Portugal Apostille Online Services

The Apostille only applies to public documents issued by a State which has taken part of the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, done at the Hague on 5th October 1961, to be presented before another State which has also taken part of the Convention.

Therefore, the documents issued by the following may be apostilled:

• Conservatória do Registo Civil (Portuguese Civil Register Office — birth, death, marriage certificates, etc.);
• Conservatória do Registo Predial (Portuguese Real Estate Register Office);
• Conservatória do Registo Comercial (Portuguese Legal Entities Register Office);
• Notary Offices;
• Parish Council — proof of life, proof of address;
• Public Schools;
• Public Universities (diplomas);
• Ministries;
• Court (divorces, custody agreements, etc.)

The Apostille may also be applied to documents issued by private schools and universities as long as some requirements are met:

• The documents issued by Private Schools shall be certified by the Department of Basic and Secondary Teaching on Avenida 24 de Julho, 140, Lisbon, before being presented at the department responsible to issue the Apostille;
• The documents issued by Private Universities shall be certified by the Superior Department of Teaching on Avenida Duque de Ávila, 137, Lisbon, before being presented at the department responsible to issue the Apostille.

For the purpose of authentication services, countries are divided in two groups. Those that are signatories to the 1961 Hague convention require apostille, others would need an embassy legalization.

To know whether you would need an apostille or embassy legalization just need to mention the country where you need the document.

The Apostille is a formality issued over a public document which certifies its authenticity, authenticating the signature of the person who has issued the document, his qualification and, if necessary, the seal or stamp contained in the document.

The apposition of the Apostille is foreseen at the article 3 of the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, done at The Hague on 5th October 1961, and only applies to public documents to be presented before countries that have taken part of the aforesaid Convention.

The Apostille shall be issued by the authority of the State who has issued the original document.

The system established by the mentioned Convention created a simpler and faster international validation of public documents procedure than the general method of legalisation of foreign documents.

No, the Portugal Apostille Service is only applicable to documents issued within Portugal. For documents from other countries, you must obtain an apostille from the country where the document was issued.

If the document is in Portuguese and needs to be used in a country with a different language, a certified translation might be necessary to ensure legal acceptance.

Yes, you can request an apostille service online through our platform, which simplifies the process and saves you time.

No, an apostille is only valid in countries that are part of the Hague Apostille Convention. For countries not part of the convention, additional legalization might be required.

An apostille is a simpler process used for countries in the Hague Convention, while consular legalization is more complex and required for countries outside the convention.

If the destination country is a member of the Hague Convention, an apostille is sufficient. If not, consular legalization is required. You can check with our experts for guidance.

Yes, you can submit multiple documents for apostille, and we can handle the process for all of them simultaneously.

The apostille itself does not expire, but the document it certifies might have a validity period, depending on the requirements of the destination country.