The carta de caçador: an exam, sixteen years, and medical fitness
The card follows an examination; it lapses as soon as its holder is convicted of a hunting offence.
Article 20 sets the field conditions: only people over sixteen may hunt, holding the carta de caçador and carrying the necessary hunting licence and the other legally required documents. Besides the card, a minor needs written authorisation from the person who legally represents them. Article 21 governs the card itself. Obtaining it depends on an examination subject to a fee, taken before the competent state services and representatives of hunters' and environmental associations, designed to establish whether the applicant has the aptitude and knowledge needed to hunt. Three conditions allow the application: being over sixteen; not having a psychiatric anomaly or an organic or physiological impairment that would make hunting dangerous; and not being subject to a hunting ban by law or judicial decision. A ban grounded on such an impairment may be limited to hunting with firearms, bow or crossbow. The card carries a fee, is valid for a limited time, and lapses as soon as its holder is convicted of a hunting offence. Article 22 finally provides exemptions from the card, notably for members of the diplomatic and consular corps accredited in Portugal.