Transcription of Marriage and Death

 

Civil life acts performed in another country regarding a Portuguese citizen should obligatorily be registered in Portugal.

 

The Portuguese citizen who married abroad, before the authorities of another country, shall transcribe their marriage in the Portuguese legal system. The same occurs with death registration acts of Portuguese citizens who pass away in another country.

 

Only after registering the marriage in Portugal will the Portuguese authorities consider the act that was performed abroad as valid. The act becomes part of the civil registrations in Portugal through the transcription.

 

Certificates and documents required for these procedures, that are written in a foreign language, should be accompanied by a certified translation, in accordance with the law. The documents issued and written in English, French or Spanish may have the requirement of translation dismissed, given that the employee who analyzes the application is fluent in the language in which the document is written.

To request the transcription of the marriage, that can be done at a Portuguese Consulate or at any Civil Registry Office in Portugal, the following documents will be needed:
 

·       Foreign marriage certificate:

·       Certified copy of the prenuptial agreement, if granted.

·       Birth certificate of the bride or groom who is a foreigner, if applicable.

·       Identification document of the parties (or the interested applicant).

·       Power of Attorney (if performed by a proxy).

The services may demand foreign documents be legalized under Article 440, No.1 of the Code of Civil Procedure, or, alternatively, be apostilled under the terms of the Hague Convention.

 

A Portuguese citizen who resides abroad and was married before a Portuguese Consulate does not need to carry out any additional procedure, since the respective marriage record will be integrated in the Portuguese civil registration system computer database.

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