Europe
Portugal.
Portugal's Código Penal (art. 200) makes failing to give needed help in a situation of grave necessity a crime. Lei n.º 71/98 sets the legal framework for volunteering, and the Estatuto dos Benefícios Fiscais includes a chapter of tax benefits for donations (mecenato) and a tax authority mechanism for directing part of one's income tax to eligible organizations.
Is there a legal duty to help a stranger?
YesArticle 200 of the Código Penal ('Omissão de auxílio') punishes anyone who, in a case of grave necessity (such as a disaster, accident, public calamity or common danger) that endangers another person's life, physical integrity or freedom, fails to give the help needed to remove the danger, personally or by summoning aid, with up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 120 days. The penalty is higher if the person created the situation, and the omission is not punishable where there is grave risk to the omitting person's own life or physical integrity or other relevant reason making help not reasonably required.
Are people who help protected?
LimitedNo statute specific to good-faith rescuers was found in the sources reviewed. The Código Penal's general 'direito de necessidade' (art. 34) makes lawful an act used to avert a present danger to the legally protected interests of the actor or a third party, if the danger was not voluntarily created (except when protecting a third party), the interest saved is clearly superior to the one sacrificed, and imposing the sacrifice is reasonable.
How the government promotes giving and service
Ways to give and volunteer
Much of Portugal's social help is delivered by IPSS (private social solidarity institutions), many with Church roots, alongside the Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa. The one thing to know first: legitimate IPSS are registered with Social Security, so ask for the registration.
Check a charity before you give
The state body that registers IPSS social solidarity institutions; Portugal has no single public charity search, so ask a group for its IPSS registration and confirm it here.
Give your time
Give money, blood or a donation
In an emergency or a crisis
Before you act
- Street collectors and phone or email appeals can be fake, so give through the organization's own website. Ask a local group for its IPSS or association registration number before trusting it. Portugal has no special limits on foreign donors, and EU residents may volunteer freely, while others should check residence rules.
This list does not cover local parish, municipal or neighborhood groups, which are many and vary. Checked 2026-10-28. Listing an organization is not an endorsement, and none of them has endorsed this site. Some official sites block automatic checks, so a link may need a second try.
One thing worth knowing
Art. 2.2 of Lei n.º 71/98 excludes from the volunteering law acts that are disinterested but isolated and sporadic, or driven by family, friendship or good-neighbor reasons, so the framework covers organized volunteering by design.
What this does not mean
Texts are in Portuguese and summarized here without an official translation. Lei n.º 71/98 was read in its original 1998 publication; later amendments and the status of its regulating decrees were not verified, and the Código Penal and tax texts are consolidated versions that may have changed. 'Estatuto do Mecenato' is treated here as the mecenato chapter (arts. 61 to 66) of the Estatuto dos Benefícios Fiscais; no separate current statute was verified. This is not legal advice. This is a plain-language summary of public sources, not legal advice, and it does not rank countries. No government named here has endorsed this site. Not reviewed by a lawyer. Statutes were read in public sources and may have changed. Last checked October 26, 2026.