Night Vision and Thermal Imaging in Portugal: 2026 Regulation

Portugal is one of the European countries where wild boar population pressure has directly reshaped the legal framework around night vision and thermal imaging. Between a deliberately permissive civilian ownership regime and a hunting law that has shifted substantially since 2024, here is what you need to know before buying or using night vision or thermal equipment in Portugal.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Regulations change regularly: always check the current version with the ICNF, the PSP, or a legal professional before use.

The Portuguese legal framework at a glance

Two separate bodies of law govern night vision and thermal imaging in Portugal, depending on the intended use:

• The Lei das Armas (Law No. 5/2006, of 23 February, amended by Law No. 50/2019) regulates weapons, their components, and their accessories. The PSP (Polícia de Segurança Pública) is the competent authority for the acquisition, possession, use, and carrying of weapons.
• The Lei de Bases Gerais da Caça (Law No. 173/99) and Decree-Law No. 202/2004 govern hunting activity. The ICNF (Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas) issues authorisations, sets hunting calendars, and interprets the rules applicable to equipment.

This dual competence explains why the answer to "can I use a night vision device in Portugal?" depends entirely on context: personal observation, recreational hunting, or a population-control operation.

Civilian possession and use: observation remains unrestricted

For handheld use, not mounted on a weapon, owning a night vision monocular, binocular, or thermal camera is not subject to any specific authorisation in Portugal. A private individual may legally own and use this type of device for:

• wildlife observation,
• hiking or night navigation,
• property security,
• or any professional use (surveillance, agriculture, rescue).

This regime is in line with the trend observed across most of the European Union: it is mounting the device on a weapon, not owning the device itself, that constitutes the regulatory tipping point.

Night vision and thermal imaging in hunting: what changed in 2024

The hunting side of Portuguese regulation is where things have moved the most recently, driven by a wild boar overpopulation that has become a major agricultural, forestry, and public-health issue.

Before October 2024, night hunting of wild boar (by "espera," i.e. stand hunting) was only authorised during full-moon periods, under Article 88 of the Decreto-Lei Regulamentar da Caça.

Decree-Law No. 71/2024, published on 11 October 2024, amended this article to authorise wild boar hunting by stalking ("aproximação") and stand/waiting ("espera") methods every night of the year, no longer restricted to full-moon nights. The law justifies this change by the continued growth of wild boar populations, which has driven rising agricultural and forestry damage, incursions into peri-urban areas, increasing road accidents, and health risks to livestock and, to a lesser extent, the population. Portugal also maintains, like the rest of the European Union, an African swine fever surveillance plan involving the ICNF and veterinary authorities, against a backdrop where the disease continues to circulate among wild boar in several neighbouring countries.

Since February 2024, the ICNF has also authorised wild boar management in tourist hunting zones (ZCT) under 400 hectares, expanding the territory where these night-hunting techniques can be deployed.

Weapon-mounted night vision scopes: the ICNF's position

The most commonly misunderstood point concerns mounting a night vision scope on a hunting weapon. The ICNF clarified its position as early as 2015 (opinion of 2 March 2015, still applied in its current interpretation): the use of night vision scopes remains permitted for wild boar hunting, provided the device does not qualify as military equipment under the Lei das Armas.

In practice, this means:

• a handheld thermal monocular used to detect and confirm a target before taking action remains the simplest case to justify;
• a night vision scope mounted on the weapon can be used specifically for wild boar population control, subject to the relevant ICNF authorisation, the applicable management calendar (POEC), and any local restrictions on optical devices;
• whether a given device qualifies as "military" equipment or not remains an area of interpretation that should be checked case by case with the ICNF or the competent regional entity.

What to remember before you buy

Before any purchase, it is recommended to check with the ICNF or your local hunting association the precise conditions applicable to your hunting zone (ZCT, associative zone, national zone), as well as the current hunting management plan (POEC).

Frequently asked questions

Is night vision legal in Portugal? Yes, for handheld observation use, without particular restriction. The rules only tighten in the case of weapon-mounting or hunting use.

Can you hunt wild boar at night year-round in Portugal? Since Decree-Law No. 71/2024, yes, by stand and stalking methods, subject to ICNF authorisation and compliance with the management calendar for the relevant zone.

Do you need a specific licence to own a thermal monocular in Portugal? No, owning a device that is not mounted on a weapon does not require a specific licence. Only hunting use or weapon-mounting falls under a regulated framework.

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