Odivelas
Practical information for those who want to settle in the city

WithPortugal.com continues its fascinating virtual journey through Portugal, with the aim of introducing readers to the cities where foreigners are settling. This time we invite you to discover the municipality of Odivelas, where at least 4.738 immigrants have already settled (according to the National Institute of Statistics for 2022). If you have recently moved here or are just planning to take this important step, our material will provide you with information that will help you get settled in Odivelas faster.

Administrative division of Odivelas

Odivelas is a city in the Lisbon metropolitan area with 148,058 inhabitants (according to the 2021 Census) in an area of only 26.54 square kilometers. The municipality borders Loures to the northeast, Lisbon to the southeast, and Amadora and Sintra to the west.

The population of the districts of the municipality, according to the 2021 census is distributed as follows:

• Odivelas - 59.586 residents,
• Pontinha e Famões - 35.111,
• Póvoa de Santo Adrião e Olival Basto - 18.806,
• Ramada e Caneças - 34.531 residents.

Immigration assistance

For advice and assistance, immigrants can contact the Local Migrant Assistance Center, CLAIM, which is located at:

Strada Shopping § Fashion Outlet – Estrada da Paiã – Casal da Troca, 2675-625 Odivelas

Tel: 966 372 157, 969 065 213, email: geral@cm-odivelas.pt.

Learning Portuguese

If you need a language certificate, which is accepted when applying for Portuguese citizenship, you can study the free Português Língua de Acolhimento (PLA) program. The program includes 2 levels (A1+A2 and B1 + B2). A completed A2 level is sufficient for citizenship, so there are many more courses that teach only A level. 

PLA courses for which enrollment is open are usually published on the Oferta formativa website. However, sometimes they are also offered by schools not listed there. As of September 2024, the list of Odivelas public schools offering PLA courses is as follows:

• Escola Secundária Pedro Alexandrino, Póvoa de Santo Adrião,
• Escola Secundária de Odivelas,
• Escola Secundária de Caneças.

Courses can also be taken at the Employment and Vocational Training Centers (IEFP). You can find out which courses are currently on offer and apply on the IEFP website. In the search box, enter Português língua, select Ofertas de formação in the drop-down list in the center, and Odivelas in the drop-down list on the right. There are currently no offers from IEFP in Odivelas, but they may appear later.

If having a language certificate is not a priority and you can afford to pay for lessons, you can easily find private schools offering Portuguese as a foreign language lessons for adults. Just type "português língua estrangeira Odivelas" into Google.

Employment

There are no less than 16 thousand companies in the municipality, lists of which can be easily found on the Internet. Here is an example of such a list.

Let's take a look at Odivelas' top 5 industries according to the source Infoempresas.jn.pt.

• Retail - 4,212 companies,
• Construction - 3,894,
• Wholesale trade - 2,397,
• Transportation and warehousing - 2.133,
• Hospitality industry - 2,111 companies.

Of course, this list only gives a general idea of the areas of potential labor demand in Odivelas. Due to its proximity to Lisbon, it is quite feasible to work in the capital while living in this suburb.

However, difficulties can still arise. The question of the willingness of Portuguese companies to hire foreigners requires a thoughtful approach. It is important to understand the expectations of local employers. Jobs can be sought through the IEFP, recruitment agencies and popular specialized websites.

Entrepreneurship

In Odivelas, entrepreneurship is supported through several key programs and initiatives implemented by Aginvest Odivelas:

Start-In Odivelas is a program aimed at creating and supporting new companies. It provides incubation conditions to help young businesses prepare for the market and overcome the difficulties of the first years.

The Program + Support + Employment is aimed at helping citizens who want to create their own jobs and encourages the development of entrepreneurship in the region.

Workshops, networking events and conferences are organized to promote innovation and strengthen ties between businesses and the local community. These events help entrepreneurs exchange ideas, develop their projects and access new opportunities.

Co-working spaces are provided for digital nomads, freelancers and entrepreneurs looking for a workspace to work remotely and exchange ideas. Such spaces are planned to be opened in every district of the municipality.

The Espaço Empresa Center, located in the historic Quinta do Espírito Santo estate, includes two service points, a conference room and provides a one-stop-shop service, providing support to entrepreneurs in setting up and managing their businesses. Services offered here include:

• Online company registration;
• Creating a digital key (Chave Móvel Digital);
• A change in the name, address, or scope of the organization;
• External markets (statistics, economics, international trade);
• Registration of tourist rental properties (alojamento local);
• Process and Permit Management;
• Access to the company's electronic file (DEE).

Thus, Odivelas actively supports entrepreneurs through the provision of infrastructure, educational programs and networking opportunities.

Buying or renting a real estate

Get an idea of how the Odivelas real estate market is doing from the quarterly Lisbon reports on our portal.

The most frequently used resource for finding accommodation among foreigners in Portugal is the Idealista.pt website. Currently (September 2024) it has 128 rental ads and 1.096 ads for houses and apartments for sale. Let's take a look at the cheapest options on offer.

730 euros a month

Studio of 25 square meters. Located in the attic, on the 4th floor in a house without an elevator. It is rented with furniture. There are inconsistencies and grammatical errors in the ad, so I don't even know who actually rents it. No energy efficiency rating. Odivelas Region.

750 euros per month (discount from 850)

Studio apartment of 75 square meters. 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom. It is rented without furniture and without repair. 5th floor in a building without an elevator. Energy efficiency class not specified. District Pontinha e Famões.

Listings start at 85,000 euros for ruin houses and for apartments with tenants. The most affordable option to sell for your own permanent residence is the following

145.000 euros

Two-bedroom apartment of 60 square meters with one bathroom. Repairs will be required. Energy efficiency class C. District Odivelas.

157,500 euros

One-bedroom apartment of 43 square meters on the first floor. The tile in the kitchen and bathroom is not in perfect condition. So at some point the new owner will want to make repairs, but judging by the photos, you can move in right away. Energy efficiency class D. District Pontinha e Famões.

The high price bar combined with the far from ideal condition of the properties is surprising, to say the least. In such conditions, it must be difficult to find a property with a good combination of price and quality. If you are looking for an apartment or a house to buy, WithPortugal.com can put you in touch with a professional real estate agent in Odivelas who can help you find one and handle the transaction.

Medicine and health care

There are many medical facilities in Odivelas. Only the public and the largest of the private ones will be listed below.

There is only one public hospital, Hospital Beatriz Ângelo. It is located in the neighboring municipality of Loures and serves Odivelas as well.

Among the large private chain clinics are Hospital da Luz, SAMS, miMed. There are also several local medical centers.

Public health clinics are distributed by the region as follows:

• 4 - in Odivelas Region,
• 2 - in Ramada,
• 1 - in Famões,
• 1 - in Caneças,
• 3 - in Pontinha,
• 3 - in Póvoa de Stº Adrião e Olival de Basto.

Their addresses can be found on the City Hall website.

There is also a Therapy and Rehabilitation Center in Odivelas. It provides a wide range of services aimed at restoring and improving the physical and mental health of patients. The center offers aquatic and office physiotherapy, occupational therapy (restoring the ability to work) and psychomotor rehabilitation for both adults and children. There are programs to prepare for and recover from childbirth. Assistance is also provided for patients with Parkinson's disease and breast cancer. The center actively utilizes the benefits of aquatic therapy and provides massage therapy, cognitive rehabilitation and specialized programs to improve patients' quality of life and functionality. A full list of programs can be found on the municipality's website, and prices for the most popular services can be found at the link.

Public transportation

Buses

In Odivelas, as in other municipalities of Greater Lisbon, transportation is organized with the help of Carris Metropolitana. You can easily plan your route between the two stops using the functionality on the company's official website.

Metro

Odivelas is the terminus of the yellow line of the Lisbon Metro. It is called Odivelas. The station in front of it, Senhor Roubado, is the transition point between the municipalities of Odivelas and Lisbon.

Navegante system

In Odivelas, as in all of Greater Lisbon, bus, metro and other transportation tickets can be purchased through the Navegante system. For infrequent trips, cardboard tickets are available, which can be topped up to pay the fare. For frequent users, a personalized monthly pass card is available.

The 40 euro "navegante® metropolitano" fare allows you to use any transport in the 18 municipalities of the Lisbon agglomeration. There are discounts for children, pensioners and low-income people.

There is also the "navegante® +65" fare, priced at €20 per month for people over 65 and social benefit recipients. This pass is valid on all means of transportation throughout Greater Lisbon.

For those who only travel within one municipality, there is the "navegante® municipal" tariff for 30 euros per month. It is only active in the selected area, valid from the first to the last day of the month, and also offers discounts for certain categories of people.

Air service

Odivelas is located near Lisbon Airport. Depending on which part of the municipality you come from, the journey will take from 10 minutes by car or 30 minutes by public transportation.

Parking lots

Typically, Portuguese cities have street parking zones where parking is time-limited. The larger the city, the more likely it is that this parking will be paid for on weekdays. Meanwhile, residents of nearby houses - upon receiving a special resident sticker - can park there for free, subject to availability. There are different variations of this principle, but unfortunately the Odivelas City Hall website does not shed light on exactly how street parking is arranged in the city.

However, the City Hall website has information about the Egas Moniz municipal underground parking lot. It is located in the very center, near the Odivelas metro station, and has 146 parking spaces distributed over two floors. The lower floor contains 91 spaces, of which 26 (including 3 spaces for people with disabilities, pregnant women and accompanying small children) are for temporary use and the rest are for users with a season ticket. The upper floor contains 55 seats, which are available by season ticket only.

The parking lot is open for rotating use 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A monthly or quarterly pass is also available for use without reserving a space, as well as day and night use options. 

Those who wish to apply for a monthly or quarterly pass must fill out an application form available on the municipality's website or at city offices. The application should be accompanied by copies of an ID card and proof of residence or employment in Odivelas. That is, you do not have to reside in the municipality to qualify for a parking space. A proof of residence in Odivelas can be used, for example, water, electricity, telephone bills, voter card or civil passport. A document issued by the employer is accepted as proof of employment in the municipality.

Examples of rates in this parking lot:

• Single parking from 7am to 10pm: 15 minutes - 0.3 euros, 30 minutes - 0.5 euros, 1 hour 0.8 euros, maximum 5 euros.
• Day parking pass Monday through Friday: month - 75 euros, quarter - 225 euros.

There are other parking lots in the city that can be easily found on the internet. Here, for example, you can see the nearest parking lots on a map and the restrictions on their use.

Sports activities

Odivelas has many places to do sports. You can find the right one for you by using the interactive map. You can search on the map as follows.

1. In the chart on the right side of the page, select the type of sports facility. In the example below, these are swimming pools.
2. On the map, icons will appear on the left side of the map showing only the selected establishments.
3. When you click on the icon, a tooltip will appear with the address of the establishment and other information about it.

As you can see on the map, Odivelas has not only swimming pools, but also tennis and soccer fields, stadiums, outdoor athletic training areas, and various pavilions, both multipurpose and specialized (for example, for padball or padel).

You can find a poster of sporting events on this page.

Gardens and parks

There are over 40 green spaces of varying sizes in the city. To find out where they are and to see photos, follow the link.

Interestingly, in 2021, the City Hall presented a project for a new city park near Odivelas Monastery. According to the project, the park will have swimming pools, restaurants, a large stage for events, a lake, suspension bridges, waterfalls and 435 parking spaces. The publication of the project immediately drew criticism on social media. And it seems that not for nothing, because the tender for construction was not announced until the summer of 2024. Let's hope that the park will still appear and will please the citizens.

Educational institutions

Kindergartens

According to the Carta Social service, there are 46 kindergartens in the city and together they can accommodate 1949 children. This service provides information about both public and private institutions.

Comprehensive schools

Odivelas public secondary schools are organized in 8 groups (agrupamento de escolas in Portuguese). There are also 2 schools that do not belong to any group. All public school contacts can be found on the City Hall website. Here we will simply show their distribution in the districts of the city:

• Odivelas Region: 3 kindergartens, 13 Ensino básico schools (grades 1-9), 1 Ensino secundário school (grades 10-12),
• Pontinha: 1 kindergarten, 8 Ensino básico schools, 1 Ensino secundário school,
• Famões: 4 Ensino básico schools,
• Póvoa de Santo Adrião e Olival Basto: 1 kindergarten, 4 Ensino básico schools, 1 Ensino secundário school (grade 10-12),
• Ramada: 1 kindergarten, 5 Ensino básico schools, 1 Ensino secundário school,
• Caneças: 5 Ensino básico schools, 1 Ensino secundário school.

There is also a pretty extensive list of private schools on this site.

Special and higher education

The city also has a Professional School of Agriculture, Escola Profissional Agrícola D. Dinis - Paiã, and the Higher Institute of Educational Sciences, ISCE. It is also worth remembering that Lisbon, with its wide range of universities, is a metro ride away.

Clubs and sections for children

Let's look at an example of searching for music schools. To find the right options for children, we can use Google Maps. For this example, we entered the query "escola de música para crianças Odivelas" into Google Maps. We received many results, but after a thorough review of the sites, we excluded those that did not explicitly mention working with children. As a result, we were able to find four music schools in Odivelas that matched the query:

• Sociedade Musical Odivelense,
• Conservatório de Música D. Dinis,
• Escola De Música Semibreve,
• Academia de Música Tiago Pires. 

In the same way, you can find many other activities for children using online maps and search engines. However, you should not rely solely on the internet. It is also useful to talk to teachers and parents at your school to find out about additional clubs and activities that are not always available online.

Activities for older people

The Municipality of Odivelas offers a wide range of programs and initiatives aimed at supporting older people, helping them to actively participate in community life.

Universidade Senior

The project aims to improve the quality of life and education of the older generation. It offers various courses, lectures and cultural activities and group trips, allowing older people to share experiences and knowledge and broaden their horizons. Training is paid, details at the link.

The musical group Banda Maior

Founded in 2010, the group gathers elderly members who are engaged in music practice and performance. The main goal is to improve self-esteem and integration of elderly people into society through music and joint activities.

Theater for the elderly

Since 2009, a project has been underway that allows the older generation to engage in theater arts. It is not only entertainment, but also a way of self-expression, creating intergenerational ties and social activity.

Canta e encanta

This music project is for older people living in institutions, offering them creative employment and the opportunity to interact with others.

Annual picnic

It gathers 1,500-2,000 seniors for socializing, recreation and cultural leisure. The program includes lunches, entertainment and visits to various places.

Clube de movimento (Activity club)

The program, which focuses on physical activity for citizens over 60 years of age, includes 14 regular and 4 aquatic activities. Among them: bowling, walking, dancing, gymnastics, yoga, karate, padel, swimming and special classes to improve balance and reduce the risk of falls. All club members are insured against accidents. The training schedule can be found on the website.

Registration for the Movement Club is open year-round and participation in most activities is free except for some water activities for which there is a small fee. It is necessary to call 219320990 and schedule a day to visit the Odivelas Multifunctional Pavilion to apply. You must have the following documents with you at the time of visit:

• completed and signed questionnaire;
• 1 actual photo;
• ID;
• proof of residency with the participant's name, address and date corresponding to the year of enrollment.

Volunteering

Odivelas has a Banco Local de Voluntariado (local volunteer pool) that serves as a meeting place for volunteers and organizations that provide opportunities to participate in community activities. Volunteers can choose from various areas such as civic engagement, social welfare, health, education, culture and science, environmental protection, consumer protection, and assistance in social reintegration and civil protection. Volunteer candidates over the age of 18 are accepted. To enroll, you can fill out the form and email it to banco.voluntariado@cm-odivelas.pt.

To summarize, Odivelas is a great place for all ages!

Odivelas is a city where various services and a convenient location create excellent living conditions. Here you can find sports activities, cultural events and initiatives for children, adults and seniors. Odivelas' proximity to Lisbon makes it attractive to those who work in the capital but prefer a more relaxed lifestyle. However, it is worth noting that high real estate prices can be an obstacle for those wishing to settle in this beautiful city. If you are looking for an apartment or house, why not consult a real estate agent in Odivelas?

And if you want to learn more about life in Portugal, stay tuned to WithPortugal.com for a wealth of useful information on any topic. Here you will find articles on culture, traditions, tourist destinations and local cuisine, as well as tips on living in this beautiful country.