Government of Canada services and information in Ponta Delgada, Portugal

Adopting abroad from Canada is a rigorous two-step legal process that involves meeting your home province's requirements, navigating the laws of the child’s birth country, and completing Canadian immigration or citizenship procedures.

Refer to The international adoption process and Adoption and surrogacy in Portugal.

Adopting in Portugal is a structured, Hague-accredited process open to married couples, cohabitating partners, and single individuals.

To be approved as an adoptive parent in Portugal, applicants must meet the following guidelines:

Age: Must be between 25 and 60 years old. Single applicants must be at least 30.

Age gap: The maximum age difference between the youngest parent and the adopted child cannot exceed 45–50 years.

Relationship status: Couples must have been cohabitating for at least 4 years and married for a minimum of 2 years.

Single parents: Both single men and single women are legally eligible to adopt.

If you qualify the process basically consists of:

• Home study: Prospective parents must complete an extensive home study conducted by a licensed social worker.
• Dossier and approval: Your documents must receive Apostille seals and be approved by the Portuguese Central Authority.
• Matching and travel: Once a child is matched with you, you will have a minimum of 2 weeks to review the child's files with a doctor. Afterward, you must travel to Portugal to meet the child. This in-country transitional period usually lasts 6 to 8 weeks.

Altruistic surrogacy is legal in Portugal but only under strict medical conditions and for residents or citizens. Commercial surrogacy remains strictly prohibited.

The key requirements are:

• Medical necessity: Restricted to women with a medical condition making pregnancy impossible or dangerous, such as the absence of a uterus.
• Altruistic nature: The surrogate cannot receive financial compensation beyond medical and pregnancy-related expenses.
• Eligibility: Access is generally granted to heterosexual couples (married or in a civil union), female couples, and single women. Solo fatherhood is not currently permitted.
• Biological tie: At least one of the intended parents must have a genetic link to the child.
• Residency: Intended parents must be Portuguese citizens or residents.

Refer to Children born outside of Canada.

There is no central registry of births abroad in Canada. If your child is born in Portugal, you must register the birth at the hospital or at the Civil registry closest to your residency in Portugal. The civil registry can issue as many Birth certificates as you may need, and there also an international certificate model issued in all the languages of the European Union, including English and French. Refer to Registration of birth Portugal.

Refer to Child abduction and parenting or custody issues.

Contact Consular services at the Canadian Embassy in Lisbon for further information if you are in Portugal.

Applying for a Canadian citizenship certificate from outside Canada and the United States

If you are required to submit a paper application, please register mail the application to the following address:

Embassy of Canada
Attn: Consular – Citizenship Services
Avenida da Liberdade 196-200, 3rd Floor
1269-121Lisbon, Portugal

Note: Canada only issues criminal record checks for individuals over the age of 18.

Refer to Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Criminal record checks.

To request a Criminal Record Check from Canada, you will need to have your fingerprints taken by the local police. This can usually only be done with a courtesy letter issued by the Embassy in Lisbon, asking the police to provide this service. For a courtesy letter we will need the following by email:

• A scanned copy of your Canadian passport page 2 and 3 as valid identification
• Payment of $30.00 CAD for the preparation of the letter
• The address for the letter to be mailed to
• or you may pick up the letter personally (by appointment only)
• The reason for the request for fingerprints, such as
• Residency permit renewal
• Residency visa
• Portuguese nationality
• Employment in Portugal

After you receive your Criminal Record check, it must be authenticated with an Apostille in Canada or by the Embassy in Lisbon. Only an original document, bearing the signature of the competent authority, may be apostilled. The fee for this service is $50 CAD per document to be apostilled and there is no rush service available.

• Only Visa and Mastercard are accepted for payment of these Notarial services
• Use the credit card authorization form

Refer to Death outside Canada.

The Canadian Embassy's Consular Services provides support and assistance in cases of death.

When death of a Canadian occurs in Portugal, Police authorities may be involved. No matter what the apparent cause of death is, there may be an investigation, and the case is reported to the Attorney General’s office and to the court for registry within 48 hours. When the remains are released by the coroner’s office, or by a hospital, next of kin must contract the services of the funeral agency to collect and take care of all funeral arrangements as per the families wishes. The funeral agency takes care of registering the death at the Portuguese civil registry, and all documentation for burial or cremation locally or to be shipped abroad. They can provide you with as many death certificates as you may need, in both Portuguese, or the international certificate model issued in all the languages of the European Union, including English and French.

Note: The official autopsy reports and police reports, if needed, can only be provided after the Attorney General’s office has authorized their release. These reports may take months to prepare.

Find information on Canadian divorce and separation.

To get a divorce certificate, but you are unsure where your divorce was filed, consult Canadian Central Registry of Divorce Proceedings.

For information on getting divorced in Portugal refer to Requesting Divorce or Separation in Portugal. If you require a list of lawyers in Portugal that speak English or French, please contact Canadian Embassy's Consular Services.

The Consulate cannot give any legal advice.

Refer to Marriage outside Canada and Marriage in Portugal.

If you are in Canada, contact the Portuguese consulate in your province or the Portuguese Embassy in Canada. The legal process requires you to file a process of Declaration of Intent to marry (Processo de Casamento) at a Portuguese Civil Registry Office (Conservatória do Registo Civil). You should start gathering and submitting your documents at least 3 to 6 months in advance.

There are several documents that you may need from Canada, such as a long form Birth Certificate, with parents’ names. The certificates are available from the Vital Statistics authorities in the province or territory where you were born. Also, a Statement in Lieu of Certificate of non-impediment is needed. This document can be provided by the Canadian Embassy in Lisbon. Please contact us by email on how to get this document, or for guidance on how to get any other document from Canada that is required.

The Embassy of Canada does not perform marriages.

Marriages in Portugal do not need to be registered in Canada. You can present your original marriage certificate from Portugal in Canada if you need to for any legal reason.

Consular officials do not provide any legal advice or represent a person in court. The office provides the following notarial services, by appointment only, to Canadian citizens and, in limited cases, to non-Canadian citizens if the documents are intended for use in Canada.

Note: Documents must be in English or French or accompanied by an official translation in English or French.

Authentication/Apostille

See Authentication of documents for information on getting an Apostille on a Canadian document.

The Embassy of Canada in Lisbon can issue apostilles on the following Canadian documents (fees apply):

• federally issued documents (such as RCMP certified criminal record checks)
• documents issued by Vital statistics offices from all provinces and territories (such as birth, marriage, death and change of name certificates); and
• documents issued in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island and Yukon

If your document was issued in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec or Saskatchewan, and is not a Vital Statistics document nor a document issued by a federal authority, then please consult Authentication of documents for the corresponding provincial authorities to request the apostille.

They can also:

Issue a Certified copy (certify the document is a true copy of the original):

• Documents presented by a Canadian citizen or a non-Canadian citizen for use in Canada; exceptions apply (fees apply).
• Government-issued identification requiring a certified true copy (fees apply).

Witness a signature (consular officer witnesses a signature):

• Documents presented by a Canadian citizen or a non-Canadian citizen for use in Canada; exceptions apply (fees apply).
• Government-issued identification requiring a witnessed signature (fees apply).

Note: Complete all documents before booking an appointment. Sign all documents in front of the consular officer.

Please send information regarding the notarial service you require and a clear, scanned copy of your complete document to lsbon.consular@international.gc.ca to see if we can offer this service.

The Embassy of Canada provides passport services within Portugal. Refer to Canadian passports: Applying from abroad.

You can pay online for all your passport services before completing your passport application.

Book an appointment to present your documents in person. Bring your online payment receipt to your appointment.

• Report a lost or stolen passport

Urgent passport assistance and special circumstances

If your passport was lost, stolen or damaged and if you need to travel in less than 20 business days, or if you need to retain your current passport while your application is being processed, please contact us by email to lsbon.consular@international.gc.ca or call +351 213 164 600.

Child and adult applications

Simply complete your passport application, add the required documents, pay your fee online and enclose a copy of the payment receipt.

Send your duly completed and signed application and online payment receipt by registered or traceable mail to:

Embassy of Canada
Consular Services
Av. Da Liberdade, 196/200, 3º
1269-121 Lisbon

Or book an appointment to present your documents in person. Bring your online payment receipt to your appointment.

• We do not send confirmation that we’ve received your application, and we will only contact you if the application is incomplete. Verify with the service used to mail your application to confirm when your letter was delivered.
• Once the application has been received and is duly completed, the processing time is 20 business days, plus the mailing time. If you wish to pick up your passport, please make an appointment after the 20 business days.
• If applications are not complete, they will be returned for completion by registered mail.
• We do not review passport applications by email.
• The process cannot be expedited by paying an additional fee as passports are printed in Canada.
• With your new passport, the previous cancelled passport, and any original documents sent with your application, will be returned to you.

Passports – Frequently asked questions:

• When should I renew my passport?
• Who can act as a guarantor?
• Who can act as a reference? References are required on all adult passport applications. References can reside anywhere, and they are not required to be Canadian citizens.
• What are the photo requirements?
• Do Canadians with dual citizenship need a Canadian passport to travel to Canada?
• My valid passport is filled with visa stamps. Can I add more pages or replace it for free?

Please see Passport Help Centre, for further questions you may have.

The Consulate in Ponta Delgada does not have access to individual files related to pensions. If you have a question about your file, you must contact Service Canada.

You must have your Social Insurance number on hand, and in accordance with the Canadian Privacy Act, no information is given to third parties unless authorization has been given previously and is on file.

Refer to Benefits for Canadians living abroad.

To apply for a retirement benefit from Canada, contact the relevant services at Service Canada.

For the Province of Québec, see Retraite Québec.

• The Consular service at the Embassy in Lisbon can help with certifying copies of your original documents, if needed for submission along with your pension application. This service is free of charge since the documents are for a Canadian government office.
• There is also a Portugal/ Canada international agreement on pensions. Refer to Canada/Portugal Social Security agreement.
• If you would like to receive your Canadian pension in your Bank account in Portugal by direct deposit.

Refer to Students and youth and EduCanada.

To establish the equivalency of foreign credentials, contact Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (in Canada).

Study permits

In most cases, you need a study permit to study in Canada. Find out if you need a permit and what documents you need before you apply. Also see Apply to travel, study, work or immigrate to Canada.

Scholarships

See International scholarship opportunities for non-Canadians.

Visa and immigration services are not offered at the Consulate of Canada in Ponta Delgada nor at Embassy of Canada in Lisbon.

Refer to Visas, Permits and Immigration.

• Find a visa application centre (VAC) to book an appointment to give your biometrics (fingerprints and photo).
• Submit an enquiry using the IRCC web form to contact a visa office.
• Lost/Stolen or Expires Permanent Residency cards see: How to apply for a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD).

Refer to Voting in an election while outside Canada.