Apostille - Authentication of foreign public documents
Australia lodged its Instrument of Accession to The Hague Convention abolishing the requirement for Legalisation of Foreign Public Documents on 9 August 1994. Accession came into force for Australia on 16 March 1995. Therefore it is no longer necessary to have the Portuguese authorities authenticate an Australian publicly issued document which has had an Apostille affixed.
The Convention applies to documents which in the past would have been subject to the process of formal legalisation. In other words, having an Apostille simplifies the series of formalities associated with using public documents outside Australia.
Under the Convention an Apostille, which involves the addition of a simple certificate, either stamped by a rubber stamp on the document itself or put on a separate piece of paper firmly attached to the document, assists the Portuguese authorities to rely on the facts set out in the document.
In general, the most common 'public documents' which Australian and foreign nationals who were born or who have lived in Australia are asked to provide to the Portuguese authorities with an Apostille are birth, marriage, death certificates and divorce decrees.
The Australian Embassy in Lisbon issues Apostilles to affix to Australian publicly issued documents.
The Apostille (certificate/stamp) is in the form of a square with sides at least 9 cms long. The fee for the issue of the Apostille can vary from month to month depending on exchange rates. These fees are payable under the Consular Fees Act 1955.
You can registered the issue of an Apostille by sending via post to the embassy the original document. The document should be accompanied by a letter specifically requesting an Apostille. If you do not specifically request an Apostille, another type of authentication may be given which is not acceptable to the Portuguese authorities.
Australian Embassy
Consular Section
Av. da Liberdade, 200-2
1250-147 Lisbon
Pay the correct amount of money mentioned above in the fees either by bank transfer or credit card. Your document will be returned by registered post so please ensure you include your current postal address. If you need your document urgently, please book an appointment with us.
Please note that if you do not already have the publicly-issued document, for example a birth or marriage certificate, on which you need to have an Apostille affixed, you will need to obtain one from the appropriate State or Territory Registry of Births, Deaths or Marriages.
Apostille stamps may not be affixed to marriage certificates issued by a marriage celebrant at your marriage. An Apostille stamp may only be affixed to a marriage certificate issued by one of the State or Territory Registering Authorities.
If you have further queries, please contact the Consular and Passports Section at the Embassy on either via email or by calling 21 310 1500.
Disclaimer: This information has been compiled to assist those persons making enquiries about and/or those wishing to have Apostille stamps affixed to Australian publicly-issued documents. Whilst every care has been taken in preparing this information and to ensure its accuracy, the Australian Embassy in Lisbon cannot accept any responsibility for the success or otherwise of your enquiries, nor for any costs involved in them.