On August 25, 1926, the settlement was recognised with the status of civil parish. By 1932 Entroncamento was bestowed the urban designation of "vila" ("town") and on November 24, 1945, it was elevated to the status of municipality. Until this date, its route to urban autonomy was a progressive emancipation, first separating from Torres Novas, and later from Barquinha: back then, it was also quite uncommon for a settlement to transform from village to town, then municipality, all within one century. From the small nucleus of families that started to populate the area, the 1930s registered approximately 3000 inhabitants and by 1945 there were 8000 residents. In March 2005, it was estimated the total population included 18,780 residents (calculation based on the number of election-age residents). The growth in the population and expansion resulted in the creation of two new civil parishes: Nossa Senhora de Fátima, to the west of the line, and São João Baptista, to the east.