OFFICIALlast verified 2026-10-18Regimento de Comandos — Comandos
Special Forces prerequisites — physical tests (pré-requisitos, provas físicas)
Candidates for the Portuguese Army Comandos Regiment (Serra da Carregueira) join the Army on contract and, after initial military training, must pass the prerequisites: 8 pull-ups, 30 push-ups, 60 sit-ups in 2 minutes and an 8 km march in 60 minutes with equipment and a 5 kg load, plus obstacle and water tests. The values are pass/fail minimums with no scoring scale and no split by sex or age. The Comandos course itself lasts 17 weeks.
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What a Comando earns — Serra da Carregueira
Portuguese military pay is the base pay from the single public-sector table (2026 levels, DL 29-A/2026) plus the military status supplement (20% of base pay + €400). There is no separate special-forces allowance for Comandos: a soldier of the same rank in any unit earns the same. Base pay and the supplement are paid 14 times a year (Christmas and holiday allowances), which the yearly view (×12) does not include; whether the 2026 budget’s +2% raises the fixed part to €408 is unconfirmed.
provisional = official source with a provisional legal status, a secondary source or our own calculation; see the sources.
- Decreto-Lei n.º 296/2009, de 14 de outubro (regime remuneratório aplicável aos militares dos quadros permanentes e em regime de contrato e de voluntariado) (Oct 18, 2026)
- Decreto-Lei n.º 142/2015, de 31 de julho — Anexo I (Oct 18, 2026)
- Decreto-Lei n.º 64/2024, de 30 de setembro (Praças e Furriel) (Oct 18, 2026)
- Decreto-Lei n.º 29-A/2026, de 30 de janeiro (BRAP e tabela remuneratória única 2026) (Oct 18, 2026)
- Decreto-Lei n.º 296/2009 — legislação consolidada (art. 10.º) (Oct 18, 2026)
- Decreto-Lei n.º 62/2024, de 30 de setembro (suplemento de condição militar) (Oct 18, 2026)
- Lei n.º 73-A/2025 (Orçamento do Estado para 2026), art. 244.º (Oct 18, 2026) provisional
The test, event by event
| Event | Minimum (same for all candidates) |
|---|---|
| Pull-ups on a fixed bar (flexões de braços na barra) | 8 |
| Push-ups (extensão de braços no solo) | 30 |
| Sit-ups in 2 min (abdominais) | 60 |
| 8 km march with equipment and a 5 kg load (marcha) | 60 min |
Also required
- Entry through the Army on a contract (regime de contrato or voluntariado): enlisted soldiers through the standing competition, sergeants and officers through a notice in the Diário da República. After the general selection with the Army fitness test (PAF), basic training (5 weeks) and complementary training (7 weeks), candidates must pass the medical, psychological and physical prerequisites.
- Age 18–24 (up to 27 with a bachelor’s or master’s degree, 30 for medicine); minimum height 1.60 m for men and 1.56 m for women; medical fitness under the general incapacity tables (Portaria n.º 790/99).
- Pass/fail prerequisites without a number to train for: crossing a 5 m high gantry (pórtico), 90 cm wall jump, 3 m ditch jump, 25 m swim, 15 m underwater swim, 1 minute upright treading water and a labyrinth tunnel.
- The Comandos course lasts 17 weeks in five phases (preparatory, individual, team, group, operational); after it, at least 2 years of service in the unit are required. Those who fail the course return to their previous situation.
- Minimum (same for all candidates) — exercito.pt — Junta-te: Tropas Especiais, Comandos (pré-requisitos) (2026-10-18)
Questions
Where do the numbers come from?
From the Portuguese Army’s official recruiting page for the Comandos (exercito.pt, Junta-te — Tropas Especiais), read on 18 Oct 2026; the page itself is undated. An older Army page lists the same physical values.
Are there different standards for women or by age?
No. The prerequisites are the same minimums for every candidate, with no scoring scale. Only the general Army fitness test at entry has separate tables for men and women — and that test is not eliminatory.
When are these tests taken?
After the initial military training (5 weeks basic plus 7 weeks complementary). Only those who meet the minimums go on to the Comandos course; the Army also publishes an 8-week training plan to prepare, with runs of up to 15 km.
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