Registering a Birth in Portugal

Last verified: September 2026.

Who this is for

• Your baby was born in Portugal, or is due soon, and you need to register the birth.
• You are Portuguese, or foreign and living here, and want to know if your baby is Portuguese.
• You need your baby's Citizen Card, passport, NIF, NISS, or SNS number.

Not for you if: you want to know about pregnancy care, the birth itself, parental leave, or child benefit. Read "Having a Baby in Portugal" instead.

Updated September 2026. Since 19 May 2026, a baby born here to foreign parents is Portuguese at birth only if one parent has lived here legally for at least five years.

Every baby born in Portugal must be registered within 20 days of the birth, whatever the parents' nationality. It is free and usually takes one short appointment: at the hospital, online, or at any civil registry office (Conservatória do Registo Civil). A Portuguese baby can get a first Citizen Card at the same time, free until the first birthday. A foreign baby is registered the same way, then needs a passport from your country and a residence permit from AIMA.

Where to register

You have three ways to register. All are free.

1. At the hospital, before discharge. Many public and private maternity units have a registry desk, the Nascer Cidadão ("born a citizen") counter. You register the birth and ask for the first Citizen Card in one visit. Ask the maternity unit in advance if it has a desk. The registry service (IRN) publishes the list of hospitals that do.
2. Online. You can register on the gov.pt birth registration service. You sign in with a Chave Móvel Digital or a Portuguese Citizen Card and upload the hospital's proof of birth. If you are married to each other, one parent can do it alone. If you are not married, one parent submits the form and the other gets an email to confirm.
3. At any civil registry office. You do not have to use the office nearest your home. Book ahead where you can.

The 20 days run from the day of birth. Do not leave it to the last week, especially if you need foreign documents. If you miss the deadline, you must still register the birth. Go to a registry office as soon as you can and explain the delay.

Who can register and what to bring

Either parent can declare the birth. If you are not married to each other, the father should be present so he can acknowledge paternity (perfilhação) at the same time. Otherwise it takes a separate step later. A close relative who knows about the birth, or hospital staff, can also declare it.

Bring:

• the hospital's proof of birth
• each parent's ID: Citizen Card, or passport plus residence permit
• your marriage certificate, if you are married and the marriage is not already on the Portuguese register
• the names you have chosen, spelt exactly as you want them
• for a nationality declaration, proof of a parent's legal residence (see below)

If you are foreign, foreign documents may need an apostille and a certified translation into Portuguese. Get them ready in the third trimester. The registry can tell you which documents it needs. Our guide "Getting an Apostille or Consular Legalisation in Portugal" explains the process.

Choosing your baby's name

The name has up to six words: at most two first names and four surnames. Small linking words such as "de", "da", "do", and "e" do not count.

For first names (nomes próprios), the general rules are:

• They should normally be Portuguese and spelt the Portuguese way.
• The first name should not leave doubt about the child's sex.
• A child cannot have the same first names as a living brother or sister.

Foreign first names are allowed if either parent is foreign or has another nationality, or if the child has another nationality.

For surnames (apelidos):

• Surnames come from the parents. Grandparents' or great-grandparents' surnames are allowed with proof.
• You can mix the mother's and father's surnames in any order. There is no rule that the father's surname goes last.
• If your child is only foreign, the naming law of the child's nationality applies. A dual national follows Portuguese law.

Check the spelling carefully at the appointment, including accents. If you are unsure whether a name is allowed, call the registry line on 211 950 500 before the appointment.

Is your baby Portuguese?

The rules depend on the parents. The nationality law was amended with effect from 19 May 2026.

If at least one parent is Portuguese, your baby is Portuguese at birth. Registering the birth in Portugal is enough.

If both parents are foreign, your baby is Portuguese at birth only in one of these cases:

• One parent was also born in Portugal and lives here.
• One parent had lived in Portugal legally for at least five years on the day of the birth. Neither parent may be here serving their own country's government, for example as a diplomat. You, as parents, must declare that the child wants to be Portuguese.
• The child would otherwise have no nationality at all.

Before 19 May 2026, one year of legal residence was enough. If your declaration was already being processed on 19 May, the old rule applies to it. A new declaration is judged under the five-year rule, even for a child born earlier.

For the declaration, you can make it when you register the birth. Bring proof of the parent's legal residence and its start date, such as the residence permit history from AIMA. The declaration is free for a child.

If your baby is not Portuguese at birth, there is a later route. A child born in Portugal can apply for citizenship when one parent has lived here legally for five years. The child must also be enrolled in school and attending, once of school age.

Your baby's documents and numbers

What your baby gets next depends on nationality.

If your baby is Portuguese:

1. Ask for the first Citizen Card (Cartão de Cidadão) at the hospital desk, online, or at the registry. It is free if you ask before the first birthday. After that, the normal fee applies. A card is compulsory from the 20th day after birth.
2. The baby does not need to be there. You can send a digital photo: colour, facing forward, plain background. A baby under one can be photographed lying down.
3. When you ask for the first card, the system gives your baby a NIF (tax number), a NISS (social security number), and confirms the SNS user number. They all appear on the card.
4. The card is valid for five years. Our guide "Renewing Your Citizen Card (Cartão de Cidadão) in Portugal" covers renewals and fees.
5. For travel outside the EU, your baby also needs a Portuguese passport. Apply in person at a registry office or passport counter.

If your baby is foreign:

1. SNS number. The hospital gives every newborn an SNS user number before discharge, whatever the parents' status.
2. Passport. Contact your own country's embassy or consulate. Most will ask for a Portuguese birth certificate. Many countries also want the birth reported to them within a set time.
3. NIF. Ask for one at a Finanças office or through Portal das Finanças. See "Getting a NIF (Tax Number) in Portugal".
4. NISS. You need it to claim child benefit. See "Getting a Social Security Number (NISS) in Portugal".
5. Residence permit. Your baby is entitled to the same type of residence status as a parent. The law says one parent must apply to AIMA within six months of the birth registration. In May 2026 AIMA added a contact form option for babies born in Portugal. You usually need the birth certificate, the baby's NIF, the parent's residence permit and passport, proof of address, and photos.

Birth certificates for use abroad

At registration you receive a birth certificate. You may need more copies for your consulate, a bank, or family abroad.

• Order copies online or at any registry office. The online service is 10% cheaper than the counter.
• For use in another EU country, ask the registry for the EU multilingual standard form. It avoids the need for a translation and apostille in most EU countries.
• For use outside the EU, you may need an apostille on the certificate.

A checklist for foreign parents

In the third trimester:- Ask your maternity unit if it has a Nascer Cidadão desk.- Get apostilles and certified translations of your marriage certificate, if you are married.- Get proof of your legal residence dates from AIMA if you may qualify for Portuguese nationality.- Agree on the names and their exact spelling.

At the hospital or within 20 days:- Register the birth and, if it applies, make the nationality declaration.- Ask for the Citizen Card if your baby is Portuguese.

In the first months:- Order extra certificates, including the EU multilingual form if needed.- Report the birth to your home country's consulate and apply for a passport.- Get the NIF and NISS if your baby is foreign.- Apply to AIMA for the residence permit within six months of registration.- Claim child benefit and add the baby to your health insurance. See "Having a Baby in Portugal".

Sources

• gov.pt, Registar um nascimento: https://www.gov.pt/servicos/registar-um-nascimento (20 day deadline, free registration, who can declare, online route for married and unmarried parents, free first Citizen Card)
• Justiça, Nascer Cidadão: https://justica.gov.pt/Servicos/Nascer-Cidadao (hospital desk, free registration, first card free up to age one, father present if not married, list of hospitals)
• ePortugal, Ter uma criança: registo de nascimento, Cartão de Cidadão e passaporte: https://eportugal.gov.pt/guias/ter-uma-crianca/registo-de-nascimento-cartao-de-cidadao-e-passaporte (name limits, card compulsory from day 20, automatic NIF, NISS, and SNS numbers, photo rules, passport for travel outside the EU)
• IRN, Composição do nome: https://irn.justica.gov.pt/Servicos/Cidadao/Nascimento/Composicao-do-nome (name rules, foreign names, surname order, registry line 211 950 500); Código do Registo Civil, article 103 (Decreto-Lei n.º 131/95); deadline in article 96
• Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026 of 18 May 2026, republishing Lei n.º 37/81 (Lei da Nacionalidade): https://files.diariodarepublica.pt/1s/2026/05/09500/0000200020.pdf (article 1(1)(e), (f), and (g), article 6(2) for minors, article 7 transitional rule, entry into force 19 May 2026)
• IRN fee table for nationality declarations, as summarised by Guia da Nacionalidade: https://www.guiadanacionalidade.pt/atribuiccedilatildeo-da-nacionalidade---filhos-de-pais-estrangeiros-nascidos-em-portugal.html (declaration free for minors, documents)
• ACSS and DGS, Circular Normativa Conjunta 11/2023: https://www.acss.min-saude.pt/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Circular-Normativa-Conjunta-11-2023_ACSS-DGS.pdf (Nascer Utente, SNS number for every newborn including children of parents without legal residence)
• Lei n.º 23/2007 (foreigners law), article 124 and article 122(1)(a): https://diariodarepublica.pt (residence status of foreign minors born in Portugal, six month application window); AIMA page for minors born in Portugal: https://aima.gov.pt/pt/viver/menores-filhos-de-cidadaos-estrangeiros-titulares-de-autorizacao-de-residencia-nascidos-em-portugal-art-122-o-1-al-a
• IRN, Pedir certidão: https://irn.justica.gov.pt/Servicos/Pedir-certidao (online certificates 10% cheaper than the counter)
• Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 on public documents: https://online-forms.e-justice.europa.eu/public-documents_en (multilingual standard forms)

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