Requesting a Criminal Record Certificate (Certificado de Registo Criminal) in Portugal in 2026 — A Practical Guide to the Online Portal, the €5 Fee, the 90-Day Validity, the Purpose-Specific Versions, and Getting One From Abroad

Sooner or later almost everyone living in Portugal needs one: a Certificado de Registo Criminal (Criminal Record Certificate). Employers ask for it, nationality and residency files require it, landlords sometimes want it, and it turns up in tenders, firearms licences and volunteering with children. The good news is that it is one of the cheaper and faster pieces of Portuguese bureaucracy to obtain — if you know which version to ask for. This guide walks through the online portal, the €5 fee, the 90-day validity, the purpose-specific versions and how to get one from outside the country.

What it is, and who issues it

The Criminal Record Certificate is the official statement of what — if anything — appears on your Portuguese criminal record. It is issued by the Ministério da Justiça (Ministry of Justice), through the Direção-Geral da Administração da Justiça (DGAJ, the Directorate-General for the Administration of Justice), which keeps the Registo Criminal (Criminal Record). The governing law is Lei n.º 37/2015 (the Lei da Identificação Criminal, or Criminal Identification Law).

The record covers people aged 16 and over. Companies and other entities have their own, separate certificate; this guide is about the certificate for individuals (pessoas singulares).

The fastest route: the online portal

The simplest way to get a certificate is the dedicated portal at registocriminal.justica.gov.pt. You authenticate with your Cartão de Cidadão (Citizen Card, using a card reader and PIN) or with the Chave Móvel Digital (CMD, the Digital Mobile Key). Once you are in, you choose the purpose, confirm your details, and pay.

The certificate is delivered as a PDF — an electronic document that carries a validation code. Whoever you hand it to (an employer, a public body) can check that code online to confirm the document is genuine and unaltered, which is why a printout or forwarded PDF is generally accepted rather than an original on stamped paper.

The cost and how long it lasts

Each certificate costs €5. On the online portal you can settle it by Multibanco reference, credit card or PayPal. A handful of purposes defined in law are exempt from the fee, but for the everyday cases — a job, a rental, a residency or nationality file — budget the €5.

A certificate is valid for 90 days from the date it is issued. That window matters: if you are assembling a slow-moving application, request the certificate late in the process rather than early, so it does not expire before the file is submitted.

The part people get wrong: the purpose

This is where requests go astray. When you order a certificate you must state a finalidade (purpose), and the content of the certificate depends on it. There is not one universal certificate that fits every situation.

• General or professional use — the standard certificate, used for most jobs, tenancies and administrative files. It shows only convictions that the law allows to be transcribed and that have not yet been "cancelled" (see below).
• Work involving regular contact with minors — a stricter certificate governed by Lei n.º 113/2009. It reveals certain convictions for sexual offences that a general certificate would leave out, precisely because the role involves children. Schools, clubs and childcare employers are required to ask for this version, and a general certificate will not satisfy them.
• Other specific purposes — nationality (nacionalidade) and residency applications, public-sector functions, firearms licences and similar cases each have their own designated purpose. The certificate prints the stated purpose on its face, so requesting the wrong one means starting again.

The practical rule: ask the body that wants the certificate exactly which finalidade it needs before you order, and select that one on the portal.

Why an old conviction may not show

Portugal does not treat a criminal record as a life sentence on paper. Under Lei n.º 37/2015, convictions stop appearing on the standard certificate after set periods once the sentence has been served — a mechanism known as não transcrição (non-transcription) or cancellation. The effect is that a minor, long-past conviction may simply not appear on a general certificate, even though it remains in the underlying record for the authorities. The stricter minors-contact certificate follows different, tighter rules, which is the whole point of having a separate version.

Getting one in person

If you cannot or would rather not use the portal, you can request the certificate in person at a Loja de Cidadão (Citizen's Shop), at registry offices and at DGAJ counters. In-person requests are typically handled quickly, often the same day, and you can book a slot in advance through the justice-services scheduling system to avoid queues. Bring your Citizen Card or, for foreign nationals, your residence document and passport.

If you are abroad

You do not have to be in Portugal to obtain a Portuguese certificate. If you hold a Cartão de Cidadão or a Chave Móvel Digital, the online portal works from anywhere. If you do not, residents abroad can apply through a Portuguese consulate, or use the DGAJ's dedicated form for citizens living abroad, which is published in Portuguese and English. The eportugal.gov.pt service portal signposts the route for citizens resident overseas.

A note for foreign residents

One limit is worth spelling out: a Portuguese Criminal Record Certificate only reflects records held in Portugal. Immigration files handled by AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo, the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum) and nationality applications often also require a criminal record from your country of origin — and that foreign document usually has to be apostilled or legalised and officially translated into Portuguese. Sorting out the foreign record is frequently the slower half of the job, so start it early.

Quick checklist

• Portal: registocriminal.justica.gov.pt, log in with Citizen Card or Chave Móvel Digital.
• Cost: €5, paid by Multibanco reference, card or PayPal.
• Validity: 90 days — order it late in a slow application, not early.
• Purpose: confirm the exact finalidade the requester needs; jobs with children require the Lei 113/2009 version.
• From abroad: online with a Citizen Card/CMD, or via a consulate or the DGAJ form for residents abroad.
• Foreign residents: you will likely also need an apostilled, translated criminal record from your home country for immigration and nationality files.

This guide is for general information and reflects the position in 2026; it is not legal advice. Fees, forms and procedures can change — check the official justice portal for the current details before you apply.