The Portuguese birth certificate — the certidão de nascimento — is the certified proof of the facts entered in the Civil Registry about a person's birth. It can be presented to public and private bodies in Portugal or abroad.
Which version is appropriate depends on the purpose. Some procedures accept online access, others require paper, a recently issued certificate or a fuller copy of the record.
What the record proves
The certificate proves the birth facts entered in the Civil Registry. The entry — the assento — may also carry later annotations that form part of the record.
Details that usually identify the record:
- Full name
- Date and place of birth
- Parents' names
- Registry office (Conservatória) or entry details, where available
If you cannot put most of these together, ordering a certificate is not the first step — identifying the record is. That is what our Portuguese civil record search is for.
Online, paper, recent and full copies
- Online certificate: consulted with an access code valid for six months from issuance
- Paper certificate: used when the receiving body requires paper
- Recently issued certificate: requested where there is a currency requirement
- Fuller or integral copy: relevant when a procedure requires a more complete reproduction of the entry
- EU multilingual standard form: a translation aid that accompanies the public document in eligible EU uses
Do not choose a format by its name. Start from what the body receiving the document actually requires.
Why people request a Portuguese birth certificate
- Portuguese nationality and descent cases
- Inheritance and proof of family relationships
- Marriage, consular and civil-status procedures
- Court, notarial and administrative proceedings
- Personal records and genealogy
A useful point for Portuguese nationality cases
Some nationality procedures indicate that the Portuguese birth certificate may be dispensed with where the birth is already registered in Portugal and the registry office, the year and the entry number are identified.
This does not apply to every nationality procedure. Confirm the documents required in your own case. If the certificate is needed, or if you do not have the entry details, Portugal Papers can obtain it.
Older civil and parish records
Recent entries are normally obtained through the Civil Registry. Older records, once transferred into the archive system, may sit in the District Archives or in the Torre do Tombo.
In descent research, many records predating the 1911 Civil Registry are parish baptism records. That route is different from requesting a recent certificate through Civil Online.
Need us to obtain the right record?
If the record can already be identified, the Portuguese birth certificate service is the ordinary route. If you are outside Portugal and want the practical steps, read how to get a Portuguese birth certificate from abroad. If the certificate will be presented outside Portugal, read the guide to using it abroad.
Related guides
Portuguese birth certificate from abroad
The practical steps for requesting the certificate while you are outside Portugal.
Portuguese birth certificate for use abroad
Apostille, translation and what the destination country expects.