Angolan documents for use in Portugal

Documents issued outside Portugal only have value with the Portuguese public administration once they are properly authenticated. For Angolan documents the route is consular legalisation, and the hardest part is usually done in Angola. This guide follows the order in which things happen: understand the regime, deal with the document in Angola, translate, and then see what you can request from Portugal.

Why there is no apostille

The Hague Apostille only works between countries that have joined the 1961 Convention. In the Hague Conference’s table of parties, Angola does not appear. Portugal has been a party since 1969, but that only helps with countries that are also parties.

Where the country of origin is not a party, AIMA explains that a document is only treated as legalised if the public official’s signature is recognised by a Portuguese diplomatic or consular agent in that country, with the consular white seal (article 440.º of the Code of Civil Procedure). That is why an Angolan document passes through more than one body.

Step by step in Angola

The Portuguese Consulate-General in Luanda describes three stages, in this order:

1. Angolan notary. The document is first authenticated by a notary in Angola.
2. MIREX. The Ministry of External Relations legalises the document that has already been authenticated. Confirm with the notary or MIREX how, where and at what cost the request is made.
3. Portuguese Consulate-General. It only recognises documents already legalised by MIREX, and the issue date must be less than five years ago. A certificate issued six years ago, for example, has to be requested again before you start.

The request to the Consulate is made by appointment on the Portal das Comunidades Portuguesas, choosing the category “Notariado” and the act “Certificação de Documentos”. According to the consulate’s page, the document is collected on the next working day, between 14:30 and 16:00, without an appointment but with the original receipt; same-day collection is not possible. Payment is in cash or by Multicaixa, and the amounts are in the consulate’s fee table: check it before you go. If you cannot attend, you can cancel the appointment on the same site.

The consulate’s list of acts says that authentication of documents requires a prior appointment. The consulate has email addresses by area, including notariado.cgluanda@mne.pt for notarial services. The Portuguese Consulate-General in Benguela also lists document recognition and authentication on its page, without detailing the procedure; contact it before you go.

If you cannot authenticate in Angola

AIMA provides an alternative: where authentication before the Portuguese consular authorities in the country of origin is not possible, recognition can be requested from the Directorate-General for Consular Affairs and Portuguese Communities (DGACCP) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Portugal, under Portaria no. 30/2012 as amended by Portaria no. 123/2019.

Documents obtained online

AIMA says documents issued online without an apostille need, at a minimum, authentication by the Portuguese consular authorities of the country where the person presenting them lives. For criminal record certificates, the official also confirms at the appointment that there are no convictions, using the electronic addresses printed on the certificate.

Translation

Documents in another language must come with a certified translation into Portuguese. Documents in English, French or Spanish do not need one, according to AIMA (article 49.º, no. 8 of the Civil Registry Code). A translation can be certified by, among others, a Portuguese notary or registrar, a lawyer or solicitor, a recognised chamber of commerce and industry, or the Portuguese consul in the country where the document was issued. Since Angolan documents are in Portuguese, there is usually nothing to translate.

Criminal record

The criminal record is the document you can request from Portugal from the Angolan consulate.

• Where. The Angolan Consulate-General in Lisbon issues the certificate to Angolan citizens or to people of another nationality. The person requesting it must attend in person.
• Appointment and documents. Booking is online, through the “Agendamentos” link on the site. The consulate provides a PDF with the requirements and an information sheet, which you hand in on the day of the appointment.
• Cost. €20 for standard handling, €40 for two days and €60 for one day. Payment is by Multibanco at the consulate or by bank deposit or transfer, with the receipt attached to the request. Payments are non-refundable.
• Postal delivery. You can ask for delivery by post; ask the consulate for the details.
• Validity. Ask the body that will receive the certificate how recent it must be, as it may have its own time limit.

At AIMA. In June 2025, AIMA clarified that criminal record certificates presented by Angolan citizens at its services do not need authentication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: AIMA checks their authenticity itself, using a list of staff of Angola’s diplomatic mission in Portugal who are authorised to validate them. That rule belongs to AIMA. Do not rely on it for other purposes, such as a visa application at a consulate or a file with another body, without checking first.

Other documents

The Angolan consulate in Lisbon lists registry services (birth, marriage, recognition of paternity or maternity, death, de facto union) and notarial services (powers of attorney, authentication of documents, recognition of signatures), but the services page does not describe what each one produces. For Angolan certificates, ask the consulate directly, or request them in Angola and follow the step-by-step above.

Which documents to submit depends on the process. For residence visas, the Consular Portal asks, among other things, for a criminal record with an apostille or legalisation; the visas guide summarises the list. For family reunification or degree recognition, Angolan certificates and degrees follow consular legalisation; for degrees, ask the institution which form of authentication it accepts.

Contacts

Angola in Portugal

• Consulate-General in Lisbon: R. Fradesso da Silveira, Alcântara Rio, Bloco E, 1300-260 Lisbon. Tel. 213 602 060. Email info@consuladogeral-angola.pt. According to the site, it opens on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; mornings (09:30 to 12:30) are for requests only, and afternoons (14:00 to 15:30) are for collecting documents only.
• Faro service point: Praceta Dr. Clementino de Brito Pinto, Ed. Sextante, Lt F, R/C Dto, Loja 6-C, 8000-327 Faro. Tel. 289 178 414. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 09:00 to 14:00.
• Consulate-General in Porto: Rua Dr. Carlos Cal Brandão, no. 132, 4050-160 Porto. Tel. 222 058 902. Address and phone are from the Embassy’s page. Confirm opening hours by phone before you go.

Portugal in Angola

• Portuguese Consulate-General in Luanda: Avenida de Portugal, no. 50, Luanda. Tel. +244 923 165 400. General email: consulado.luanda@mne.pt; notarial: notariado.cgluanda@mne.pt.
• Portuguese Consulate-General in Benguela: Av. Comandante Kassange, no. 36, Benguela. Tel. +244 225 200 003. Email consulado.benguela@mne.pt.

If something goes wrong

• Document refused because of its date: if it is more than five years old, request a new one before you restart the process.
• Authentication impossible in Angola: AIMA provides for the request to DGACCP, described above.
• Questions about what to submit: use the Path assistant to see your route, the message templates to write to the consulate or AIMA, and the glossary for terms such as apostille and legalisation.