How to Get Portuguese University Documents from Abroad

Left Portugal and now need a diploma, transcript or academic certificate from your former university? In most cases, the first step is not apostille or translation. It is getting the correct document from the institution.

Portugal Papers handles that Portuguese side for clients abroad. Send us the university, course and the document or foreign requirement. We identify the right academic record, prepare the request and continue with authentication, apostille, certified translation or delivery when the file needs them.

Which university document do you actually need?

Portuguese higher education institutions issue several types of academic evidence. Common requests include a diploma or certidão do registo, transcript of records, certificado de habilitações, academic declaration, course-completion certificate and diploma supplement.

The name used by the university is not always the same as the wording used by an employer, university, regulator or credential evaluator abroad.

If you have a checklist or email from the receiving authority, send it to us. We match the foreign requirement to the Portuguese document before the request is made.

The university issues the document

There is no single national portal that issues every Portuguese university diploma or transcript.

The academic document comes from the higher education institution itself. Each institution sets its own request channel, identification requirements, payment process, delivery format and collection rules.

That is why a request from abroad can be simple at one university and require a different route at another.

Portugal Papers identifies the academic service responsible for the record and coordinates the available request and collection route.

You usually do not need to travel back to Portugal

Many academic records can be requested remotely, but the exact method depends on the institution.

Some universities accept an online or email request. Others use a former-student portal, require a signed form or ask the graduate to complete one personal step before a representative can continue.

We work around the route the university actually uses. If the institution needs something directly from you, we tell you exactly what to do and take over the rest of the file.

If the document will be used abroad

Getting the university document is only the first part of many international files.

Documents from Portuguese public higher education institutions are public educational documents for apostille purposes.

Documents issued by private higher education institutions can require a prior higher-education authentication step through IES, I.P. before apostille.

After the document is ready, Portugal Papers can continue with the correct Portuguese route, including IES authentication, apostille, certified translation and international delivery.

What to send us

Start with what you know:

  • university or higher education institution
  • course or degree
  • your full name while studying
  • approximate study or graduation dates
  • student number, if you still have it
  • the document you were asked to provide
  • destination country or receiving authority, if the document will be used abroad

You do not need to know the exact Portuguese document name before contacting us.

One request from the university to the finished international file

The useful part of handling this in Portugal is continuity.

We can start with the university request, collect the academic document through the available route and then move the same file into authentication, apostille, translation and delivery.

You do not need to coordinate the university, the Portuguese authentication authority, the apostille office and a translator separately.

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