Preliminary publication process in Portugal
Civil Registry > Marriage Registration > Preliminary publication process
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Warning: To apply for this document you will need an appointment. Click here to book na appointment.
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Can I organize a wedding in Portugal?
- Both spouses (fiancé and fiancée) must be present and the spouse who does not live in the United Kingdom may be represented by a power of attorney granted at a Portuguese Notary’s Office or at a Consulate/Consular Section of the Portuguese Embassy in the country of residence.
- The process must be requested 3 months in advance;
- The Certificate is valid for 6 months from the date of issue;
- Consulate on the schedule day for the preliminary publication process. Check how to do the Consular registration here.
What documents do I need?
Portuguese Citizen
Foreign Citizen
It should be declared by the engaged couple
Portuguese Citizen
- Valid and updated Citizen’s Card or Identity Card;
- 1 actual colour photo, pass type;
- Proof of residence in the United Kingdom within the last 12 months;
- Birth certificate (the birth certificates of the spouses of Portuguese nationality will be extracted free of charge from SIRIC- Sistema Integrado de Registo Identificação Civil – if they have already been computerized by the Civil Registry Offices of Portugal. If they are not included in the SIRIC, the civil registration certificates shall be requested by the Consulate General in London from the Civil Registry Offices in Portugal of the place of birth of the spouse(s), pending the respective computerisation.
Foreign Citizen
- Valid passport or National Identification document recognised in the United Kingdom;
- Birth certificate of narrative issued less than 6 months ago by the local Conservatory in the country of birth;
- Divorce/death certificate in case the citizen is divorced or widowed on the date of the proceeding;
- Certificate of Marital Capacity, to be issued by the Civil Registry of the area of residence for British citizens and the Consulate/Embassy in London, or civil entity of the respective country for a citizen of another nationality;
- Proof of address in United Kingdom.
It should be declared by the engaged couple
- Type of marriage (Catholic or Civil);
- Date and place of marriage (name and address of the Civil Registry Office or name and address of the Church and name of Father), proven by email or letter from the Conservatory/Parish confirming the information provided;
- Property regime to which the marriage will be subject (Communion of Acquired, General Communion, Separation of Goods, or other);
- If there are any non-common children;
- Usual residence of the couple of Portuguese nationality in the past 12 months. If outside the United Kingdom, provide full address.
Informação regarding only the legislation of marital 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 model (Regulation EU 2016/2017) do not need to be legalised;
Member countries of the Vienna Convention (8 September 1976)
No legalization or translation into Portuguese is required;
Member countries of the Hague Convention (5 October 1961)
The legalisation of certificates should be done by The Hague Apostille;
Click here to see the list of countries and their conventions;
Any other country
You must consult the Portuguese Consular Newtork with jurisdiction over the territory issuing the certificate you wish to legalize and/or translate.
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 model (Regulation EU 2016/2017) do not need to be legalised;
Member countries of the Vienna Convention (8 September 1976)
No legalization or translation into Portuguese is required;
Member countries of the Hague Convention (5 October 1961)
The legalisation of certificates should be done by The Hague Apostille;
Click here to see the list of countries and their conventions;
Any other country
You must consult the Portuguese Consular Newtork with jurisdiction over the territory issuing the certificate you wish to legalize and/or translate.
Translation of Civil Registration Certififcates
Foreign certificates must be translated into Portuguese, except for the following:
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.
Observations
Adding Surname
Any wedding couple may, by simple act of their will, add up to a maximum of 2 surnames of the other to be declared at the time of the celebration of the marriage.
Age of Engaged Couple
According to the Civil Law, marriages may be contracted by married couples over the age of 16, however, in the case of a minor (16 to 18 years), authorization to marry is required from those who exercise parental power (article 1.600º of the Civil Code)
Obsticles
A marriage impediment is the previous marriage that has not been dissolved, even if the respective seat has not been registered in the civil status register. (article 1.600 of the Civil Code).
Married couples whose previous marriage has been dissolved by widowhood or divorce must respect the international deadline foreseen in article 1604 of the Civil Code, being for the engaged couple 180 days and for the engaged couple 300 days, therefore, they may not request the preliminary process for marriage without this deadline having elapsed.
Goods Regime
In the absence of a marriage contract or if it has expired or has lost its effectiveness, the marriage is considered to be concluded under the Communion of Purchased Persons regime (supplementary regime). If you want the Separation of Goods regime, the General Communion Regime or another agreement, you must grant the Antenuptial Convention. The Convention must be granted before the marriage and may be done in a Notary Public Office in Portugal or in this Consulate General by prior appointment.
The regime of General Communion is forbidden to those who have children not common.
The Imperative Regime of Separation of Goods applies to those who are 60 years old or older.
Applications for birth certificates in the United Kingdom
Contact the Conservatory of Birth Registration. Information through:
Requirements for acceptance of certificates of foreign citizens
Birth Certificates (multilingual model) of nationals of Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Macedonia, France, Italy, Yugoslavia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey may be drawn up in an appropriate format in accordance with the Vienna Convention of 8 September 1976 on the issue of multilingual certificates of civil status records and need not be certified or translated provided that the model contains the Portuguese language.
Birth Certificates of foreign nationals must be accompanied by their translation into Portuguese. The Certificate and translation must be legalized with the Apostille in accordance with the Hague Convention (please refer to the note on legalization and translation of documents) or authenticated by the Portuguese Consulate/ Consular Section in the country of origin. In the event that there is no Portuguese Diplomatic/Consular representation in the country where the document was issued, the translation and authentication may be made under the same terms by the Diplomatic/Consular representation in London of the country that issued the document.
Requirements for acceptance of certificates of matrimonial capacity
The Certificate of Marital Capacity for British citizens must be translated into Portuguese; this is personally applied for at the Civil Registry Office of the area of residence. The translation of the Certificate of Marital Capacity must be legalized, please refer to the note on legalization and translation of documents.
The Certificate of Marital Capacity must be issued in accordance with the Munich Convention of 5 September 1980 to nationals of the following countries: Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Turkey, requiring no translation or authentication.
Certificates of Matrimonial Capacity issued by the Diplomatic Representations of Cyprus, Greece, France, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Poland, Czech Republic, Sweden do not require a certification but only a translation into Portuguese. The translation must be legalized, please refer to the note on legalization and translation of documents.
Marriage Certificates issued by other countries must be translated into Portuguese. The certificate and its translation must be authenticated, please refer to the note on legalization and translation of documents.
- Certificates to be submitted will not be returned;
- Only originals of the certificates and identification documents will be accepted;
- The elements mentioned in the Birth Certificate must be in accordance with the Citizen’s Card, Identity Card or Passport;
- All documents must be translated into Portuguese, the translation and the original must be legalized;
Adding Surname
Any wedding couple may, by simple act of their will, add up to a maximum of 2 surnames of the other to be declared at the time of the celebration of the marriage.
Age of Engaged Couple
According to the Civil Law, marriages may be contracted by married couples over the age of 16, however, in the case of a minor (16 to 18 years), authorization to marry is required from those who exercise parental power (article 1.600º of the Civil Code)
Obsticles
A marriage impediment is the previous marriage that has not been dissolved, even if the respective seat has not been registered in the civil status register. (article 1.600 of the Civil Code).
Married couples whose previous marriage has been dissolved by widowhood or divorce must respect the international deadline foreseen in article 1604 of the Civil Code, being for the engaged couple 180 days and for the engaged couple 300 days, therefore, they may not request the preliminary process for marriage without this deadline having elapsed.
Goods Regime
In the absence of a marriage contract or if it has expired or has lost its effectiveness, the marriage is considered to be concluded under the Communion of Purchased Persons regime (supplementary regime). If you want the Separation of Goods regime, the General Communion Regime or another agreement, you must grant the Antenuptial Convention. The Convention must be granted before the marriage and may be done in a Notary Public Office in Portugal or in this Consulate General by prior appointment.
The regime of General Communion is forbidden to those who have children not common.
The Imperative Regime of Separation of Goods applies to those who are 60 years old or older.
Applications for birth certificates in the United Kingdom
Contact the Conservatory of Birth Registration. Information through:
- Website www.gro.gov.uk
- Phone 0044 (0)151 471 4806
- Email address Certificate.Services@ons.gsi.gov.uk
Requirements for acceptance of certificates of foreign citizens
Birth Certificates (multilingual model) of nationals of Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Macedonia, France, Italy, Yugoslavia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey may be drawn up in an appropriate format in accordance with the Vienna Convention of 8 September 1976 on the issue of multilingual certificates of civil status records and need not be certified or translated provided that the model contains the Portuguese language.
Birth Certificates of foreign nationals must be accompanied by their translation into Portuguese. The Certificate and translation must be legalized with the Apostille in accordance with the Hague Convention (please refer to the note on legalization and translation of documents) or authenticated by the Portuguese Consulate/ Consular Section in the country of origin. In the event that there is no Portuguese Diplomatic/Consular representation in the country where the document was issued, the translation and authentication may be made under the same terms by the Diplomatic/Consular representation in London of the country that issued the document.
Requirements for acceptance of certificates of matrimonial capacity
The Certificate of Marital Capacity for British citizens must be translated into Portuguese; this is personally applied for at the Civil Registry Office of the area of residence. The translation of the Certificate of Marital Capacity must be legalized, please refer to the note on legalization and translation of documents.
The Certificate of Marital Capacity must be issued in accordance with the Munich Convention of 5 September 1980 to nationals of the following countries: Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Turkey, requiring no translation or authentication.
Certificates of Matrimonial Capacity issued by the Diplomatic Representations of Cyprus, Greece, France, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Poland, Czech Republic, Sweden do not require a certification but only a translation into Portuguese. The translation must be legalized, please refer to the note on legalization and translation of documents.
Marriage Certificates issued by other countries must be translated into Portuguese. The certificate and its translation must be authenticated, please refer to the note on legalization and translation of documents.