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Getting a Certified Translation in Portugal

Researched and written with AI tools from official sources. How we make our guides

How a translation becomes certified in Portugal, who can certify it, what a registry office charges, and when you need no translation at all.

The Portugal Brief 7 min read

Getting a Certified Translation in Portugal

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

  • A Portuguese office wants your foreign birth, marriage, criminal record, or school document in Portuguese.
  • You need a Portuguese document translated for use in another country.
  • You are an EU or non-EU citizen, living in Portugal or applying from abroad.

Not for you if: you need a document's signature or seal recognised in another country. Read Getting an Apostille or Consular Legalisation in Portugal instead.

Portugal has no sworn translators. Any competent translator can translate your document. The translation becomes "certified" when a notary, lawyer, solicitador, registry office, chamber of commerce, or consulate certifies it. Usually the translator declares, on oath or on their honour, that the translation is faithful. A certified translation from any of these has the same legal weight. At a registry office, certifying one translation costs €25. You often need no translation at all: documents in Portuguese, many EU certificates, and, at some offices, documents in English, French, or Spanish.

When you need a certified translation

Portuguese public offices work in Portuguese. As a rule, a document in another language must come with a translation made or certified as the law requires. You will meet this rule at:

  • the civil registry (Conservatória do Registo Civil), for marriages, births, deaths, and nationality;
  • notaries, for deeds, powers of attorney, and inheritance papers;
  • AIMA, the immigration agency, for residence permits and family reunification;
  • schools and the Ministry of Education, for recognising foreign school years;
  • courts, banks, and other bodies, which set their own rules.

Always ask the office that wants the document what it accepts. Each office can tell you whether it needs a certified translation, a plain one, or none.

When you may not need one

Documents already in Portuguese. A document written in Portuguese needs no translation. This includes documents from Brazil and other Portuguese-speaking countries.

English, French, or Spanish at the civil registry. The civil registry can accept a document in English, French, or Spanish without a translation, if the registry officer knows that language. The officer decides. For nationality applications, the registry's own form says documents in these three languages need no translation unless the registry asks. See Getting Portuguese Citizenship by Naturalisation.

EU certificates with a multilingual standard form. If your document comes from another EU country, EU rules can save you a translation. They cover public documents such as:

  • birth, death, name, marriage, divorce, and registered partnership;
  • parenthood and adoption;
  • residence and nationality;
  • absence of a criminal record.

Ask the authority that issued the document for a multilingual standard form. You present it with the document instead of a translation. The Portuguese office may still ask for a certified translation if it cannot fully understand the document, but only exceptionally. The same EU rules also remove the need for an apostille on these documents.

The form is a translation aid, not a full translation. It does not cover diplomas, contracts, medical records, or court judgments.

Who can certify a translation

The law gives these professionals and offices the power to certify a translation. Each gives it the same legal force as a notary would.

  • A notary (notário). The translator signs before the notary and declares the translation faithful.
  • A lawyer (advogado) or solicitador. They can translate and certify, or certify someone else's translation. See What a Solicitador Does in Portugal.
  • A recognised chamber of commerce and industry. Same powers as a lawyer for translations.
  • A registry office (conservatória). Registry staff can certify a translation, and some can translate.
  • A consulate. For a notarial act, a translation can come from the Portuguese consulate in the country that issued the document, or from that country's consulate in Portugal.

A lawyer, solicitador, or chamber of commerce must record each certification in an official online system. An act that is not recorded is not valid, so ask for the record reference. For more on these professionals, see Using a Notary and Certifying Documents in Portugal.

How it works, step by step

  1. Ask the receiving office what it needs. Ask whether it wants a certified translation, and whether the original needs an apostille first.
  2. Get the apostille or legalisation first, if one is needed. The translation should cover the whole document, including the apostille.
  3. Choose a translator and a certifier. Some lawyers, solicitadores, and agencies do both. Otherwise, the translator comes with you to the certifier.
  4. The translator declares the translation faithful. They do this on oath or on their honour before the certifier.
  5. The certifier adds a certificate. It states the language of the original, that the text was faithfully translated, and how the translation was made.
  6. Check the result before you leave. Names, dates, and numbers must match the original exactly.
  7. Keep the bundle together. The original, the translation, and the certificate are usually bound or stamped as one set. Do not take them apart.

What it costs

Fees depend on who certifies.

Who certifiesFee
Registry office, certificate that a translation is accurate€25 per document
Registry office, translation by the registry, where offered€20 per page
Notary, lawyer, or solicitadorTheir own price, within the notarial fee table maximum, plus VAT
Chamber of commerceIts own price, within the same maximum
ConsulateThe consulate's fee table

Notary, lawyer, and solicitador fees carry VAT at 23% on the mainland. The translator's fee is separate. Translators set their own prices, often per page or per word, and charge more for rare languages. Ask for a written quote that shows translation, certification, and VAT separately.

Translations for AIMA, nationality, and schools

AIMA. For family reunification, AIMA asks for an apostille or legalisation on every foreign document, and a certified translation of any document not in Portuguese. For other permits, check AIMA's checklist for your route. See Family Reunification in Portugal and Visas and Residency in Portugal.

Nationality. Documents in English, French, or Spanish need no translation unless the registry asks. Other languages need one.

School years abroad. To have foreign school years recognised, you need the documents legalised, then an official translation into Portuguese of anything in another language. The translation comes after the legalisation. See Enrolling Your Child in a Portuguese Public School.

Translating a Portuguese document for use abroad

The same professionals can certify a translation from Portuguese into a foreign language.

  1. Check what the other country accepts. Some countries accept only translations made by their own sworn or official translators. Ask the receiving office, or that country's embassy, before you pay.
  2. Have the translation certified in Portugal, if the other country accepts it.
  3. Get an apostille on the certification. The Ministério Público (the public prosecution service) can put an apostille on translations certified by notaries, lawyers, solicitadores, and chambers of commerce. For a lawyer or solicitador, bring a plain copy of their professional card.

If the other country does not accept Portuguese translations, get an apostille on the Portuguese original. Then have the translation done in that country.

Common problems

The office rejects the translation. Ask exactly what is missing. Often it is the certificate, the translator's identity, or the online record reference. Ask the certifier to fix it, rather than paying for a new translation.

The translation leaves out the apostille or stamps. The whole document must be translated, including stamps, notes on the back, and the apostille. Check before you leave.

Names are spelled differently. Names must match your passport and the original. If your name appears in different forms, ask the office how to handle it before you translate.

You translated before the apostille. The translation then does not cover the apostille. You may need a new translation of the apostille page.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change; check with the office that will receive your document before you act.

Sources

This guide is written from official sources and, where relevant, organisations' own websites.

Last verified October 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.

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