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Mobility Subsidy Calculator (Azores and Madeira)

People living in the Azores or Madeira pay the full fare and are then refunded everything above a fixed amount. Enter the price of the ticket to see what comes back and what the trip really costs you.

Enter the fare exactly as it appears on the invoice, per passenger and already covering both legs. The amount you bear yourself is fixed and does not depend on the fare: it changes only with the route and with whether you are a resident or a student studying away from home.

Reimbursement you receive
€241.00
What you end up paying
€79.00
Amount the law makes you bear, per passenger€79.00
Eligible cost taken into account, per passenger€320.00
Reimbursement per passenger€241.00
Total spend before the reimbursement€320.00
Share of the spend reimbursed75.3%

Calculation for air links between the autonomous regions and mainland Portugal and between the two regions, using the figures published by the paying entity. Out of scope: inter-island Azores links and the Porto Santo ferry, which have their own regional schemes; verifying entitlement, which is done by whoever decides the claim; baggage and charges that are not part of the fare; and travel bought before 6 June 2026, which follows the old rules.

Educational estimate, not financial advice. Official figures: Lei n.º 23/2026 and the table published by the entity that pays the reimbursement.

It is a subtraction, not a percentage

This is where almost everyone goes wrong estimating the figure in their head. The scheme does not give back a percentage of the fare: it gives back everything the fare costs above a fixed amount the law makes the passenger bear. So the percentage refunded rises as the trip gets more expensive. A Madeira resident paying €150 gets €71 back, almost half; paying €350 they get €271, more than three quarters. What never changes is what they are left paying, which is always the same €79.

What each person bears, route by route

The table is set by law and published by the entity that pays the refund, and it distinguishes only two things: the route and the type of beneficiary. On links between Madeira and the mainland, a resident or equivalent resident bears €79 and a student studying away from home bears €59. On links between the Azores and the mainland, which are longer and dearer, the figures rise to €119 and €89. On links between the two autonomous regions and on flights starting or ending in Porto Santo, the €79 and €59 apply. All of these figures refer to a return trip and to each passenger.

The eligible-cost ceiling is midway through a change

This is the part most guides have yet to update, and the reason this calculator returns two numbers when the ticket is expensive. Until 2026 there was a limit on the eligible cost of the fare: €400 for Madeira, €600 for the Azores and €500 on Porto Santo flights. Anything the ticket cost above that limit fell on the passenger. Lei n.º 23/2026 removed that ceiling, and the President signed it into law while expressly warning that removing the maximum limit on the eligible cost of air fares could have effects deserving careful regulation. That regulation has not yet caught up with the law, so the platform still applies the old ceilings. While that mismatch lasts, plan around the lower figure, keep the invoice and check what is actually paid to you.

Who counts as a resident, equivalent resident or student

A resident is anyone, of any nationality, who has lived in the Azores or Madeira for at least six months at the date of travel, proved by their tax domicile. An equivalent resident is someone whose tax domicile is elsewhere but who works regularly in the region, and also under-18s whose parent lives there. A student studying away from home is someone who lives in one of the regions and studies on the mainland, in the other region or abroad, and equally the reverse journey, with no age limit at all, proved by enrolment for the current academic year. That is why status is a choice in this calculator rather than a computation: whoever decides the claim is the one who verifies it.

What you need to keep in order to claim

The claim is made after the trip and rests on two documents: the boarding evidence and the invoice and receipt for the purchase of the trip, showing your taxpayer number and the cost broken down in euros. To that you add proof of status, which is a statement from the employer for an equivalent resident and enrolment evidence for a student. Lei n.º 23/2026 eased two requirements that used to block people: being up to date with tax and social security is no longer required, proof of payment may now be provided afterwards, and travel agencies may submit the claim with the passenger’s authorisation.

Where to claim, and how long CTT remains an option

The normal route is now the electronic platform, with authentication by Chave Móvel Digital or Cartão de Cidadão. CTT counters remain available as an alternative until June 2027, and are in fact the indicated channel for some specific cases, such as claims by legal entities and older trips. One note that saves a wasted journey: travel bought before 6 June 2026 follows the rules in force at the date of the ticket, not the new ones.

Worked example

Take a Funchal resident who buys a return trip to Lisbon for €320. She pays the airline the full €320 and, after travelling, claims the refund. As she has lived in Madeira for more than six months, the amount the law makes her bear is €79, so she gets €241 back and the trip really costs her €79, meaning the support covers 75.3% of the spend. Had she been a student studying away from home, she would bear only €59 and receive €261. Had the same trip been from the Azores to the mainland, she would bear €119 and receive €201. Now look at the effect of the ceiling: had the Madeira fare cost €700, the eligible cost would be cut to the €400 the platform still applies, the refund would be €321 and the trip would cost her €379 instead of the usual €79. Under Lei n.º 23/2026, with no ceiling, she would receive €621. And if she travelled with her husband and two children at the same €320 fare, the refund would be €241 for each of them, that is €964 on a total spend of €1,280.

Frequently asked questions

How much do I get from the mobility subsidy?
You get the cost of the fare less the fixed amount the law makes you bear. On links between Madeira and the mainland that amount is €79 for residents and €59 for students studying away from home; on links between the Azores and the mainland it is €119 and €89. On a €320 ticket bought by a Madeira resident, the refund is €241.
Did the mobility subsidy change in 2026?
It did. Lei n.º 23/2026 of 1 June, in force since 6 June 2026, renamed the mobility subsidy as the territorial continuity mechanism, removed the maximum eligible cost of the ticket, dropped the requirement to be up to date with tax and social security, and allowed claims to be submitted by authorised intermediaries such as travel agencies.
Do the €400 Madeira and €600 Azores limits still exist?
Not in the law any more, but still in practice. Lei n.º 23/2026 removed the eligible-cost ceiling, except that the regulation which makes the platform work was not updated to match, and the paying entity still publishes and applies those limits. That is why the calculator shows both figures whenever the ticket exceeds them: what you should receive today and what the new law would produce.
Who is entitled to the mobility subsidy?
Residents of the Azores or Madeira of any nationality who have lived there for at least six months at the date of travel; equivalent residents, meaning people who work regularly in the region while having their tax domicile elsewhere, and under-18s with a parent resident there; and students studying away from home, with no age limit, who live in one region and study outside it, or the reverse.
Is the support per person or per booking?
Per person. Each eligible passenger bears their own fixed amount and receives their own refund, even when the booking is a single one and the invoice comes as a whole. In a family of four paying €320 per ticket between Madeira and the mainland, each of them receives €241, which comes to €964 in total.
How do I claim the mobility subsidy?
You claim after travelling, on the electronic platform with authentication by Chave Móvel Digital or Cartão de Cidadão, or at CTT counters, which keep accepting claims until June 2027. You need the boarding evidence and the invoice and receipt for the trip showing your taxpayer number, plus proof of equivalent-resident or student status where that applies.
What if the fare costs less than the amount I have to bear?
Then there is no refund. The support covers only the part of the fare above the fixed amount, so a €60 ticket between Madeira and the mainland, where the amount borne is €79, gives no entitlement at all. It is a rare situation on links to the autonomous regions, but it happens on promotions.
Do inter-island flights within the Azores count for this scheme?
Not for this mechanism. This calculator covers links between the autonomous regions and the mainland and between the two regions. Inter-island Azores links and the ferry crossing to Porto Santo have their own regional schemes, with different rules and figures, which should be checked with the services of the region concerned.

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Author: Thorben Rasmus Idel · Reviewed by: Nahar Geva · Last reviewed: 2026-08-09