How much a certificate costs in Portugal
Portugal has Europe's shortest bill for Portuguese-speaking applicants — and the reason is linguistic: with no sworn translation, the item that usually dominates the cost in any other country disappears. Three small items and one variable remain.
The typical items
Typical figures, to confirm case by case:
- Certificate issuance: in the range of €10 to €20 per copy, depending on the type (integral or narrative) and the channel.
- Digital version with access code: usually costs less than paper — and for use within Portugal it often suffices.
- Apostille (Prosecutor General's Office): its own administrative fee, typically in the €10-25 range per document.
- Tracked shipping Portugal→Brazil: from ~€15 (registered) to €50-70 (courier).
- Local help, if hired: the mission value you set + King Hands' single 20% fee.
The item that does NOT exist
Sworn translation: zero. The Portuguese certificate enters a Brazilian proceeding as is — and the Brazilian one enters a Portuguese proceeding likewise. In the other European corridors, that item alone usually costs more than everything else combined. It is what makes the Portuguese document Europe's cheapest end to end.
Where the cost can grow
- Searches in old records (pre-1911): if the record is in a parish/district archive, the certificate may involve a paid search or a certified reproduction from the archive.
- Additional copies: each copy repeats issuance + apostille. Order all the copies at once.
- Urgency: express issuance and shipping multiply the normal fees.
A sample bill
A realistic scenario: a paper full-copy certificate (~€15) + apostille (~€15) + courier (~€60) = around €90, all included, no translation. If no one of yours is in Portugal, add the mission of whoever fetches, apostilles and dispatches — which in Lisbon or Porto is among the fastest missions of the European corridor.
Frequently asked questions
Does the online certificate work for Brazil?+
The digital access code is accepted by Portuguese bodies. For proceedings in Brazil that require an apostilled document, the safe path is the paper certificate with a physical apostille.
Where is the Portuguese apostille issued?+
At the Prosecutor General's Office and its delegations (Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, Évora). It is a Portuguese stage — before shipping.
Informative content about request procedures. We do not cover citizenship or visa eligibility. Rules and amounts may change; always confirm before acting.