68 | II Série A - Número: 103 | 29 de Abril de 2014

Article 14 Contractors, technical experts, specialists, and consultants

1. An Allied Headquarters may independently and subject to NATO regulations acquire goods and services through contracts under the law of obligations (commercial contracts), either individually or under a contract concluded with a company, firm, or agent, to include specialized services by technical experts, specialists, and consultants.
2. Contractors, understood as companies and firms, shall be exempt from Portuguese laws and regulations regarding the terms of business licensing and registration, provided they are:

a. Non-Portuguese companies and firms, and b. Not resident in the Portuguese Republic, and c. Providing technical expertise, or otherwise performing specialist and consultative functions, and d. Exclusively in the Portuguese Republic to execute a contract with or in support of an Allied Headquarters.

3. The terms and conditions of the employment of employees, obligations to report and withhold taxes and social contributions shall, with the exceptions identified below, be determined in accordance with Portuguese law and international agreements, as applicable.
4. Contractor employees, understood as technical experts, specialists and consultants employed by a contractor as defined in paragraph 2 above or under a contract with an Allied Headquarters as envisaged in paragraph 1, present in the Portuguese Republic for the sole purpose of executing a contract with or in support of an Allied Headquarters in the Portuguese Republic, and excluding Portuguese nationals and persons ordinarily resident in the Portuguese Republic, shall, for the duration of their contract and subject to the same limitations and restrictions as for entitled members, be granted the following status by the Portuguese Republic:

a. Exemption from visa, residency, and registration requirements. This shall equally extend to their dependents.
b. Exemption from requirements for work permits.
c. Exemption from customs and taxes on the import of their household goods in accordance with Article 17.
d. Recognition of driving licenses provided in this Supplementary Agreement, Article 27. This shall equally extend to their dependents.
e. Permission to support and take part in Allied Headquarters’ Morale and Welfare Activities. This shall equally extend to their dependents.
f. Access to educational services in accordance with Article 31 and welfare of dependents in accordance with Article 32. 5. Contractor employees are not exempt from taxes on income earned from their employment in an Allied Headquarters by virtue of this Supplementary Agreement. Accordingly, taxation of such income shall be determined by applicable international agreements and Portuguese law.
6. Subject to paragraph 4, the Portuguese Republic shall determine whether employees of contractors and their dependents are considered to be domiciliaries or ordinary residents of the Portuguese Republic.
7. An Allied Headquarters shall inform the Portuguese Republic of the contractors and contractor employees, who shall enjoy the status, set out above, and of the termination of contracts with contractors, withdrawal of contractor employees, or of the status afforded by the Allied Headquarters.

Article 15 Security certification

All civilian personnel referred to in Article 13 above as well as contractor employees, technical experts, specialists, and consultants referred to in Article 14 above, shall, regardless of their nationality, possess a