Granting a Power of Attorney (Procuração) in Portugal
How to give someone power to act for you in Portugal, which form each task needs, how to sign one abroad, and how to cancel it.
Last verified: September 2026.
Who this is for
- You need someone to sign, buy, sell, or deal with a bank or Finanças for you.
- You live abroad, or will be away, and must get something done in Portugal.
- You have been given a power of attorney and want to know what it lets you do.
Not for you if: you only need a signature recognised or a copy certified. Read "Using a Notary and Certifying Documents in Portugal". For a health care proxy, read "Making a Living Will (Testamento Vital) in Portugal".
A power of attorney (procuração) is a document that lets another person act legally in your name. You need one whenever you cannot be present to sign, for example at a property deed, a bank, or the tax office. Its form depends on the task. A simple letter may do for small matters. A property sale needs an in-person signature recognition, an authenticated document, or a notarial deed. Expect to pay from about €12 at a registry office to €31 plus VAT at a notary, or €50 at a consulate abroad. Most are done in one appointment.
This is general information, not legal advice. For property or large sums, ask a lawyer or solicitador to draft the wording.
What a power of attorney can do
You are the grantor. The person you appoint is your attorney (procurador). Your attorney does not need to be a lawyer. It can be a spouse, a relative, a friend, a lawyer (advogado), or a solicitador.
Anything your attorney does within the powers you give binds you as if you had done it yourself. Anything outside those powers does not. That is why wording matters. A bank, notary, or registry will refuse a power that does not clearly cover the act in front of them.
Your attorney can use the power for any legal act you could do yourself, except personal acts the law reserves to you, such as making a will.
General or special powers
You choose how wide the powers are.
- General powers (poderes gerais). These cover routine management: paying bills, dealing with utilities, collecting post, and filing ordinary paperwork. In law, a general power only covers acts of ordinary administration. It does not let your attorney sell or mortgage your home.
- Special powers (poderes especiais). These cover named acts, such as "to sell the flat at [address], registered under [number], for a price of not less than [amount]". Use them for anything significant.
Some acts always need special, specific powers:
- Selling, buying, or mortgaging property. Identify the property and, ideally, the price range and the bank.
- Gifts. The power must name what is given and who receives it.
- Powers between spouses. A power from one spouse to the other cannot be general. It must list the specific acts, such as selling an identified property.
- Your attorney contracting with themselves. If your attorney may buy from you, or sign for both sides, you must say so expressly.
- Marriage by proxy. Only one of the couple may be represented. The power must name the other person and say which type of marriage.
If your attorney may need to pass the power to someone else, for example a lawyer handing over to a colleague on signing day, the document must allow sub-delegation (substabelecimento). A sub-delegation needs the same form as the original power.
Every power should include your full name, ID and NIF, the attorney's full name and ID, the exact powers, and, if you wish, an end date.
Which form you need
The rule is simple: a power of attorney takes the same form as the act it authorises.
| What your attorney will do | Form the power needs |
|---|---|
| Routine matters with no formal requirement, such as collecting a parcel | A signed letter may do; many banks and offices still ask for a signature recognition |
| Acts that need a notarial deed or authenticated document, such as selling, buying, or mortgaging property | One of three: a notarial public instrument; a document you sign with in-person recognition of your handwriting and signature; or an authenticated document (DPA) |
| An irrevocable power, granted also in the interest of the attorney or a third party | A notarial public instrument only, with the original kept at the notary |
| Representing you in court or before an authority, given to a lawyer or solicitador (procuração forense) | A signed document; no signature recognition is needed |
The in-person recognition and the authenticated document can be done by a notary, a lawyer, a solicitador, a registry office (conservatória), or a chamber of commerce. The public instrument must be done by a notary or a Portuguese consulate. For how each route works, see "Using a Notary and Certifying Documents in Portugal".
Before you sign, ask the bank, notary, or office that will receive the power what wording and form they need. Get it in writing if you can.
How to grant one in Portugal
- Agree the task with your attorney and get the details: property registry number, bank name, account, or case number.
- Draft the wording, or ask a lawyer, solicitador, or notary to draft it. Send the draft to the receiving institution to check.
- Book an appointment with a notary, lawyer, solicitador, or registry office.
- Attend in person with your passport, residence card, or Citizen Card, and your NIF. Your attorney does not need to attend.
- Sign in front of the professional. They add the recognition or authentication, or draw up the public instrument.
- Register the power online if it is irrevocable and covers a property transfer. You may also choose to register any other power (see below).
- Give the original, or a certified copy, to your attorney. Keep a copy yourself.
You need a Portuguese NIF (tax number) for any property or tax act. Your attorney will too, if they are named in a deed. See "Getting a NIF (Tax Number) in Portugal". If you live outside the EU and have Portuguese tax matters, also see "Appointing a Fiscal Representative in Portugal".
Signing from abroad
Distance is the main reason people need a power of attorney. You have two routes.
Route 1: at a Portuguese consulate. Portuguese consulates can draw up a power of attorney as a public instrument, with the same force as one from a Portuguese notary. No apostille or translation is needed.
- Book an appointment at the consulate that covers where you live.
- Bring your passport or Citizen Card, your NIF if you have one, and the attorney's full name, marital status, and address.
- Bring a draft if you have one. It saves time.
- If you represent a company, bring its permanent registry certificate or the online access code.
The consular fee table lists €50 for a power of attorney, €40 for an authentication statement, and €20 for each signature recognition. Consular appointments can take weeks in busy cities, so book early.
Route 2: at a local notary abroad. You sign a power of attorney before a notary in the country where you are. To use it in Portugal:
- Have it drafted in Portuguese first, ideally by the Portuguese lawyer or notary who will use it. A foreign-language power must be translated and certified, which adds time and cost. See "Getting a Certified Translation in Portugal".
- Sign it before the local notary.
- Get an apostille from that country's competent authority, or consular legalisation if the country is not in the Hague Convention. See "Getting an Apostille or Consular Legalisation in Portugal".
- Send the original to your attorney by tracked courier.
To use a Portuguese power abroad, you usually need a Portuguese apostille from the Procuradoria-Geral da República. The same guide explains how.
Irrevocable powers and registration
An irrevocable power (procuração irrevogável) is granted also in the interest of the attorney or a third party. It is common in property deals, for example to let a buyer complete registration. You cannot cancel it without that person's agreement, unless there is just cause. It must be made as a notarial public instrument.
Portugal runs an online register of powers of attorney, Procurações Online, managed by IRN. Registration is:
- mandatory for irrevocable powers that allow a property to be transferred, and for their sub-delegations, changes, and cancellations
- optional for every other power
Notaries, lawyers, solicitadores, registry offices, consulates, and grantors can register a power. It costs €10, payable within five days of the request. Registering a sub-delegation or a cancellation is free. Once registered, you receive an access code. Anyone with the code can view the power online for three months, which is useful proof for a bank or a buyer.
What it costs
| Where | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Signature recognition at a registry office | €12 per signature |
| Authentication statement at a registry office, one signer | €24 |
| Public instrument at a notary | Up to €31.09 plus VAT, plus €10 for each extra grantor or attorney |
| Lawyer or solicitador | Set freely; ask for a quote including VAT |
| Portuguese consulate | €50 for a power of attorney |
| Registering on Procurações Online | €10 |
Add the cost of drafting if a lawyer writes the wording, and of translation and apostille if you sign abroad.
Cancelling or ending a power of attorney
You can cancel (revoke) an ordinary power at any time, even if it says otherwise. Do it in writing and make sure everyone relying on it knows:
- Sign a revocation. Use the same form as the original, for example a notary or in-person recognition, so it is clear it came from you.
- Tell your attorney in writing, by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt.
- Tell every third party who has seen the power: the bank, the notary, the buyer, or Finanças. The law says a revocation only affects third parties who knew about it, or should have known.
- If the power was registered on Procurações Online, register the cancellation too. It is free.
- Ask your attorney to return the original.
A power of attorney also ends:
- when its stated end date passes or its task is complete
- when your attorney resigns
- as a rule, on your death, unless it was also granted in the attorney's or a third party's interest
If you may lose capacity later
An ordinary power of attorney is not designed for long-term care. If you later lose the ability to manage your affairs, a court may appoint a guardian (acompanhante) under Portugal's supported adult regime. Banks may stop accepting an ordinary power at that point.
To plan ahead, Portuguese law lets you sign an advance mandate (mandato com vista a acompanhamento). In it you choose who will manage your affairs, with or without powers to represent you, and set the terms. You can revoke it freely. If a court later decides you need support, it takes the mandate into account and may appoint the person you chose. Ask a lawyer to draft it.
For medical decisions, you can name a health care proxy. See "Making a Living Will (Testamento Vital) in Portugal". For caring for a relative, see "Caring for an Ageing Parent in Portugal".
Sources
- Portal das Comunidades Portuguesas, Procurações: https://portaldascomunidades.mne.gov.pt/pt/atendimento/no-estrangeiro/servicos-consulares/procuracoes (consular procedure and documents; rules on spouses, gifts, self-contracting, marriage by proxy; revocation; mandatory registration of irrevocable property powers)
- Tabela de Emolumentos Consulares (Portaria n.º 229/2021, as amended by Portaria n.º 434/2023), Consulate General in London: https://londres.consuladoportugal.mne.gov.pt/images/tec.pdf (consular fees)
- Justiça.gov.pt, Registar procurações: https://justica.gov.pt/Servicos/Registar-procuracoes (Procurações Online registration, €10 fee, free cancellation, three-month access code)
- Procurações Online (IRN): https://www.procuracoesonline.pt/ProcuracoesOnline/ (registration platform)
- Portaria n.º 696/2009 (register of powers of attorney): https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/portaria/696-2009-491928
- Código do Notariado (Decreto-Lei n.º 207/95), article 116: https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/legislacao-consolidada/decreto-lei/1995-34509175 (forms of power of attorney; irrevocable powers as public instrument; sub-delegation form)
- Código Civil, articles 156, 261, 262, 264, 265, 266, 1159, 1174 and 1175 (advance mandate; self-contracting; form; sub-delegation; extinction and revocation; effect on third parties; general powers; lapse on death)
- Decreto-Lei n.º 76-A/2006, article 38, as summarised by the Ordem dos Advogados: https://portal.oa.pt/media/118387/registos_enquadramento_legal.pdf (who may recognise signatures and authenticate documents)
- Portaria n.º 385/2004 (notarial fee table), as amended: https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/legislacao-consolidada/portaria/2004-885208656 (maximum notarial fee for a power of attorney)
- Regulamento Emolumentar dos Registos e Notariado, via IRN: https://irn.justica.gov.pt/Custos-dos-servicos (registry fees)
- Comissão de Proteção ao Idoso, Maior acompanhado: https://www.cpidoso.pt/maior_acompanhado/ (advance mandate, corroboration)
Last verified September 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.