The criminal record certificate (certificado de registo criminal) is the official document showing whether or not a person has convictions recorded in Portugal. It is frequently required in residence permit and nationality applications, adoption procedures, employment in certain roles, public recruitment competitions and many procedures abroad.
Who can apply
- The holder themselves, if an adult.
- A legal representative, in the case of minors or persons lacking legal capacity.
- A lawyer or attorney-in-fact with the necessary powers.
- Bodies authorised by law, in specific cases (for example, employers for roles involving contact with minors).
A foreign national who lives or has lived in Portugal can and should request their Portuguese certificate when it is required in immigration procedures or in another country.
Purpose: why stating the right one matters
When applying for the certificate, you must state its purpose (employment, immigration, nationality, adoption, etc.). This is not a detail: the law determines that, depending on the purpose, certain decisions may or may not appear on the certificate. A certificate requested for one purpose and presented for another may be refused by the body requiring it.
How to apply
Online
Anyone with a Portuguese citizen card and a card reader, or with the Chave Móvel Digital (Digital Mobile Key), can request the certificate on the Ministry of Justice’s criminal record platform and receive it as a PDF, with an access code that allows the receiving body to confirm its authenticity.
In person
At Ministry of Justice service counters, Lojas do Cidadão (citizen’s one-stop shops) and the registries of some courts, with an identity document.
Through a lawyer
This is the route used by those who do not have a Portuguese citizen card, are outside the country or cannot travel. The lawyer, holding a power of attorney, submits the application, states the correct purpose and delivers the certificate as a PDF.
How much it costs and how long it takes
The certificate has a small fee, of a few euros, paid at the time of application. When it is handled by a lawyer, the lawyer’s fees for the service are added.
In most cases, the certificate is issued on the same day or within a few working days. Applications for special purposes, or by people with recorded convictions, may take longer.
Validity
The certificate is valid for 3 months from the date of issue. Since many procedures take time, it is best to request it when you are close to submitting it, rather than months in advance.
For use abroad: apostille and translation
If the certificate is to be presented in another country, you will normally need:
- A Hague Apostille, affixed by the Procuradoria-Geral da República (the Attorney General’s Office), which confirms the authenticity of the document for countries that are party to the Hague Convention.
- A certified translation into the language of the destination country, where required.
In Portugal, lawyers can certify translations with full legal validity. See our document certification and translations service.
Criminal record from your country of origin
Please note: in residence permit and nationality procedures in Portugal, AIMA and the IRN (Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado, the Registries and Notaries Institute) normally also require a criminal record certificate from your country of origin and from any country where you have lived for more than one year. That certificate is issued by the authorities of that country, must be apostilled or legalised and translated, and should not be confused with the Portuguese certificate.
How we can help
We request the Portuguese certificate on behalf of our clients, stating the correct purpose, and arrange the apostille and translation when the document is going abroad. See our Portuguese criminal record certificate service or contact us.
This article is for general information and is not legal advice on your specific case.