Legalisation: apostille or consulate
A public document — birth or marriage certificate, criminal record, diploma, court decision, notarial deed — issued in one country has no automatic force in another. Two mechanisms give it one:
- Apostille (Hague Convention of 1961): a stamp or certificate from the issuing country’s designated authority. It replaces any consular step between the contracting States — which include the EU, the United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil, Canada, Australia, India, most of Latin America and many others; the status table on the HCCH site is the reference.
- Consular legalisation for documents from countries outside the Convention: authentication by the foreign ministry of the issuing country, then by the Portuguese consulate there.
Portuguese documents going abroad are apostilled by the Procuradoria-Geral da República in Lisbon or by the regional prosecutors’ offices in Porto, Coimbra and Évora (and the Azores, Madeira and Guimarães services), for 10,20 € per apostille, in person or, for digitally signed documents, online at apostila.ministeriopublico.pt. Documents from ministries, courts, registries, notaries, public schools, municipalities and parishes are eligible; a private document must first be notarised.
- 10,20 € per Portuguese apostille (DL n.º 86/2009)
- Notary, lawyer, solicitador or chamber of commerce certify translations in Portugal
- English, French, Spanish accepted without translation by the IRN for nationality files
- Apostille first, then translate — the translation covers the apostille too
Translation: who certifies, and what “certified” means
Portugal has no register of sworn translators. A translation gains legal value through a certification (certificação de tradução) in which a notary, a lawyer, a solicitador or a chamber of commerce attests, under their professional responsibility, that the translator declared the translation faithful to the original. The tax authority’s own leaflet lists those four. The certified translation is bound to a copy of the original (with its apostille), stamped and signed; consulates abroad and Portuguese consulates can certify as well.
Who requires a translation into Portuguese:
| Authority | Rule |
|---|---|
| IRN — nationality files | documents in English, French or Spanish need no translation (Modelo 6.1); other languages, certified translation |
| AIMA — residence permits | documents in a foreign language translated and certified; criminal record certificates translated |
| Finanças — NIF, representation, property | certified translation for any foreign-language document accompanying a request |
| Consulates — visas | generally accept documents in Portuguese or English; some posts require translation of criminal records and civil certificates into Portuguese |
| Civil registry — marriage, birth transcription | certified translation of foreign certificates; apostille required |
| Courts | translation by a translator sworn before the court or certified |
Order matters: apostille the original first, then translate, so that the translation covers the apostille and the office sees a single, complete instrument.
Costs and delays
Certification by a lawyer or solicitador is charged per document; translation is charged per page or word, at rates that vary with the language pair — Portuguese-English being the cheapest and most available. The office bundles translation, certification and, where the client holds Portuguese documents to send abroad, the apostille at the PGR, and returns scans the same day the originals are ready. Criminal record certificates have short useful lives (three to six months at most authorities), so we order them last and translate them immediately.
A translation made abroad by a "sworn translator" of another country is not automatically certified for Portugal. It is accepted if legalised (apostille on the translator's certification) or re-certified here by a lawyer or notary. Clients arriving with sworn translations from Brazil, Spain or France usually need the latter, which is quick.
Questions
Do I need to translate my British or American criminal record for a visa?
Most Portuguese consulates accept English for the visa; AIMA, for the residence permit, wants Portuguese. Get the apostille in the issuing country, then a certified translation in Portugal when the permit file is prepared.
Can Access Portugal apostille my foreign document?
No — an apostille is issued only by the country that issued the document. We apostille Portuguese documents and coordinate with your home-country authority or a courier service for foreign ones.
Are digital apostilles accepted?
Portugal issues and verifies electronic apostilles; acceptance abroad depends on the receiving State's practice. Ask before relying on an e-apostille for a consulate.
Sources and official references
- Procuradoria-Geral da República — apostille FAQ: 10,20 € (one tenth of the procedural unit, DL n.º 86/2009), competent authorities, e-apostille — checked 18.9.2026
- Autoridade Tributária — NIF leaflet: translations certified by notaries, chambers of commerce (DL n.º 244/92), lawyers or solicitadores — checked 18.9.2026
- IRN — Modelo 6.1 (nationality): documents in English, French or Spanish are exempt from translation — checked 18.9.2026
- Portal Diplomático (MNE) — visa documents: criminal record certificates with Hague apostille or legalisation — checked 18.9.2026
- HCCH — Apostille Convention of 5 October 1961: contracting parties — checked 18.9.2026