EU documents, no apostille? Marriage in Portugal

By Rodrigo MaranhãoLawyer in Lisbon · Updated on 18 October 2026

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If you searched for “eu documents no apostille portugal marriage”, you are likely trying to understand what paperwork a foreign fiancé needs for a wedding in Portugal. The listed requirements include identity documents, a birth certificate and, when issued by the person’s country, a certificate of matrimonial capacity. The application also involves choices about the ceremony and property regime.

If you would rather have support from start to finish, see how I work as a lawyer for getting married in Portugal.

EU documents, no apostille? Start with the checklist

For a foreign fiancé, the marriage application includes documents used to identify the person and assess the process. The listed items are a passport or residence permit, a birth certificate and, if the person’s country of nationality issues one, a certificate of matrimonial capacity. The birth certificate must be legalised and translated into Portuguese if its original is in another language.

These requirements give you a practical starting point when preparing a file with documents issued in another country. Identify which papers you have, the country that issued each one and the language in which it was issued. That preparation helps you see which parts of the stated checklist apply before you plan the application.

The initial list is not necessarily the full set for every application. Other documents may be required if they prove necessary to assess the process. I would avoid treating a general document list as a complete assessment of your file, particularly when your personal circumstances involve more than one country.

Important: Do not assume that the birth certificate alone completes the foreign fiancé’s paperwork. The listed requirements also include identification and, where the person’s country issues it, a certificate of matrimonial capacity. Prepare the file around all applicable items before relying on a proposed wedding date.

Documents for a foreign fiancé

The foreign-national checklist gives two alternatives for identification: a passport or a residence permit. You should identify which document you will use for the application and make sure the rest of the file refers to the same person. The requirements also call for a birth certificate, with legalisation and Portuguese translation when applicable.

The certificate of matrimonial capacity is conditional rather than universal. It is required if the country of the foreign fiancé’s nationality issues this certificate. If you are unsure whether your country provides one, establish whether it is issued before filing, rather than assuming that every country uses the same document or name.

The documents should be considered together because the Conservatória (Civil Registry Office) examines the application as a whole. For example, a couple may have one partner whose country issues a certificate of matrimonial capacity and another whose country does not. The relevant checklist can therefore differ between the two partners.

This table summarises the stated requirements for a foreign fiancé. It separates documents required in the listed checklist from the certificate that applies only when the person’s country issues it.

Birth certificates and language

A foreign fiancé’s birth certificate is part of the listed marriage paperwork. If the original is written in a language other than Portuguese, it must be translated into Portuguese. The stated requirement also describes the certificate as legalised, so these are two separate points to consider when the original is in another language.

For a couple preparing a certificate issued outside Portugal, begin by checking the document’s language and whether it has been legalised. The distinction matters because a translated certificate and a legalised certificate are not the same thing in the stated checklist. Treat each requirement separately as you assemble the papers.

For example, if one fiancé has a birth certificate in German, the Portuguese translation requirement applies because the original is not in Portuguese. The couple also needs to account for the listed legalisation requirement. The same checklist applies to a certificate issued in another foreign language.

Important: A common paperwork mistake is to arrange a translation and overlook the separate legalisation requirement. Another is to focus on legalisation but submit a certificate in a foreign language without a Portuguese translation. Check both points before the application is assessed.

Starting the marriage process

The process starts when the couple declares that they wish to marry. In that declaration, you state the form of marriage, the property regime and the place, day and time of the ceremony. These choices form part of the application, so they should be considered before you submit the declaration.

The available forms include a civil marriage, a Catholic marriage or a civil marriage celebrated in religious form. The couple must also indicate a property regime. If you want an agreement that sets a regime other than the acquired-property community, a prenuptial agreement may need to be arranged through the appropriate in-person route.

The Conservatória examines the application and authorises the marriage if it concludes that there are no impediments. If it does not authorise the marriage, the couple is notified personally or by registered letter. Until the wedding day, anyone who knows of an impediment may report it to the Civil Registry Office.

The declaration includes the ceremony’s place and timing as well as the couple’s property choice. A lawyer can review the paperwork and the terms you intend to declare before filing, especially where foreign documents or a prenuptial agreement are involved. That review helps you prepare the application without promising a particular decision.

Applying online

The online process requires one member of the couple to authenticate using a Portuguese Digital Mobile Key (Chave Móvel Digital) or Citizen Card (Cartão de Cidadão). That person enters the identification and marriage details requested. The other member then receives a message that the request has been made and must also authenticate to confirm it.

After both members complete their steps, the request is sent to the chosen Conservatória. The couple is notified about the progress of the process. The online submission itself does not mark an appointment as confirmed: the appointment is scheduled only after the Conservatória sends its confirmation.

That distinction matters when you are planning travel around a wedding in Portugal. Submitting the online request is one step in the process, while the appointment confirmation comes later. Keep the planned date flexible until the Conservatória confirms the appointment, rather than treating the initial submission as a confirmed booking.

The online route cannot be used to make a prenuptial agreement. If you want to make one, you need to go to a Civil Registry Office or a notary’s office. You can still prepare other parts of the marriage application online, but the agreement must be handled through one of those in-person routes.

In-person process and ceremony choices

An in-person process begins with the couple declaring that they wish to marry. The declaration states whether the ceremony will be civil, Catholic or civil in religious form. It also records the chosen property regime and the place, day and time of the ceremony, giving the Conservatória the details needed to examine the proposed marriage.

Where a priest or minister of a religious community established in Portugal starts the marriage process, a request signed by that person must be presented. This route differs from the couple making the declaration themselves, so it is useful to identify who will initiate the process before assembling the application.

The assessment focuses on whether there are impediments to the marriage. If the Conservatória authorises it, the ceremony can proceed within the applicable period. If it does not authorise it, the couple receives notice personally or by registered letter, and a known impediment can be reported to the Civil Registry Office up to the wedding day.

Important: Do not confuse a proposed ceremony date with an authorised marriage. The Conservatória assesses the process before authorising the wedding, and an unauthorised marriage is notified to the couple. Leave enough room in your plans for the application to be examined before treating the ceremony arrangements as settled.

Marriage fees and additional costs

The process and registration fee is €120. It includes the process before the marriage and the registration made when the couple marries. A fee of €200 applies to specified non-urgent arrangements, including a ceremony outside the Conservatória or one held there outside service hours, on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday.

If the ceremony takes place outside the Conservatória, you must also provide transport or pay the registrar’s travel costs. A marriage treated as urgent under the law is charged at €120; imminent risk of death for one member of the couple is given as an example. These details can affect the total amount to budget for the ceremony.

The following comparison separates the process and registration fees from the additional costs associated with a prenuptial agreement. Check which ceremony arrangement you are planning and whether the couple intends to make a convention before estimating the total.

Property regimes and prenuptial agreements

The couple must indicate a property regime in the initial declaration. If you want to define a regime other than the acquired-property community, a prenuptial agreement is required. The agreement is not available through the online process, so you need to arrange it at a Civil Registry Office or a notary’s office.

Making, changing or cancelling a convention using one of the regimes provided for in the Civil Code costs €100. For an atypical regime, meaning one not provided for in the Civil Code and defined by the couple within legal limits, the stated fee is €160. These amounts are additional to the marriage process and registration fee.

Since the property regime is declared as part of the marriage process, settle the intended arrangement before filing. I would pay particular attention to this step when the couple wants a regime other than the acquired-property community, because the agreement must be completed through a separate in-person route.

Legal support can help you review the proposed property regime and prepare the related paperwork before submitting the marriage application. The aim is to ensure that the declaration and the agreement reflect the couple’s intended choice, without promising a particular outcome from the Conservatória’s assessment.

Marriage by proxy

If one fiancé is represented by a proxy, a power of attorney must be presented. It can be granted through an authenticated document, a public instrument prepared by a notary or an official at a Portuguese consulate, or a document signed by the represented person with their signature acknowledged in person.

The power of attorney must identify the other fiancé by name, age, place of birth, habitual residence and parentage. It must also state the property regime and the form of marriage, whether civil, Catholic or civil in religious form. These details connect the proxy’s authority to the specific marriage and choices declared by the couple.

Before relying on a proxy, check that the document uses one of the stated forms and contains all the required information about the other fiancé. A power of attorney that does not identify the intended marriage choices may not meet the stated requirements. Our legal support for marriage in Portugal can include reviewing the documents and preparing the application.

Examples and next steps

Imagine a German citizen and a Portuguese citizen planning a civil marriage in Lisbon. The foreign fiancé’s listed documents include a passport or residence permit and a birth certificate. A certificate of matrimonial capacity is also required if the German citizen’s country of nationality issues one; the birth certificate must be legalised and translated into Portuguese if its original is in another language.

Now imagine two foreign nationals from different countries who want to marry in Portugal. Each foreign fiancé should consider the identification and birth-certificate requirements, along with the conditional certificate of matrimonial capacity. In their declaration, the couple states the ceremony form, property regime and proposed place, day and time.

For either couple, the process and registration fee is €120, subject to the €200 fee for the specified non-urgent ceremony arrangements. An outside ceremony also requires transport or payment of the registrar’s travel costs. A prenuptial agreement may involve a separate fee depending on the property regime selected.

The ceremony must take place within six months of the Conservatória’s authorisation. Before making arrangements around a date, prepare the listed documents, decide which ceremony form and property regime you want, and account for any agreement that must be made in person. Legal assistance can help review the file and accompany the application process.

About the author

Rodrigo Maranhão

I am a lawyer admitted to practise in Brazil, Portugal and Spain. At Vilanova Maranhão Advogados, in Lisbon, I help people from abroad who want to live in Portugal or Spain. I also know this reality as an immigrant: I have lived in Europe for almost ten years.

• Portuguese Bar Association (Ordem dos Advogados) · Registration no. 60554L
• Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) · Pernambuco · Registration no. 22.372
• Madrid Bar Association (ICAM) · Spain · Registration no. 144875