Marriage in Portugal

British nationals may be married in Portugal in accordance with Portuguese law. You should contact the relevant civil registration office before making any arrangements to confirm you are able to meet all the local requirements for the ceremony to go ahead. Further information on getting married in Portugal is available on the Portuguese Civil Registration Office’s website at www.dgrn.mj.pt.

There is no facility for Consular marriages at the British Embassy or at any of the British Consulates in Portugal.

Documentation

The Portuguese authorities will require:

• Identification documents - a British National permanently resident in Portugal must produce a residence certificate and valid passport; a temporary resident/visitor must produce a valid passport
• Birth certificate – Full birth certificate, issued in the previous 6 months and apostillised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Legalisation Office
• Certificate of No Impediment - If you are a British National and have been resident in Portugal for 21 days or more, you may give notice of marriage to your nearest British Consulate.  Once the notice has been on display in the Consulate for 21 clear days, a certificate of no impediment may be issued.

Aditional information, where approriate

• Minors - the written consent of both parents is required if you are under 18
• Previous marriage - documentary evidence must be produced of any former marriage and its termination, ie, marriage and divorce decree nisi absolute or death certificates.

You are advised to check with the Portuguese Civil Registry Office whether, for their purposes, these documents have limited validity.

Where a British national has lived outside Portugal during the previous 12 months, the Portuguese authorities may require (in addition to the Certificate of No Impediment) that the party concerned provide 4 witnesses who can vouch for his/her identity and good character.

Translating and authenticating documents in English

All documents issued in the United Kingdom must be apostillised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Legalisation Office under the terms of the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents.   Consult their website for information on how to do this.  

Once they have been apostillised, they will have to be translated into Portuguese and authenticated by a notary public.  For the convenience of enquirers, we have drawn-up a list of translators in Portugal.  If you are in the UK, we advise that you contact your nearest Portuguese Consulate for advice on translating and authenticating your documentation there.

Giving notice of a marriage at a consulate in Portugal for the purpose of obtaining a certificate of no impediment

In order to receive your notice of marriage, the Consulate will need to see:

• Evidence that you have resided in their consular district for 21 days or more
• Your British passport
• If you are divorced or widowed, your divorce decree nisi absolute or former spouse’s death certificate
• Your fiancé(e)’s passport or ID card
• If your fiancé(e) is divorced or widowed, their divorce decree nisi absolute or former spouse’s death certificate

You will be asked to complete a Notice of Marriage and take an oath or affirmation.  

Giving notice of marriage in your country of residence for the purpose of obtaining a certificate of no impediment from a consulate in Portugal

If you do not live in Portugal, you will have to give notice of your intended marriage to the Civil Registrar or Consular Officer in the country and district in which you are resident.  Once your notice has been on display in their office for 21 clear days, they will issue confirmation that no impediment has been shown to your marriage taking place.  In exchange for such confirmation, the Consulate closest to the place of your intended marriage will issue a certificate of no impediment for production to the Portuguese civil registration officer.

Collecting your certificate of no impediment

If you cannot collect your certificate of no impediment and have asked a third party to do this on your behalf, please ensure they have a signed letter of authority from you so that we know they are your appointed representatives.  The Consulate will not hand over personal documentation to a third party unless they can show such authority.  

Nationality

Foreign nationals no longer acquire Portuguese nationality on marriage to a Portuguese citizen. However, they become eligible to apply after three years' marriage. Applications should be made to the Conservatória dos Registos Centrais, Rua Rodrigo da Fonseca 198-202, 1099-003 Lisbon. Under UK law, the acquisition of Portuguese nationality does not imply the loss of British nationality. However, a person who becomes a dual national is regarded in Portugal as Portuguese and should travel in and out of the country on a Portuguese passport or national identity card. In addition, they cannot claim assistance while in Portugal from the British authorities.

A Portuguese spouse does not acquire British nationality on marriage to a British national. They may, however, apply for registration as a British national following the marriage after completing 3 years' permanent legal residence in the United Kingdom.

Religious ceremony in English

The Anglican churches in Lisbon, Estoril, Oporto, Funchal and the Algarve and the Scottish church in Lisbon are not licensed for marriages. A religious ceremony or blessing may, however, be arranged after the legal civil marriage has taken place.  For more information, please contact the relevant church authority:

• For Lisbon and Estoril - http://www.bcclisbon.org/members?id=8
• For Oporto - http://www.stjamesoporto.org/welcome.htm
• For Funchal - http://www.holytrinity-madeira.org/the_church.php
• For the Algarve - http://www.allsaintsalgarve.org/
• For the Scottish Church in Lisbon - http://standrewslisbon.com.sapo.pt/

Recording of marriages celebrated in Portugal

A certified copy of the Portuguese marriage certificate may be transmitted by the Consulate to the relevant General Register Office (GRO) in the UK for deposit in their archives. The marriage certificate is deposited for record purposes only; it does not have the effect of registering the marriage in the UK.  

For those who wish to deposit their marriage certificate in this way, we advise that an international version of the certificate is requested from the Portuguese civil registration office in order to avoid the expense of having a Portuguese document translated.

Fees

Consular fees are payable in Euros for all the services described above – www.ukinportugal.fco.gov.uk

This information is provided as a general guide and is based on information provided to the Embassy by the relevant local authorities. The information is therefore only up-to-date and accurate to the extent that such authorities provide us with timely and accurate information. The British Embassy does not guarantee that this information is accurate and will not be liable for any inaccuracies in this information.