In Portugal, Law no. 71/98 establishes the legal framework for volunteering, promoting and ensuring citizen participation in volunteering activities. It defines volunteering as actions of social and community interest carried out selflessly within non-profit projects, programmes, and other forms of assistance to individuals, families, and the community.

The Ministry of Employment, Solidarity, and Social Security oversees volunteering, with CASES – Cooperativa António Sérgio para a Economia Social, CIPRL, implementing policies since 2017. Youth volunteering is a key youth policy objective, providing young people with opportunities for civic and community engagement and skills acquisition in a non-formal setting. The Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth (IPDJ – Instituto Português do Desporto e Juventude) coordinates the National Youth Volunteering Programme, Now Us (Agora Nós), for short-term and long-term projects. Notable long-term initiatives include Dating with Fair Play, and Generation Z.

In 2017, the Young Volunteering for Forests programme was reinstated and renamed Youth Volunteering for Nature and Forests (VJNF), aiming to raise awareness about natural and forest resources preservation and to prevent forest fires.

The European Solidarity Corps Programme is significant at transnational level, offering unique experiences to young people.