Privacy Policy

Version 2.0 — last updated: 31 May 2026

This policy explains how KS Advogados processes your personal data when you use this website, submit forms, upload documents, or instruct us for legal services. It is designed to comply with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and Portuguese Law 58/2019.

1. Data Controller

KS Advogados, a law firm with registered office at Praça da República, 22, 4900-521 Viana do Castelo, Portugal, is the controller of your personal data. For data protection enquiries contact us at info@ksadvogados.pt. [TO FILL: company registration number (NIPC), Bar registration number, and DPO contact details if appointed.]

2. Categories of Data We Process

Depending on how you interact with us we may process the following categories of data:

• Identification data: full name, date and place of birth, nationality, passport / citizen-card number, Portuguese tax number (NIF), social-security number (NISS).
• Contact data: email, phone, address in Portugal and country of origin.
• Case-related data: visa type, employment situation, business activity, immigration history, reasons for relocation.
• Uploaded documents: passport copies, birth/marriage/criminal-record certificates, proof of address, employment or tenancy contracts, evidence of means, biometric photos, tax returns.
• Special category data (GDPR Article 9): uploaded documents may include criminal-record certificates (data on offences), health information (in medical-grounds visa requests), or ethnic origin / nationality data. These are processed strictly for the provision of legal services.
• Technical data: IP address, browser, pages viewed, upload logs, timestamps.

3. Purposes and Legal Bases

We process your data for the following purposes, on the following legal bases:

Preliminary assessment of your case (initial forms)

Legal basis: pre-contractual measures at your request (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR).

Provision of legal and immigration services

Legal basis: performance of the mandate (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR); for special-category data, the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims (Article 9(2)(f) GDPR).

Compliance with legal obligations

Record-keeping required by the Portuguese Bar Statute, tax legislation, and anti-money-laundering rules. Legal basis: legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c) GDPR).

Marketing communications (newsletters, legal alerts)

Only with your explicit consent. You may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of earlier processing. Legal basis: consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR).

Platform security and abuse prevention

Detection and blocking of fraudulent uploads, rate-limiting. Legal basis: legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR).

4. Recipients of Your Data

Your data may be shared with:

• Lawyers, trainee lawyers and legal staff of KS Advogados working directly on your case.
• Portuguese public authorities in the course of representing you — notably AIMA (immigration), the Tax Authority, Social Security and the Civil Registry, as required.
• Technical service providers under a data-processor agreement (web hosting, database management, email delivery). They are bound by confidentiality and security equivalent to ours.
• Courts, where necessary to defend your or our legal rights.

We never sell, rent or share your data with third parties for their marketing.

5. Transfers Outside the EEA

Your data is stored on servers located within the EEA. Where a transfer outside the EEA is necessary (e.g. multi-factor authentication with international providers), we do so only under appropriate safeguards as required by Articles 46 and 49 GDPR.

6. Retention

We retain your data for the following periods:

• Form submissions without a subsequent engagement: 12 months, unless you ask for earlier deletion.
• Engagements: for the duration of the professional relationship and at least 5 years after termination, as required by the Bar Statute and tax law.
• Accounting records: 10 years, per the Commercial Code.
• Consent records: for the duration of consent plus 5 years after withdrawal.

After these periods data is securely deleted or irreversibly anonymised.

7. Your Rights

Under the GDPR you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access (Article 15): confirmation that we process your data and a copy of it.
• Right to rectification (Article 16): correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure (Article 17): deletion when data is no longer necessary or you withdraw consent (subject to the retention obligations in Section 6).
• Right to restriction (Article 18): temporary restriction of processing while we verify a complaint of yours.
• Right to portability (Article 20): receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to object (Article 21): object to processing based on legitimate interests or to direct marketing.
• Right to withdraw consent: without affecting the lawfulness of earlier processing based on consent.

To exercise these rights, email info@ksadvogados.pt. We respond within one month. You can also check your data and exercise some of these rights through the private link emailed to you after submission.

8. Complaints

If you believe the processing of your data breaches the GDPR you can lodge a complaint with Portugal's Data Protection Authority (CNPD), Rua de São Bento 148-3.º, 1200-821 Lisbon, geral@cnpd.pt, www.cnpd.pt.

9. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures including: HTTPS, mandatory multi-factor authentication for admin access, role-based access control, audit logging of sensitive operations, lawyer-client privilege (Article 92 of the Portuguese Bar Statute), and restricted-permission storage of uploaded documents.

10. Cookies

This website uses only strictly-necessary cookies (admin session, language preference). We do not use marketing cookies or third-party tracking.

11. Automated Decision-Making

Our eligibility quiz provides indicative recommendations from automated rules. These do not constitute legal advice; no decision on your case is taken solely by automated means — every case is reviewed by a lawyer.

12. Minors

This website is not directed at persons under 16. We do not knowingly collect minors' data without parental consent.

13. Changes to this Policy

We may update this policy to reflect legal, operational or technical changes. The version and last-updated date appear at the top. Material changes will be notified by email to active clients.

14. Contact

For data protection enquiries or to exercise your rights: info@ksadvogados.pt | +351 21 000 0000 | Praça da República, 22, 4900-521 Viana do Castelo.