What you need for Portugal
Why people send Canadian documents to Portugal
Each situation has its own requirements. Here are the ones we see most often, with the detail that avoids a refusal.
Portuguese citizenship by descent
Many Canadians of Portuguese heritage apply for citizenship as the child or grandchild of a Portuguese citizen. The file is handled by the Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado (IRN), often through the Conservatória dos Registos Centrais, and relies on Canadian birth certificates that prove each parent-child link. The nationality law was amended by Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, in force since May 19, 2026, notably for grandchildren, who must show effective ties to Portugal.
Registering a marriage celebrated in Canada
A Portuguese citizen who married in Canada must have the marriage transcribed into the Portuguese civil registry, at a Conservatória or through a Portuguese consulate. The key document is the Canadian marriage certificate, apostilled. The civil registry accepts documents in French, English or Spanish without translation when the officer understands the language.
Residence visa and residence permit
For a residence visa (retirement, passive income, remote work, studies), and then for the residence permit issued by AIMA, you will almost always be asked for a police certificate from your country of residence. If you live in Canada, that is a criminal record check, most often from the RCMP, with an apostille. AIMA specifies that an electronic certificate without an apostille must, at a minimum, be authenticated by consular authorities.
Estates, property and powers of attorney
Inheriting a family home, selling land or getting a tax number (NIF) without travelling often takes a power of attorney (procuração) signed in Canada. Signed before a Canadian notary and then apostilled, it can be presented to a notary, lawyer or solicitador in Portugal. For an estate, you will generally also be asked for the Canadian death certificate, apostilled.
Which Canadian authority apostilles your document
The authority depends on where in Canada the document was issued or notarized, never on where you live now or where the document is going. We confirm it at the free pre-check, before you send anything.
| Document | Canadian authority | Notary first? |
|---|---|---|
| Birth, marriage or death certificate | The province that issued it (Québec, Ontario, BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan), or Global Affairs Canada for all others | No |
| RCMP criminal record check | Global Affairs Canada | No |
| Degree, diploma, transcript | The province of the institution | Often, depending on the province |
| Power of attorney, statutory declaration, affidavit | The province of the notary or lawyer | Yes, the notarial act is what gets apostilled |
| Corporate documents | The province of the registry, or Global Affairs Canada for Corporations Canada | Sometimes, depending on the document |
Do you need a translation for Portugal?
In principle, a foreign document presented to Portuguese authorities must come with a certified Portuguese translation. The rules published by AIMA, however, exempt documents written in English, French or Spanish. The civil registry also accepts these three languages without translation, as long as the officer understands the language. Since Canadian apostilles are in French or English, a Canadian file often goes through with no translation at all.
When a translation is requested (by a notary, a bank, a court or an office where the officer does not read French), it must be certified under Portuguese rules: by a notary, a registry officer, a lawyer or solicitador practising in Portugal, a recognized chamber of commerce, a translator certified by one of these, or a Portuguese consul. A certified translation done in Canada is therefore not automatically accepted. Our advice: first ask the authority whether it wants one; we can then coordinate a certified translation if needed.
Three mistakes that delay a file for Portugal
Avoid this
An electronic police certificate without an apostille
A certificate printed from an online service, with no apostille, is not accepted as is: AIMA requires at least consular authentication and confirmation that there is no criminal record. Have the certificate apostilled before you file.
Avoid this
A short-form certificate to prove parentage
For citizenship or to register a record, Portugal must link each person to their parents. A short-form birth certificate without the parents' names cannot do that. Order the detailed version before the apostille, for every generation in the file.
Avoid this
Relying on the old citizenship rules
The nationality law was amended in May 2026, and many online guides still describe the old conditions. Confirm your eligibility with the IRN or your consulate first.
Useful guides: RCMP fingerprints from abroad · Birth certificates · RCMP criminal record check · Powers of attorney · Video notarization from abroad
Does Portugal accept Canadian apostilles?
Do my French documents need to be translated into Portuguese?
Can the Portuguese consulate legalize my Canadian document?
Which police certificate do I need for a Portuguese visa?
Can I sign a power of attorney for Portugal without travelling?
Does the new nationality law change the documents I need?
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