Frequently Asked Questions about legalizing documents for use in Portugal
How can foreign documents be certified for official use in Portugal?
Documents issued in countries which are signatories to the Apostille Convention can be authenticated for use in Portugal by obtaining an apostille stamp from the authorities of the country of issue. This Apostille stamp should be recognised directly by Portuguese authorities as confirming the document’s authenticity. Countries which issue apostilles include 
United States - United Kingdom - India - Hong Kong - France - Germany - South Africa - Brazil - South Korea - Japan
Documents issued in countries which are not signatories to the Apostille Convention must be legalized in the country issue and additional by the local Portuguese embassy or consulate.
How can I certify a translation of a foreign document for use in Portugal?
A first option is to carry out a translation of the document in the country of origin. If the country of origin is a signatory to the Apostille Convention, a translation certified under local law can then be authenticated with an Apostille Stamp, giving the translation validity in Portugal.
If the originating country is not a member of the Apostille Convention and does issue Apostilles, a local translation will need to be certified by the originating country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by the Portuguese embassy or consulate. The Portuguese embassy may require a translation in any case in order to attest the original document. The embassy may have specific requirements for the translation, otherwise in most countries a locally certified, sworn or notarized translation can be authenticated by the originating country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then by the Portuguese embassy, making it valid for use in Portugal.
Can foreign documents required for submission to Portugal be authenticated with an Apostille?
Yes - if the issuing country is a member of the Apostille Convention, then an Apostille Stamp issued in the issuing country will be accepted by Portuguese authorities.
Submission within the European Union
Certain documents do not require Apostilles for submission to authorities in Portugal when they are issued in another European Union Member State (the receiving authority should accept the original or a certified copy).
When applying for certain public documents, a multilingual standard form may be requested to accompany the original. A multilingual standard form must always be issued and signed by an authority of the EU country where the public document is issued, providing a translation aid designed to help the receiving authority to understand a public document which is in a language not accepted by Portugal.
See: EU Multilingual standard forms
Documents not requiring Apostilles for use in Portugal include birth, death, marriage certificates, absence of a criminal record (a clean criminal record of a citizen of the issuing country), certificates of nationality and residence:
See: Regulation (EU) 2016/1191
Other documents, including academic certificates, still require Apostille certification and certified translation to be valid in Portugal.
Multilingual certificates of no impediment to marriage
Certificates of no impediment to marriage should not require Apostille stamps for submission in Portugal when issued by one of the following countries (Munich CIEC Convention):
Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey.
How can I get a quote to certify my documents?
To receive a quote, you can upload your documents using our online quotation form or send us your documents by email. After reviewing your documents and requirements, we will get back to you with a quotation:
If you don’t have the documents available, just describe the documents you need to certify, and we will get back to you with an estimation of cost and delivery times.
Using our quotation form, your documents will be uploaded over a secure connection and immediately encrypted on our server. For added protection, you can upload password-protected files (PDF, Office Documents, RAR folders) and provide us with the passwords separately.
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