Portugal has already provided temporary protection to more than 46,000 people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

So far this Monday, Portugal has provided temporary protection to 46,181 people fleeing the war in Ukraine, 28% of whom were minors, the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) said.

According to the latest update by the SEF, out of 46,181 temporary protections granted since the start of the conflict on 24 February, 28,243 have been granted to women and 17,938 to men.

The largest number of temporary protections were granted in Lisbon (9,518), followed by Cascais (2,762), Porto (2,084), Sintra (1,589) and Albufeira (1,206).

The GEF also indicates that 40,350 residence permits were issued to them under the temporary protection regime.

This certificate, issued after numbers have been assigned by the National Health Service, Social Security and the Internal Revenue Service, is required for refugees to start working and access support.

In the process of allocating these numbers, citizens can familiarize themselves with the numbers that are being distributed in the meantime in their reserved area of ​​the digital platform https://sefforukraine.sef.pt.

The SEF also adds that requests for temporary protection were allowed for 13,006 minors, about 28% of the total, and the situation of 737 Ukrainian minors who arrived in Portugal without parents or legal representatives, cases where it is not considered “current or imminent danger “.

In these situations, where in most cases the children arrive in Portugal with a family member, the case is referred to a member of parliament to appoint a legal representative and possibly move forward with the protection of the minor.

The SEF also informed the Commission for the Protection of Children and Youth about the situation of 15 minors who arrived in Portugal unaccompanied, but with someone other than their parents or a verified legal representative, representing in these cases “current or imminent danger.”

The request for temporary protection in Portugal can be submitted through the “online” platform created by the SEF, available in three languages, it is not necessary for adults to use the counters of this security service.

However, in the case of minors, it is mandatory to apply to the Aliens and Borders Office to confirm their identity and affiliation.

In the early hours of Feb. 24, Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine that has already killed more than 4,300 civilians and forced more than 7.2 million people to flee abroad, according to UN figures, which highlight the real numbers could be much higher. .