contract concluded in your home or on an excursion organised by the trader. Any unequivocal statement works, by letter or any other means you can prove, and sending it before the deadline is enough (art. 11.º). You must prove it, so send well before day 14. If you expressly asked for the service to start early, you pay for what was provided (art. 15.º). Contracts signed in a shop have no cooling-off period. Keep proof of your withdrawal even if the trader offers an online withdrawal function.

Write your denúncia letter

Address the letter to the contact published in your contract and include your full name, NIF (Portuguese tax number) and contract, customer or line number; for energy, add the CPE (supply point code). Do not attach your ID unless the operator does not already hold it. The example ends the whole contract at the earliest date permitted and asks about equipment and direct debits. Keep the bracketed sentence only if your telecom contract has renewed after its fidelização, and replace every placeholder.

Assunto: Denúncia do contrato n.º [número de contrato] — cliente n.º [número de cliente]

Exmos. Senhores,

Eu, [Nome completo], NIF [NIF], titular do contrato n.º [número de contrato], relativo a [serviço, por exemplo internet, televisão e telefone fixo, fornecimento de eletricidade ou inscrição no ginásio], na morada [morada da instalação, se aplicável], venho, pela presente, denunciar a totalidade do referido contrato, com efeitos na primeira data permitida pelo contrato e pela lei.

[Tendo o contrato sido renovado automaticamente após o termo do período de fidelização, a presente denúncia produz efeitos com um pré-aviso máximo de um mês, nos termos do n.º 1 do artigo 132.º da Lei das Comunicações Eletrónicas, aprovada pela Lei n.º 16/2022, de 16 de agosto.]

Solicito que me confirmem por escrito a receção desta comunicação e a data de cessação do contrato, indicando eventuais encargos e o modo de devolução dos equipamentos que me tenham sido entregues.

Solicito ainda que não seja efetuada qualquer cobrança, incluindo por débito direto, relativa a períodos posteriores à data de cessação.

Com os melhores cumprimentos, [Nome completo]

If billing continues after the end date

One last bill for the notice period is normal; bills after the confirmed end date are not. Cancelling the direct-debit mandate with your bank does not end the contract, so complain in writing to the provider. For phone and internet, disputed amounts you complained of in writing before the suspension date stop the service being suspended for them (art. 128.º LCE). For essential services, such as phone, internet, electricity, gas and water, the provider’s right to be paid prescribes 6 months after the service (art. 10.º Lei n.º 23/96), and a dispute must go to arbitration if you choose a consumer arbitration centre (art. 15.º). You can also use the Livro de Reclamações (official complaints book), on paper in the shop or online. See our guides to formal complaints and payment demands. The follow-up below refers to your denúncia, lists the invoices that are not owed and asks for a refund; keep the last bracketed sentence only for an essential service.

Assunto: Faturação após a cessação do contrato n.º [número de contrato]

Exmos. Senhores,

Em [data], comuniquei a denúncia do contrato n.º [número de contrato] através de [meio utilizado], comunicação que foi entregue em [data de entrega] e cuja cópia junto. [Se aplicável: A cessação foi confirmada por escrito em [data], com efeitos a [data de cessação].]

Não obstante, continuam a ser-me faturados montantes relativos a períodos posteriores à cessação do contrato: [números das faturas e montantes]. Esses montantes não são devidos.

Solicito o reembolso de [montante] euros no prazo de 10 dias úteis a contar da receção desta carta, por transferência para a conta com o IBAN [IBAN], bem como a confirmação escrita de que o contrato se encontra cessado.

Na falta de resposta satisfatória, apresentarei reclamação no Livro de Reclamações e submeterei o litígio a um centro de arbitragem de conflitos de consumo. [Se se tratar de um serviço público essencial: Recordo que, nos termos do artigo 15.º da Lei n.º 23/96, de 26 de julho, o litígio fica sujeito a arbitragem necessária se eu optar por esse meio.]

Com os melhores cumprimentos, [Nome completo]

Post your letter and keep evidence

If you prefer post, upload your final PDF or write the letter in MaisonMail. Use the cancellation address in your contract or on the provider’s website, not a general address you have not checked. The recipient address determines the destination; available services, estimated delivery and the final price appear before payment. Apart from the 14-day withdrawal, where sending in time is enough, a cancellation counts from its receipt, so allow time for printing and delivery. MaisonMail sends standard and tracked letters to Portugal, not a carta registada: where your contract requires one, send it from a CTT post office. ANACOM recommends cancelling in writing and keeping proof; you can also send the same text by e-mail or through the customer area. Keep a copy of the exact letter. Tracking shows that an item arrived, not what the envelope contained.