PSP/GNR

Overview

Portugal has two national police forces that recruit through separate public competitions (concursos):

• PSP (Polícia de Segurança Pública), the civilian police force, recruits agents through a competition for the Curso de Formação de Agentes (CFA, Agent Training Course).

• GNR (Guarda Nacional Republicana), the gendarmerie, recruits guards through a competition for the Curso de Formação de Guardas (Guard Training Course).

Both competitions combine a written knowledge test, physical tests, a psychological evaluation and a medical exam, but the age limits, physical tests and scoring differ. Each force is covered separately below.

Who can apply

For the GNR, time spent in military service can reduce your counted age by up to four years. For the PSP, the 2026 competition also accepted candidates still completing the 12th grade and required military duties to be fulfilled.

Levels or stages

PSP: Agent Training Course competition

The PSP selection runs in this order:

1. Written knowledge test. Counts for 60% of the final classification.

2. Physical tests. Pass or fail. The exercises are a long jump, an agility circuit, push-ups, sit-ups in 45 seconds and a 1,000 m run. Each exercise is scored from 0 to 3; a zero on any exercise, or a total below 7, eliminates you.

3. Psychological evaluation. Pass or fail. It covers areas such as attention and perception, verbal, spatial and numerical reasoning, and memory.

4. Professional selection interview. Counts for 40% of the final classification.

5. Medical exam. Pass or fail.

Each stage is eliminatory, and places on the course are filled strictly by final classification.

GNR: Guard Training Course competition

The GNR selection includes:

1. Written knowledge test. A multiple-choice test covering subjects such as Portuguese, general culture, the Constitution, human rights, the European Union and GNR legislation.

2. Physical tests. Each exercise has a minimum standard and failing any one eliminates you.

3. Psychological evaluation in three phases. Paper-based tests of cognitive ability and personality, computer-based tests of psychomotor skills and stress tolerance, and a psychological interview.

4. Medical exam. Includes checks of height, body mass index and vaccination status.

GNR physical test minimums:

Important dates

For the PSP's 2026 Agent Training Course competition, applications opened on 2 June 2026 and closed on 25 June 2026. The PSP set the knowledge test provisionally for 12 September 2026, with the second-phase selection methods from 6 to 9 October 2026 in the autonomous regions and from 12 to 30 October 2026 on the mainland. The course was due to start in January 2027.

GNR competitions are announced in the Diário da República; check the GNR recruitment portal for the current notice and dates.

How to apply

• PSP: apply online at recrutamento.psp.pt within the application period set in the notice.

• GNR: apply online through the GNR recruitment portal at recrutamento.gnr.pt.

After the exam

PSP trainees on the Agent Training Course received about EUR 878 a month gross in 2026, plus accommodation, meals and uniform; after the course, total gross pay including supplements was reported at about EUR 2,030 a month.

The GNR Guard Training Course is residential and lasts about nine months.

Preparation tips

• Train specifically for the physical tests of the force you are applying to, since the exercises are different: the PSP uses a long jump, agility circuit and 1,000 m run, while the GNR uses a wall crossing and a 12-minute Cooper run.

• For the PSP, give the knowledge test serious weight: it counts for 60% of your final classification.

• Check the age limit carefully. The GNR cut-off (under 27) is much lower than the PSP's (under 35).