Divorce
Civil Registry > Marriage Registration > Divorce
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The Consulate General of Portugal in London does not register divorces.
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There are different procedures depending on the date of the divorce judgment:
Divorce judgment pronounced before March 1, 2001
Divorce given before 1 March 2001: the decision must be reviewed and confirmed by a Court of Appeal in Portugal (there are 5: Coimbra, Évora, Guimarães, Lisbon and Porto) and the person concerned must be a lawyer in Portugal to deal with the case.
Divorce judgment pronounced after March 1, 2001
According to Council Regulation (EC) No 2201/2003 of 27/11/2003, divorces by mutual consent or litigation pronounced by the courts of a Member State after 01/03/2001 are recognised in Portugal without the need for confirmation by a Portuguese court. It is sufficient to request from the Civil Registry Office the registration of the divorce with the respective birth and marriage records, accompanied by the following documents:
- before 1 March 2001
- after 1 March 2001
Divorce judgment pronounced before March 1, 2001
Divorce given before 1 March 2001: the decision must be reviewed and confirmed by a Court of Appeal in Portugal (there are 5: Coimbra, Évora, Guimarães, Lisbon and Porto) and the person concerned must be a lawyer in Portugal to deal with the case.
Divorce judgment pronounced after March 1, 2001
According to Council Regulation (EC) No 2201/2003 of 27/11/2003, divorces by mutual consent or litigation pronounced by the courts of a Member State after 01/03/2001 are recognised in Portugal without the need for confirmation by a Portuguese court. It is sufficient to request from the Civil Registry Office the registration of the divorce with the respective birth and marriage records, accompanied by the following documents:
- Translated and apostilled divorce judgment
- Certificate (form) provided in Article 39 of Regulamento CE nº 2201/2003, issued by the court that issued the translated and apostilled decision.
Information relating only to the legalisation of certificates of civil status
United Kingdom
British certificates do not need to be legalized or translated into Portuguese;
European Union countries (EU28)
In the EU, certificates issued in a bilingual format (Regulation (EU) 2016/1191) do not need to be legalised;
Member countries of the Vienna Convention (of 8 September 1976)
No legalization or translation into Portuguese is required;
Member countries of the Hague Convention (of 5 October 1961)
Certificates must be legalised by The Hague Apostille;
Click here to see the list of countries and their conventions.
Any other country
You must consult the Portuguese Consular Network with jurisdiction over the territory issuing the certificate you wish to legalize and/or translate.
Translation of Civil Registration Certificates
Foreign certificates must be translated into Portuguese, except for the following:
United Kingdom
British certificates do not need to be legalized or translated into Portuguese;
European Union countries (EU28)
In the EU, certificates issued in a bilingual format (Regulation (EU) 2016/1191) do not need to be legalised;
Member countries of the Vienna Convention (of 8 September 1976)
No legalization or translation into Portuguese is required;
Member countries of the Hague Convention (of 5 October 1961)
Certificates must be legalised by The Hague Apostille;
Click here to see the list of countries and their conventions.
Any other country
You must consult the Portuguese Consular Network with jurisdiction over the territory issuing the certificate you wish to legalize and/or translate.
Translation of Civil Registration Certificates
Foreign certificates must be translated into Portuguese, except for the following:
- British certificates;
- Certificates issued in the EU model 2016/1191;
- Multilingual certificates of the Vienna Convention;
- Certificates issued in English.