Criminal Record Certificate (Police Clearance Certificate) in Portugal

A criminal record certificate from Portugal, often called a police clearance certificate, a criminal record check or a certificate of good conduct, is in Portuguese the certificado de registo criminal, or simply registo criminal. Some older lists and lawyer pages call this service “Police Clearance Certificate / Criminal Record Check”. English-speaking lawyers in Portugal help with two different needs: obtaining the Portuguese certificate, and preparing a certificate from your own country for a Portuguese procedure.

Who needs it

• People who lived in Portugal and now need proof of a clean record for a job, a visa or a licence elsewhere.
• Applicants for Portuguese citizenship, who are asked for certificates from every country they have lived in, see citizenship application.
• New residents whose residence file calls for a certificate from home, see temporary residence card and D7 visa.
• Employers, adoption bodies and volunteering organisations that require a check.

A certificate issued in Portugal

The register is kept by the justice ministry's criminal identification service and the certificate is issued online, at justice counters or by post. Online access uses the Portuguese citizen card with a reader or the mobile digital key, which many former residents no longer have; the alternatives are a signed request sent by post or a person in Portugal authorised to collect it. For use in another EU country the portal can produce a European model in the language you choose, designed to travel without translation; for other countries an apostille is added by the Portuguese prosecution service (Procuradoria-Geral da República). Residents applying to the immigration agency (AIMA) can in many cases authorise it to consult the register directly instead of producing the certificate.

A certificate from your own country

Portuguese consulates and AIMA ask for a recent certificate from the country of nationality and from the countries of residence, legalised with an apostille or, where the convention does not apply, through the consular route, and usually with a certified Portuguese translation. Americans normally bring the federal identity history summary, British applicants a police certificate. The receiving office decides what it accepts, and the rules have changed more than once, so the lawyer confirms the current list before the appointment. A certificate is not the same as a check for a pending case, see arrest warrant check.

What a lawyer does

Orders the Portuguese certificate in your name under a power of attorney, obtains the apostille or the European model, checks that foreign certificates are the right type and correctly legalised and translated, and files the complete set with the authority. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Questions and answers

Can I get my Portuguese criminal record certificate from abroad?

Yes: online with Portuguese digital credentials, by post, or through a lawyer authorised to request it.

Is a police clearance certificate the same document?

In Portugal yes. The only certificate of this kind is the certificado de registo criminal, whatever the foreign form calls it.

Do I need an apostille and a translation?

For another EU country the European model is usually enough. Elsewhere an apostille from the prosecution service and often a translation are requested.

How long is the certificate valid?

It carries a validity period and most authorities want a recent one; the lawyer times the order to the appointment.

Can a foreigner living in Portugal get one?

Yes, with a Portuguese identification or tax number; a lawyer can request it on your behalf.