The OET - Order of Technical Engineers, a professional association under public law, has its statute published in Law No. 70/2023, of December 12.

The origin of OET is in ANET - National Association of Technical Engineers, which was created by Decree-Law no. 349/99, of September 2, using the legislative authorization granted by Article 1 of Law no. 38/99, of 26 May, and under the terms of paragraph b) in paragraph 1 of Article 198 of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, which was the first public law association to regulate the profession of Technical Engineer,

Later, with the publication of Law No. 47/2011, of June 27, ANET was renamed the Order of Technical Engineers, with this diploma also making the first change to its statute.

In 2015, after the publication of Law nº 2/2013, of January 10 ("Law of Orders"), the statute of the OET was changed by Law nº

In 2023, with the publication of Law nº 12/2023, of March 28th (amendment of the "Law of Orders"), the statute of the OET was changed by Law nº 70/2023, of December 12th.

Technical engineers are engineering professionals, holders of higher academic training in engineering, and holders of a Bachelor's, Degree, Master's or Doctorate in Engineering can enroll in it.

OET as a national professional organization, to better and more closely serve technical engineers, is organized into 5 regional sections, which cover the entire national territory.

Ordem dos Engenheiros Técnicos