Patrícia Gaspar was born in Lisbon in 1973.
She graduated in International Relations from Lisbon Technical University, Social and Political Science Higher School, in 1995, served in the Portuguese Navy from 1996 to 2000, specifically in Protocol and analysing strategic intelligence.
In 2000 she joined the ranks of the former National Civil Protection Service (SNPC), the current National Civil Protection and Emergency Authority (ANEPC), where she worked in the Foreign Relations department from 2000 to 2007.
From 2007 to 2013, she was National Operations Assistant.
In 2013 she was appointed Operational District Commander for Setúbal, a post she held until January 2017. At that time, she was appointed to National Operations Assistant for the National Relief Operations Command.
In December 2017 she was appointed 2nd National Operational Commander for ANEPC.
During her path in civil protection, she worked in the field of operational planning, support to operational decision-making, connection and drafting of several instruments to support in emergency management, international cooperation in civil protection, and planning and organisation of several exercises, at national and international level.
She represented Portugal in several international forums, is a national and international trainer in the field of civil protection and certified expert under the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism and the United Nations, having taken part in international aid missions under these mechanisms, as well as other bilateral missions.
At a district level, she focused on developing operational and emergency planning instruments, implementing tools to support in international cooperation, support to firefighters and global and operational command initiatives.
In March 2019, she completed her Home Affairs Audit course at the French Ministry of Home Affairs Higher Studies Centre.
Throughout her career path, she’s received several distinctions and accolated, and was given the Medal of Honour and Merit in Civil Defence by the Rio de Janeiro Coordinator General of the Civil Defence System, Brazil (2008), the Medal of Merit for Protection and Relief, Silver level, the Orange badge by the Monster of Home Affairs (2011), the Order of East Timor, by the President of the Democratic Republic of East Timor (2016), and the Medal of Merit for Protection and Relief, Gold level, orange bade, by the Minister of Home Affairs (2018).
She was Secretary of State for Home Affairs in Prime Minister António Costa’s second Government.