Apostille Portugal (Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, Madeira, Azores)
Apostille for Portuguese documents is placed by the Prosecutor’s Office — the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic (Procuradoria-Geral da República, PGR) and regional prosecutor’s offices with delegated competence. This is a rare model for Europe: not the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and not the Ministry of Justice, but precisely the prosecutor’s office. We obtain Portuguese documents and apostille without your presence, with certified translation and delivery.
What is a Portuguese apostille (apostila)?
The Portuguese apostille (apostila da Haia) is a stamp of the established form, the content and purpose of which are defined by the Hague Convention of 1961. The apostille certifies the authenticity of the signature and the capacity (position) of the person who signed the document, as well as the authenticity of the seal — and gives the document formal evidentiary force abroad.
Portugal ratified the Convention, and the apostille has been in effect since February 4, 1969 — Portugal is one of the oldest participants in the system.
The Portuguese apostille is issued in Portuguese with the mandatory French heading “Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)”.
Who issues the apostille in Portugal?
The competent authority is the Attorney General of the Republic; in practice, the apostille is placed at the PGR in Lisbon and at prosecutor’s offices with delegated competence:
- Lisbon — Procuradoria-Geral da República (main apostille service);
- Porto, Coimbra, Évora, Guimarães — regional prosecutor’s offices;
- Azores (Ponta Delgada) and Madeira (Funchal) — autonomous regions;
- official information — prosecutor’s office portal ministeriopublico.pt — Serviço de Apostilas.
Important: the place of issue of the document does not tie you to a specific prosecutor’s office — an apostille for a Portuguese document can be obtained from any apostille service. This is convenient when the document was issued in Madeira and the executor works in Lisbon.
Deadlines and cost of apostille in Portugal (as of 2026)
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| State fee (taxa) | 10,20 € per document (legally set as 1/10 of a calculation unit — unidade de conta) |
| Exemption | free upon proven economic incapacity of the applicant |
| Processing time | typically on the day of application, if submitted before 4:00 PM |
| When it takes longer | batches of 5 or more documents, application after closing hours, no specimen signature of the signing person in the database |
Separately paid: obtaining the documents themselves (certificates, attestations, extracts), notarization of copies, certified translation, and courier delivery.
Which Portuguese documents are most commonly apostilled
- Civil registry certificates (Conservatória do Registo Civil): birth (certidão de nascimento), marriage, death;
- criminal record certificate — certificado de registo criminal (Ministério da Justiça / DGRSP);
- diplomas and academic documents from universities and schools, diploma supplements;
- corporate documents: extract from the commercial register (certidão permanente do registo comercial), articles of association, resolutions, powers of attorney;
- notarial acts and certified copies, documents from lawyers/solicitors (advogados, solicitadores);
- tax and social security certificates (Autoridade Tributária, Segurança Social), NIF certificates;
- court decisions and rulings.
On translations: Portugal does not have an institution of «sworn translator» of the German or Polish type — the translation is certified by a notary, lawyer/solicitor, or consulate, and that signature is then apostilled. If the document goes to a country that requires a certified translation, it is wiser to apostille the original and have the translation done in the destination country.
Electronic apostille (e-Apostille) in Portugal
Portugal apostilles electronic documents online: the application is submitted through the Public Prosecutor’s portal (Ministério Público), and the apostille is issued electronically — this is convenient for documents with a qualified digital signature, such as extracts from certidão permanente or electronic court documents. The general logic of e-Apostille is described on the page Electronic apostille. E-apostille.
Paper documents still require submission to the apostille service in person or through a representative. Before choosing the electronic option, we check whether the authority of the destination country accepts the electronic apostille — some still require a physical document.
Text of the Portuguese apostille
Portuguese language (original)
APOSTILLE
(Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)
1. País: PORTUGAL
O presente acto público
2. foi assinado por ___________________________
3. agindo na qualidade de ________________
4. tem o selo / carimbo de ________________
Autenticado
5. em __________________ 6. no dia __________________
7. por Procuradoria-Geral da República
8. sob o nº ____________________
9. selo / carimbo ________________ 10. assinatura ________________
Translation of the Portuguese apostille into Russian
APOSTILLE (Hague Convention of October 5, 1961)
1. Country: PORTUGAL
This official document
2. Signed by: __________________ (surname, first name)
3. Acting in the capacity of: _________________ (position)
4. Sealed / stamped: ________________
Certified
5. Place: __________________ 6. Date: __________________
7. By: The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic
8. No. ____________________
9. Seal / stamp ________________ 10. Signature ________________
Is an apostille needed for Portuguese documents for EU countries?
Portugal is an EU country, therefore Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 applies: for documents on birth, death, marriage, marital status, residence, and criminal record, when presented in another EU country, an apostille is not required — instead, the original document is used, if necessary with a multilingual standard form.
An apostille is needed when a document goes outside the EU: Moldova, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Turkey, Brazil, Angola (if the Convention applies), USA, etc. For non-Convention countries — consular legalization.
Can an apostille be obtained at the Portuguese consulate?
According to the Hague Convention, an apostille on Portuguese documents cannot be obtained at a Portuguese consulate abroad — only at the prosecutor’s apostille service within the country. The consulate can certify a copy, signature, or translation, but that is not an apostille.
Frequently asked questions about the apostille of Portugal
Is it necessary to go to Portugal?
No. We work by proxy and remotely: we order the document, submit it to the apostille service, prepare the translation, and send it by courier.
Is the apostille placed on the original or a copy?
On the original public document or on a copy certified by a Portuguese notary, lawyer, or solicitor — the apostille will confirm the certifier’s signature.
Why the prosecutor’s office and not the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?
Each country itself designates the competent authority under Article 6 of the Convention. Portugal has assigned this function to the Attorney General’s Office and regional prosecutor’s offices — just as France from 2025 transferred the apostille to the notariat, and Spain distributed it among the colleges of notaries and courts.
How long is the Portuguese apostille valid?
Indefinitely. The “expiration date” may apply to the document itself (criminal record certificate, extract from the register) — as required by the receiving authority.
Order an apostille on Portuguese documents
Civil registry certificates, criminal record certificates, diplomas, extracts from the commercial register, powers of attorney and notarial acts — we obtain and apostille them in Lisbon, Porto and other cities, with translation and delivery.
Phone / WhatsApp / Viber / Telegram: +373 67 666 333 · message on WhatsApp · Order apostille · contact form · contacts
See also: Apostille Countries · What is an apostille · Frequently asked questions about apostille
Sources (official)
Ministério Público — Serviço de Apostilas (competence, fee 10,20 €) · Regulamento do Serviço de Apostila · HCCH — table of participants (entry into force for Portugal — 04.02.1969). Data verified in July 2026.
Apostille in other European countries
Apostille UK · Apostille Ireland · Apostille France · Apostille Spain · Apostille Czech Republic · Apostille Poland · Apostille Belgium · Apostille Germany · Apostille Croatia · Apostille Slovakia · Apostille Serbia
BUSINESS LIGA SRL · apostille.expert · +373 67 666 333 — material has been reviewed and published in full.