Legal requirements for a wedding in Portugal

You do not need to be a resident or a citizen of Portugal to get legally married here. We have had couples from the USA, Hong Kong, and Australia come to Portugal to get married in this sunny gem on the Atlantic.

There are two legally recognized ceremony types in Portugal: the civil ceremony and the Catholic ceremony. Couples of any faith are welcome to celebrate their wedding, but only these two will be legally binding by themselves.

In contrast to other wedding destinations in Europe, Portugal has no strict limits on where the ceremony can take place. Your registrar will come to you! You can even get married on the beach with the proper approval from the Mari Police.

Portugal is amongst the easiest places to get married in Europe as a foreigner. Ireland has similarly easy legal requirements, but other sunny destinations like Italy and Spain are a bit more complicated. The entire legal process usually only takes 3-5 months (depending on how fast you can obtain the required documents from your home country).

For submitting documents on your behalf, and navigating any language barriers, having someone local on the ground is recommended. Wether that is a local lawyer or a local wedding planner in Portugal, is entirely up to you.

Take note that it usually takes at least four weeks from submission until you are issued a marriage license, and once the license is issued, the wedding must take place within six months.

Making it one of the earliest and most LGBTQ+-inclusive countries in Europe for destination weddings.

Both partners need to present their valid passport. If you are a European Union citizen you can use your EU ID card.

An original long-form birth certificate showing your full name and your parents' names. Short-form or hospital copies are generally not accepted. Must be apostilled and translated within the last 6 months.

This is the most important and often most difficult document to obtain. It confirms you are legally free to marry. This means that you are not already married, and that under the laws of your home country nothing stands in the way of your marriage. The name of this document and the issuing authority may differ by nationality:

• 🇺🇸 US citizens: You can execute a notarized Statement of Eligibility to Marry at the US Embassy in Lisbon for about $50
• 🇬🇧 UK citizens: Certificate of No Impediment from the General Register Office
• 🇦🇺Australian citizens: Certificate of No Impediment from the Australian Embassy or state registry
• 🇭🇰 Hong Kong residents: Certificate of Absence of Marriage Record from the Hong Kong Immigration Department, apostilled
• 🇪🇺 EU citizens: Equivalent certificate from your home country's civil registry. (In some cases, you might also be able to give an oath right at the Standesamt that there is no impediment to your marriage)

A certified copy of the final divorce decree (Decree Absolute in the UK), apostilled and translated. In some cases, the Registry may also require a certificate confirming the divorce is final and not under appeal.

A certified, apostilled, and translated death certificate of the previous spouse, plus the previous marriage certificate.

Birth certificates for any children you have had together prior to the marriag

If a lawyer or your wedding planner is submitting the application on your behalf, a signed and notarised power of attorney is required. Note that even with representation, both partners must attend the ceremony in person.

If marrying on a beach, a marine police licence and approval from the local council are required in addition to the standard marriage licence.

All weddings in Portugal are performed in the Portuguese language. If one of you does not speak Portuguese, a sworn interpreter must be present.

Only a certified officiant or a Catholic priest can marry you. Your wedding cannot be officiated by your friend, a priest of other denominations, or a celebrant. Your registry office will assign your officiant to you.

You must both be over the age of 18 to get married in Portugal and you may not be closely related to each other.

Witnesses are not a requirement for a legally-binding wedding in Portugal. But you are welcome to have up to two witnesses to be present during your ceremony, and many of our couples choose to do so.

Portugal recognises two legally binding ceremony types: a civil ceremony (conducted by a civil registrar, at the registry or at a venue of your choice) and a Catholic religious ceremony. A Catholic wedding can be recognized as legal if you request it, but you can also simply get married in a Catholic ceremony that holds no legal value.

Other religious or symbolic ceremonies require a civil wedding to be legally valid.

With no strict limitations on the choice of wedding venue, you are free to choose one that captures your heart. If you want to get married outdoors, your officiant may request you arrange shade or shelter from rain. If you get married on a beach, you will need approval of the Maritime Police.

For a civil ceremony, contact the registry office closest to your chosen venue and ask them for a complete list of documents that are needed for your specific case. This may vary depending on your nationality and wether you have been married before.

For a Catholic ceremony, get in touch with the office of your chosen to church to enquire about the precise documents they will need from you and your parish at home. They might also share wether they have an English-speaking priest.

Obtain the required documents from your home country. Make sure to have them properly apostilled and formally translated. Be careful about the timing: documents like the birth certificate must be no older than 6 months.

If you can travel to Portugal a few months before your wedding day, you can submit the paperwork yourselves. Otherwise, you can grant power of attorney to your local wedding planner in order to submit your documents on your behalf.

The registry office will review your documents. This usually takes between 4-6 weeks but can take longer if any documents are missing. Ince approved, you will be issued a marriage license that is valid for six months. Your wedding must take place. during this time.

Once the licence is issued, confirm your ceremony date and location. If you are marrying at a private venue (vineyard, hotel, beach), the registrar will travel to you. Confirm interpreter arrangements at this stage if needed.

The ceremony will be conducted in Portuguese language (we can arrange a translator for you) and takes about 20 minutes. Witnesses are not required but you can choose to have them present.

Popular venues might be booked out early, so make sure you reserve your date well in advance. But many wedding venues in Portugal still have decent availability (especially in the shoulder seasons or for dates during the week) even on a shorter notice of a few months.

Find out which precise documents will be needed for you two. For most couples, the documents will be the same, but a few special requirements might be necessary to fulfil.

Make sure to request all documents from the authorities of your home country, and have them apostilled and translated.

Submit all documents to your chosen Civil Registry Office, either directly or through a representative with power of attorney.

• Submit all documents: passports, birth certificates, CNIs, translations, and divorce records if applicable
• Notify the registry of your venue if marrying offsite so the registrar can be scheduled

Once your documents have been approved and you receive your license to marry, you can confirm your date and your ceremony location with your registrar.

Your registrar will come to your chosen ceremony location and lead you through the marriage ceremony. This usually takes around 20 minutes.

Yes. Portugal was one of the first countries to legalise same-sex marriage in 2010. The requirements for same-sex couples are identical to those for any other couple. There is one notable nuance: if your home country does not recognise same-sex marriage, you will not be able to obtain a standard CNI. In that case, your country's embassy in Portugal can typically provide a statement confirming that same-sex marriage is not permitted in your home country, which the Portuguese Civil Registry will accept in lieu of the usual certificate.

The civil ceremony and registration will cost between €100 - €200. Expect additional costs for translations and apostilles.

In most cases, yes. For US citizens, contact the Attorney General's office in your home state. For UK citizens, the marriage is generally valid in UK law without additional steps, though registering it with the General Register Office is advisable. As always, check with a legal professional in your home country for your specific situation.

No. A Catholic ceremony is one of two legally-recognized wedding types in Portugal. This means, on request, your Catholic ceremony can be recognized as legal.

But if you prefer to simply hold a Catholic ceremony that holds religious but no legal value, that is perfectly possible.

Your wedding date can only be confirmed once your submitted documents have been approved and you have received your license to marry. If there should be any problems with your paperwork that lead to significant delays, it is possible that you will have to change your wedding date. If you have already booked your venue and your vendors for the day, this can become a challenge.

Expert advice from Patrícia, Peach Perfect Weddings planner in Portugal: "This is why I make sure to work closely with my couples as they prepare their documents. We need to be really sure that your documents are correct, as well as properly apostilled and translated so that we can avoid any delays that might lead to a postponement. I also work with a lawyer to further speed up the process for my couples. So far we have had no issues and all of my couples got to marry on their intended days, luckily :)"

A symbolic wedding carries no legal weight but it’s a great choice if you want full customization of your wedding ceremony and zero legal paperwork. Symbolic weddings mean no rules or requirements, and no extra effort to request and submit documents. When you renew vows in Portugal, it will surely be a breeze, because you won't need to worry about any legalities, and you can focus on the heartfelt ceremony.

A Catholic wedding ceremony is easily recognized as legally binding by Portugal.

The process and required documents are slightly different to a civil ceremony. You need to secure approval for the religious ceremony from a local priest of a Portuguese church. We are happy to help you find an English-speaking priest and help guide you through the church's requirements.

Unlike Catholic weddings, wedding ceremonies of other religions are not considered legally binding in Portugal without a separate civil ceremony. Marriage ceremonies of all faiths are very welcome, but be aware that you will need to do the extra step of having an additional civil ceremony if you want your marriage to be legal.

First off, Portugal has a very lenient and uncomplicated process for a legal wedding. In fact, you don’t need to be a resident or a citizen to be legally married here. Neither do you need a property in Portugal or a relative residing here to qualify for a legal wedding.

Unlike in other European countries, including France and Germany, you don’t need to scout for wedding venues in Portugal with a special license to hold legal weddings.

Even beach weddings can be a legally binding in Portugal with only one requirement - a license that needs to be secured before your wedding day.

Should you decide to have a legal wedding here, you can expect her experienced assistance from our planner when you add legal paperwork as an item to any of our wedding packages in Portugal.

Having said that, we always advise our couples that it's best to have a symbolic rather than a legally-binding ceremony for their destination wedding in Europe.

While the legal process is straightforward, there is a slight risk involved: If your documents are not approved (because they are incomplete, or not correctly apostilled and translated) you might not receive your license to marry on your intended wedding day. Since there is only a 6 month window of validity for some requested documents, you cannot begin the legal process earlier than that.

Our experienced planner makes sure to work with you and a trusted local lawyer to make sure all runs smoothly and this scenario never materializes. But it is still a risk you should be aware of.

With a symbolic ceremony, you will elope in Portugal without worrying about legal requirements.