In our series of legal requirements for getting married in another country we’ll take a brief look at Portugal.

Portugal is a popular destination for many non-Portuguese nationals to marry with stunning scenery, beautiful venues and rugged coastlines.

To legally marry in Portugal, bride and groom must both be 18 years of age although a marriage may take place with parental consent if bride and groom are aged 16-17. In neither case must the intending spouses be related.

Bear in mind that your ceremony will be performed in the Portuguese language with no exceptions so if this makes you uncomfortable then you can opt to have a Portuguese to English translator present to convey everything that is being said.

Something that makes arranging a wedding in Portugal simpler than in some other European countries is there is no need to have resided in Portugal for any length of time prior to your wedding day.

The most official part of the marriage arrangements in fact takes place before you even arrive in Portugal and an established Portuguese wedding planner can guide you through all the formalities. This is because certain official documents must be provided to the Registo Civil in the area where you wish to marry. The Registo Civil is equivalent to the Registry Office and where births, deaths and marriages are recorded.

Note that some documents must be authenticated, or legalised, by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to be accepted by the Portuguese authorities. More about authentication can be found on our Certified Translation page or via the FCO site itself.

If you happen to be resident in Portugal then you must provide your residence permit, otherwise your passport is required and this is one document that need not be translated. Likewise, the Certificate of No Impediment which must be provided does not require translation since this is ordinarily obtained from the embassy and therefore issued in Portuguese.  

Documents which must be translated following the authentication/legalisation process are as follows. Birth certificates and, if applicable, divorce documents and death certificates if one of the intending spouses is widowed. To be accepted in Portugal these translated documents must have been authenticated within the preceding six months.

Unlike the UK, where there is no sworn translation system, the way to have a document recognised by the Portuguese authorities is to ensure your documents are translated by a court sworn translator. This is usually a professional linguist qualified to degree level who is authorised by a district or regional court in Portugal to provide official translations. The on-document certification and accompanying certification with stamp confirms this official status. Contrast this requirement when a document must be translated from Portuguese to English for the UK authorities.