Cabo Verde documents for use in Portugal

Documents issued outside Portugal only have value with the Portuguese public administration once they are properly authenticated. For Cabo Verde this is simple to explain, because both countries use the same system, the Hague Apostille, and much of the work can be done remotely. This guide shows how to request and apostille each document, what it costs, how long certificates stay valid and who to turn to in Portugal.

The regime: the Hague Apostille

According to the Hague Conference, Cabo Verde acceded to the 1961 Convention on 7 May 2009, and it entered into force for the country on 13 February 2010. Portugal is also a party. AIMA explains that when the country of origin is a party to the Convention, a document is recognised by affixing the apostille. You do not need to go through a Portuguese consulate.

Two practical notes:

• The apostille certifies the authenticity of the signature, seal or stamp on the document, according to the Consular Portal.
• Cabo Verdean documents in Portuguese need no translation. Those in a language other than English, French or Spanish need a certified Portuguese translation, according to AIMA.

Exception set out by AIMA: electronic criminal records issued by the Cabo Verdean authorities do not need authentication. AIMA’s March 2026 FAQs add that Cabo Verdean citizens upload the original criminal record online, in the personal area of the application, instead of sending it by post.

Who issues the apostille

Cabo Verde’s Consular Portal says the apostille is issued by the Directorate-General for Consular Affairs (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) or by the Directorate-General for Registries and Notaries (Ministry of Justice). Authentication, which is a different act, is done only by the Directorate-General for Consular Affairs.

There are two formats:

• Electronic apostille. Requested online, for original electronic documents (birth, marriage or death certificates, criminal records) or copies of them, while they remain valid and available on a secure public server. The portal says it is faster and more secure, but advises checking first whether the foreign authority accepts it. Before you choose it for a process in Portugal, ask the body that will receive the document.
• Paper apostille. Collected at a public institution at no extra cost, or posted to your home for €15. Posting takes up to 10 working days, because it is sent by mail from Cabo Verde.

The standard price given is €8 per apostille.

Step by step on the Consular Portal

1. Register on the Consular Portal.
2. Choose Services, then Notary, then Apostille.
3. Choose paper or electronic.
4. Attach a copy of the document. You can request only one document at a time, so a file with five certificates means five requests.
5. Pay.
6. Wait for the services’ reply.

You need an identity document and the documents to be apostilled. When you request a document through the portal itself, you can choose where to receive it: at home, at a diplomatic mission or at the Directorate-General for Consular Affairs in Praia. If you prefer to go in person, book an appointment at one of the diplomatic missions.

Certificates and criminal record

The Consular Portal offers birth, marriage, death and recognition-of-filiation certificates, the certificate of capacity to marry and transcriptions of records made abroad.

• Birth certificate: €8 (the multilingual version costs €20).
• Marriage, death and filiation certificates: €8 each.
• Certificate of capacity to marry: €53.80.

The portal says civil registry certificates are valid for six months from issue, so request them close to the date you will use them. For the certificate of capacity to marry, confirm the validity on the portal.

The criminal record certificate covers the record of people aged 16 or over. It is requested on a Cabo Verdean government site, not on the Consular Portal itself; confirm the price, deadline and validity on the site where you apply. If a Portuguese body asks for the document, ask it how recent a certificate it accepts.

In Portugal, ask at the Espaços Cidadão (citizen service points) and on gov.pt about where to request Cabo Verdean certificates.

Documents for the visa and for residence

If you are still in Cabo Verde and applying for a residence visa, the list of documents is in the Consular Portal’s supporting-documents page: among them, the criminal record with an apostille or legalisation, travel insurance and proof of means of subsistence. The visas guide summarises the rest. As for where to submit the application, the “where to apply” page says that in Cabo Verde VFS takes applications of all types, except medical evacuations, family reunification and higher-education study visas under Portaria no. 111/2019, which go to the Portuguese Embassy in Praia.

For family reunification or degree recognition, Cabo Verdean certificates follow the apostille rules above. For degrees, ask the institution which form of authentication it accepts. In Portugal, the CPLP guide explains the route for someone who holds a residence visa.

Consular contacts in Portugal

• Consular Section of the Embassy of Cabo Verde in Lisbon: Avenida do Restelo, 33, 1449-025 Lisbon. Tel. 213 041 440. Email pt.consulado@mnec.gov.cv.
• Honorary consulates, according to the portal’s consular network:
  • Porto: Rua Camões, 219, 2.º Esq., 4000-145 Porto. Tel. 222 031 077.
  • Coimbra: Rua Pinheiro Chagas, 27, 3000-333 Coimbra. Tel. 239 488 200.
  • Setúbal: Estrada das Machadas, 96, 2900-060 Setúbal. Tel. 265 230 257.
  • Portimão: Rua Portas da Serra, 37, 1.º Esq., 8500-603 Portimão. Tel. 282 417 720.
  • Angra do Heroísmo: Caminho de Baixo, 37, Quinta da Estrela, 9700-023 Angra do Heroísmo. Tel. 295 332 842.
• The Consular Portal lets you book an in-person appointment.

If something goes wrong

• Certificate out of date: request another and have it apostilled again.
• Electronic apostille refused: request the paper version and allow up to 10 working days for posting.
• More than one document: the portal accepts only one per request; submit the requests in parallel to save time.
• Questions about what to submit: the Path assistant helps you see your route, the message templates help you write, and the glossary explains apostille and other terms.