Overview
- President António José Seguro signed the law on Tuesday, Aug. 18, moving a parliamentary measure into force that prohibits garments designed to conceal the face in public.
- The statute outlaws face coverings that prevent identification and bans coercing someone to cover their face for reasons tied to gender, religion, age or origin.
- Penalties include fines from about €150 up to €3,000 depending on intent and negligence, and forcing someone to cover their face can carry up to three years in prison.
- The bill was advanced by hard‑right actors and passed Parliament in July with votes from the right‑wing governing coalition and the far right while left‑wing parties opposed it.
- Human rights groups including Amnesty International say the law will disproportionately affect Muslim women, risk excluding them from public life, and echoes similar bans already in parts of Europe.