The value of the second edition of the book voucher is 30 euros (up from the previous 20 euros) and can be used by beneficiaries – residents in Portugal born in 2007 and 2008 – between January 2 and June 30, 2026.
Among the changes is also the chance to use the voucher to buy a lower-priced book. In other words, it is now possible to buy a book for 29 euros. “If a young person wanted to choose a book for €19, they couldn’t use the voucher; it could only be for €20 or €21. This was a rule that didn’t make sense to us. We corrected it,” explained the Minister of Culture, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, using the previously applied price as an example.
“Promoting reading habits among children and young people is particularly important, since it is during these phases of life that lasting dispositions of interest in knowledge, critical thinking, and participation in cultural life are formed. Regular contact with books contributes to the formation of autonomous readers and to the construction of more informed and conscious personal and professional paths,” says the program’s regulations.
The voucher can only be used for the purchase of non-school books and in participating bookstores. To qualify, establishments must have a physical space, issue electronic invoices, and be dedicated (CNAE) to the retail sale of books in specialized establishments, regardless of their legal form.
It remains to be seen how this discount will apply to digital books (e-books), which appear on readers like Kobo or Kindle. During the vote on the 2026 State Budget (OE2026), Parliament approved the Chega party’s proposal to extend the book voucher granted to young people turning 18 in 2026 to e-books.
The measure stipulates that “in the 2026 edition of the Book Voucher Program, an e-book voucher will be created, under the same terms as the book voucher for physical books, worth 60 euros, benefiting individuals residing in national territory, holding a citizen’s card and turning 18 in that calendar year”. However, the decree makes no reference to e-books.
In a press conference following last week’s Council of Ministers meeting, the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports said that “the wording of the proposal in question is not very clear,” therefore they would “wait for the Budget to come into effect to study it in more detail.”