How long is the wait for an IEFP Portuguese course?

In major cities, waitlists commonly run from 6 months to over a year, and some people report waiting 18 months or more. You cannot speed up the queue or control when a place opens. If your citizenship timeline needs A2 within 6 to 8 months, a 12-month wait derails the whole plan.

Updated September 2026 · 2 min read

Why the queue is so long

IEFP courses are free, government funded, taught by qualified instructors through DGERT-certified entities, and they end in a certificate accepted for citizenship. There is no catch in the teaching. The catch is that demand vastly exceeds the number of places.

That is worth stating plainly, because people waiting often assume they filled the form in wrong. They did not. The queue is simply long.

The three other constraints that catch working people

The wait is the most cited problem, but it is not the only one.

The schedule. Most courses run in standard business hours, roughly 9:00 to 17:00 on weekdays. If you have a full-time job, those courses are not available to you at all. Some centres offer evening classes, but availability is inconsistent and those slots fill fastest. Weekend courses are rare.

The location. Courses need physical attendance. If the nearest centre offering Portuguese is an hour away, you are adding a two-hour round trip to a working day. In rural areas that can make regular attendance impractical.

The attendance rule. Courses typically require 80% to 90% attendance for the certificate. Miss too many sessions and you can lose your place, potentially going back to the end of the waitlist you just spent a year in.

What to do while you wait

Joining the list costs nothing, so join it. Then treat it as one option rather than the plan, because you cannot schedule around a queue you do not control.

In parallel, look at a private DGERT-certified PLA course, which you can book on a known timeline, or at the CIPLE exam, which costs one morning plus preparation you do on your own schedule. If the schedule is what rules IEFP out, the exam route usually fits a working life far better.

Can I get A2 Portuguese certified for free in Portugal?

Possibly, through a subsidised PLA course. Government-subsidised courses can be free or very low cost for eligible residents, and they are the only realistic route to a free A2 certificate. The CIPLE exam always carries a fee, typically 90 to 120 euros, with no free option.

Does a Portuguese university degree count as A2 proof?

It can. A degree from a Portuguese university counts because the instruction was in Portuguese, and a degree in Portuguese language or literature from a foreign university can also work. You will need to supply the diploma and potentially transcripts, and few applicants have this documentation.

How do I get A2 certified if I work full time?

The exam route usually fits better. A PLA course needs 150 to 200 hours with a minimum attendance requirement, which is hard around full-time work. The CIPLE costs one morning plus preparation you can do in short daily sessions on your own schedule.