If you’re planning a wedding in Portugal and you’re not a Portuguese citizen, one question comes up again and again: can foreigners actually get married in Lisbon, or anywhere else in Portugal? The short answer is yes — you do not need to be a resident, and there is no restriction on nationality. What you do need is to go through Portugal’s civil marriage registration process, which is separate from planning the wedding celebration itself.
This guide walks through the legal side: who can marry, which documents you’ll need, how long it takes, and what it costs. At the end, we explain how 2GO-Events fits into the picture — because while we are not a law firm, we work with couples through exactly this process every wedding season and can point you to the right partners for the paperwork while we take care of the celebration.
Note: requirements and fees can change, and every case (previous marriages, specific nationalities, non-Hague-Convention countries) can add extra steps. Always confirm current requirements with the Conservatória do Registo Civil or your embassy/consulate before finalising travel plans.
Can Foreigners Get Married in Portugal?
Yes. Portugal does not require either partner to be a resident or a citizen. Both partners must simply be legally free to marry, at least 18 years old (16 with parental consent), and able to provide the documentation described below. This applies whether you’re American, British, Canadian, Australian, Brazilian, or any other nationality.
Legal Requirements to Get Married in Portugal
- Both partners must be at least 18 (or 16 with parental/guardian consent, depending on your home country’s rules).
- Both partners must be legally free to marry — not currently married elsewhere.
- Both partners are generally expected to attend the civil registry process in person, though some steps can be handled through a Power of Attorney.
- Two witnesses aged 18 or older are required at the civil ceremony itself.
Documents You’ll Need
Requirements vary slightly by nationality and marital history, but most couples need to gather:
- Valid passport or national ID card for both partners.
- Birth certificate, usually required to have been issued within the last 6 months.
- Certificate of No Impediment (CNI) — an official document from your home country or embassy confirming you are legally free to marry. This is usually the step that takes longest, so it’s worth starting early.
- Divorce decree or death certificate, if either partner was previously married.
- Certified Portuguese translations of all foreign-language documents, done by a certified translator.
- Apostille or consular legalisation of your documents — countries in the Hague Apostille Convention (including the US, UK, Canada and Australia) use an apostille stamp; other countries need full consular legalisation instead.
Registering Your Marriage: Step by Step
- Get your Certificate of No Impediment from your home country’s registry office or embassy.
- Apostille or legalise your birth certificate, CNI, and any other foreign documents.
- Arrange certified Portuguese translations of everything.
- Submit your application to the Conservatória do Registo Civil (Civil Registry Office), along with the registration fee.
- Wait through the publication period — Portuguese law requires the intention to marry to be published for a period (commonly around 30 days, though embassies often advise budgeting a minimum of 4 weeks) to allow any objections.
- Hold your civil ceremony at the registry office (or another approved location) with two witnesses aged 18 or older.
- Receive your official marriage certificate.
How Long Does It Take?
Once your Certificate of No Impediment and other documents are ready, the Civil Registry’s own processing typically takes a minimum of several weeks. Including document gathering, apostille, and translation, most couples should budget 2 to 3 months from start to finish — and once approved, the marriage authorisation is usually only valid for a limited window (often cited as around 3 to 6 months), so timing your paperwork against your wedding date matters.
How Much Does It Cost?
- Civil registry fee: around €120 for a standard appointment, rising to roughly €200 for ceremonies outside normal office hours or on weekends.
- Apostille fees: vary by country, typically a modest fee per document.
- Certified translation: varies by document and language.
- Optional legal assistance to manage the paperwork on your behalf: typically a few hundred euros, and often worth it for couples coordinating everything from abroad.
Civil Registration vs. Your Actual Wedding Day
Here’s something many couples don’t realise: the legal civil registration does not have to be the same event as your wedding celebration. Many international couples choose to complete the legal paperwork quietly — sometimes even in their home country, or in a brief registry appointment in Portugal — and then hold a symbolic ceremony on their actual wedding day, officiated by someone of their choosing, in the venue and style they’ve always pictured. This takes the legal deadline pressure off the day itself and gives you complete creative freedom over the ceremony.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Americans get married in Lisbon?
Yes. US citizens follow the same process as other foreign nationals: Certificate of No Impediment (available through the U.S. embassy/consulate or state-level process), apostille, certified translation, and registration with the Conservatória do Registo Civil.
Do we need to live in Portugal to get married here?
No. Residency is not required to marry in Portugal.
Does marrying in Portugal give us residency rights?
No — marriage to a Portuguese citizen does not automatically grant residency. That is a separate application through AIMA (the Portuguese immigration and asylum agency).
Can we have a religious or symbolic ceremony instead of dealing with all this on our wedding day?
Yes — many couples handle the legal registration separately and reserve their wedding day for a symbolic or religious ceremony with no legal paperwork involved.
How 2GO-Events Can Help
We are wedding producers, not lawyers — but after years of producing destination weddings across Cascais, Sintra, Lisbon and Comporta, we know this process well and work alongside legal and translation partners who handle it for our couples every season. While they take care of the paperwork, our team focuses on what we do best: designing and producing a wedding day that feels nothing like “just another wedding.”
If you’re planning to get married in Portugal as a foreigner, let’s talk about both sides of the process — the legal steps and the celebration itself.
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This page is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Marriage requirements and procedures in Portugal can change, and specific circumstances (previous marriages, certain nationalities, documents from non-Hague Convention countries) may require additional steps. Please confirm current requirements directly with the Conservatória do Registo Civil or your embassy/consulate.