An apostille in Portugal costs 10.20 euros, and it's what makes your document count abroad
The 2026 guide to the Hague apostille in Portugal: what it is, which documents need one, the cost, where to apply, and when you need no legalisation at all.
A Hague apostille in Portugal costs about 10.20 euros per document, you request it from the Procuradoria-Geral da República, and it does exactly one job: it makes a Portuguese public document acceptable in another country without further paperwork. It is a stamp that says “this really is genuine” in a language 120-odd countries have agreed to understand.
If you are dealing with citizenship, a wedding abroad, a degree you want recognised overseas, or a certificate some office on another continent has asked for, sooner or later somebody will say the word apostille. Worth knowing what it is before you spend money on things you do not need.
What is a Hague apostille?
It is a certification created by the 1961 Hague Convention. Before it existed, getting a Portuguese document accepted in Brazil, Canada or Ukraine meant a chain of consular legalisations that could take weeks. The convention replaced all of that with a single stamp, issued in the country of origin, which the other signatory countries commit to accepting.
One important limit: the apostille certifies the signature, the capacity of the person who signed, and the seal. It does not certify the content. Nobody is vouching that what the paper says is true — only that whoever issued it is genuinely who they claim to be.
Which documents need an apostille?
Public documents. In practice that covers acts issued by ministries, courts, civil registry offices, notaries, public education institutions, municipal councils and parish councils.
Translated into real life: birth, marriage and death certificates; criminal record certificates; school and university certificates from public institutions; notarial powers of attorney; court rulings and judicial certificates; and papers issued by your parish council, such as the residence certificate we covered separately in our guide to how the atestado de residência works.
Private documents — a contract between two people, a declaration you typed at home — cannot be apostilled directly. They have to pass through a notary first, which turns them into a notarial act. Then they can.
Where do you apply for an apostille in Portugal?
The competent authority is the Procuradoria-Geral da República, with delegated powers to the regional prosecution offices in Porto, Coimbra, Évora and Guimarães, plus the Azores and Madeira. So no, you do not have to go to Lisbon.
Since 2025 there has been an online service, which changed things considerably for anyone abroad or far from a prosecution office. Applications go through a form on the Public Prosecution portal, and in-person appointments still exist for those who prefer them.
How much does it cost and how long does it take?
Around 10.20 euros per document — and “per document” is the part that catches people out. If you need a birth certificate, a criminal record and a diploma apostilled, that is three apostilles and three fees.
Turnaround varies by channel and by season. Summer and the start of the academic year are, predictably, the worst months. If you have a fixed date abroad, start this weeks ahead rather than days.
When do you NOT need an apostille?
This is the saving almost nobody knows about. Within the European Union, an EU regulation waives the apostille for several certificates — birth, death, marriage, residence, absence of a criminal record, among others — when they move between member states. Instead of an apostille you request a multilingual standard form attached to the certificate, issued by the registry office, which also removes the need for translation.
So a Portuguese birth certificate presented in Germany or Spain probably needs no apostille at all. The same certificate presented in Brazil, the United Kingdom or the United States does.
And if the destination country never joined the Hague Convention? Then the old method returns: chain legalisation via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that country’s consulate in Portugal. Slower, more expensive, and the only route available.
What about foreign documents you want to use in Portugal?
Same road, opposite direction. A document issued in Brazil, India or the UK has to be apostilled by the competent authority in that country before it gets here. AIMA, registry offices and Portuguese universities will want the original apostille, not a photocopy of one.
A certified Portuguese translation is often needed on top. And if the document is a degree you plan to work with, the apostille is only step one — the equivalence process is separate, and we walked through it in the guide to recognising foreign qualifications.
Frequently asked questions
Does an apostille expire?
The apostille itself does not. The document underneath it does: a criminal record certificate with a six-month shelf life is still a certificate with a six-month shelf life, apostilled or not. Get the certificate fresh, then apostille it.
Can you apostille a photocopy?
Not a plain photocopy. You need an original certificate or a copy certified by a notary or registry office — that certification is what the apostille authenticates.
Should the translation come before or after?
It depends on what the destination asks for. As a rule the original is apostilled and the certified translation follows, either in the destination country or by a recognised translator. Some countries require the translation itself to be apostilled too, so check first, because repeating the process costs double.
How do you check whether a country accepts apostilles?
The current list of signatory states is published on the Hague Conference official site. That is the source the offices themselves consult, so it is the one that matters.
Image: BlankMap-World_gray.svg: Original by User:Vardion, svg-if… / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
