Get Portugal Criminal Record Online

If it is your own criminal record certificate: anyone aged 16 or over.

If it is somebody else's criminal record certificate: any duly authorized individual aged 18 or over. For the certificate of an individual aged 18 or over, you must hold a written authorization from that individual to request it. For the certificate of a minor (aged 16 or over) or a disabled individual, you must prove that you have the powers to request it.

To request and issue a certificate, it is necessary to indicate the following personal data: full name, identity document number, place of birth (birthplace), date of birth, filiation — i.e. mother's and/or father's names — and nationality.

Anyone aged 16 or over can request their own criminal record. People aged 18 or over can request another person's record with the individual's authorization. For legal entities, the request must be made by their legal representative.

You can request a Criminal Record Certificate online through the Portuguese Criminal Record website, in person, or by contacting one of the service points provided by the Directorate-General for the Administration of Justice (DGAJ).

The certificate includes details of any criminal convictions registered in your name or for the legal entity you represent, information from Portuguese or foreign courts communicated in line with international agreements, and — for EU citizens — criminal record information from your country of nationality.

No, foreign citizens wishing to obtain or renew a residence permit in Portugal do not need to provide a criminal record certificate. Instead, they can authorize the Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service (SEF) to access their registration.

The Directorate-General for the Administration of Justice (DGAJ), specifically the Directorate of Criminal Identification Services (DSIC), is responsible for issuing the Criminal Record Certificate.

No, the Portuguese criminal record certificate cannot be issued for individuals under the age of 16.

The Portuguese criminal record certificate carries no signatures or stamps because it is issued electronically. Instead, it comes with an access code: entered on the official Online Criminal Record Certificates portal (justica.gov.pt), the code gives up-to-date access to the record itself. This makes fraud on the information it contains impossible and ensures the most current information is seen.

This is set out in Article 9 of the Criminal Identification Law (Law No. 37/2015, of May 5): knowledge of the information contained in the criminal record, or of its absence, is achieved with the issuance of a criminal record certificate, and the certificate is issued electronically by the criminal identification services.

A Portuguese criminal record certificate is valid for 3 months.

The apostille issued by the Public Prosecutor's Office of the Portuguese Republic is a separate page carrying the seal and signature — it is not stamped onto the certificate itself. Under the Apostille Regulation (Order No. 18897/2009, of 14 August), Chapter II, Article 9, the apostille certificate follows the model in Annex 1 and is reproduced on a sheet of plain white paper, stapled and sealed to the document containing the public act, after the validity and veracity of that act have been confirmed. For a single-page document with a front and back, and for a document with several pages, the apostille is linked to the page where the signature of the public act appears.

This is why an apostilled Portuguese criminal record looks different from documents issued under other countries' rules: an electronic certificate with an access code, plus a sealed and stapled apostille sheet.