The ordinance, which changes the requirements for admission to the PSP agent training course, was published in the Official Gazette of the Union and comes into effect on Tuesday, 28 October.

Among the new requirements to apply for the PSP is a maximum age of 35, while maintaining the minimum age of 18 and Portuguese nationality.

"Possessing the physical strength and psychological profile essential to the performance of police duties, being qualified or currently enrolled in the 12th grade or equivalent, and not having received any criminal sanction that prevents them from performing their duties" are other requirements for admission to the agent training course. The ordinance, signed by the Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral, no longer requires a minimum height for entry into the PSP (Public Security Police), which until now was 1.60 meters for women and 1.65 meters for men.

The government justifies the changes to the ordinance after three years with the "updating of the rules on the publication of the competitive process, on the deadlines and forms for submitting applications, and on the implementation of selection methods," as well as the "revision of admission requirements, aiming to allow selection based on a broader pool of candidates."

In 2022, when new requirements for entry into the PSP came into effect, the maximum and minimum ages were also changed, increasing the admission age from 19 to 18 (the minimum age) and from 27 to 30 (the maximum age), in addition to allowing young people in the 12th grade to enter the training. The new requirements for the PSP agent training course were published after former Minister of Internal Affairs Margarida Blasco was forced to annul the same executive order for failing to consult the unions as required by law.

The review of the admission requirements for future agents is related to the number of PSP applicants, which has been declining in recent years.

In the 1990s, there were over 16,000 applicants, and in 2012, there were over 10,000; now no more than 4,000.

In the reserve list competition for admission to the PSP agent training course held this year, 3,392 young people applied.