Calling Portuguese businesses from the UK
Speak their language from the first word, and know the three rules that are stricter than at home.
By the FoxEra Calls team. Published 4 October 2026.
Language first
Speak to a Portuguese business in Portuguese. FoxEra picks the call language from the contact, then the company, then the country of the number: with no language set on the contact or company, a +351 number is called in European Portuguese. If the person answers in a real sentence in another language, the agent switches for the rest of the call. On our own calls to euro-area numbers, money is said in euros.
The rules are stricter than the UK
- Sole traders and individuals need to have agreed before a marketing call (Lei 41/2004, art. 13.º-A, and the CNPD’s 2022 guidance). Check whether a café or restaurant is run by a sole trader before you call.
- Companies may be called unless they have objected to you or are on the Direção-Geral do Consumidor’s refusal list, which you must check (updated monthly).
- Consumers: not before 09:00 or after 22:00 their time.
- Since 2 August 2026, the EU AI Act requires people to be told they are talking to an AI, at the latest at the first interaction.
All of it, with sources: AI calling in Portugal: the rules.
Time zones
Portugal (mainland) is on the same clock as the UK; the Azores are an hour behind. Check that your calling hours suit the people you call, not your office.
An opening that works in Portuguese
“Bom dia, é o Rui? Fala a Cass, a assistente de inteligência artificial da [empresa]. Estou a ligar por causa de [motivo].”
Who you are, that you are an AI, and why you called, in one breath. Then one question, and let them talk.
Before the first call: a checklist
- Check each business’s legal form. A sole trader (empresário em nome individual) is a natural person under the consent rule.
- Check the companies on your list against the DGC refusal list, and keep the date you checked.
- Keep a record of every consent and every refusal, as Lei 41/2004 requires.
- Have a native European Portuguese speaker read your opening and offer. Brazilian Portuguese wording sounds foreign in Portugal.
- Set calling hours that suit Portuguese working days, and stay inside 09:00 to 22:00 for anyone who could be a consumer.
Frequently asked questions
Can an AI agent call Portuguese businesses in Portuguese?
Yes. Unless a different language is set on the contact or its company, FoxEra calls +351 numbers in European Portuguese, and switches if the person answers in a full sentence in another language.
Do I need consent to call businesses in Portugal?
For sole traders and individuals, yes. Companies can be called unless they have objected to you or are on the DGC refusal list, which you must check.