Notaries will begin issuing electronic apostilles starting in January 2027

The Government has regulated the legalization of documents through the affixing of apostilles by notaries, which will now be issued on an electronic platform managed by the Ordem dos Notários (Order of Notaries). Ordinance No. 452/2026/1, of October 12, was published in the Diário da República, 1st series, no. 197, of October 12, 2026, in the Justice section, and is signed by the Secretary of State for Justice, Ana Luísa da Silva Gonçalves Machado, on October 8, 2026. The regulation enters into force on the day following its publication, but only takes effect as of January 1, 2027.

The ordinance develops subparagraph i) of paragraph 4 of article 4 of the Notary Statute, approved by Decree-Law No. 26/2004, of February 4, which grants notaries the competence to legalize documents through apostilles, under the terms to be established by ordinance of the member of the Government responsible for the area of justice. The diploma was issued under the powers delegated by Order No. 9883/2025, published in the Diário da República, 2nd series, no. 159, of August 20, 2025, and took into account the Hague Convention, of October 5, 1961, relating to the abolition of the requirement for legalization of foreign public documents.

The apostille is the formality by which a competent authority of the Portuguese State recognizes the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the signatory of the public act acted and, where applicable, the authenticity of the seal or stamp appearing on the public act.

Platform managed by the Ordem dos Notários

The electronic platform for affixing apostilles is provided and managed by the Ordem dos Notários and is accessible at the website www.notarios.pt. It is the responsibility of the Order to define access profiles and manage the entries of notaries and workers authorized to perform notarial acts, who authenticate themselves with qualified electronic certificates that prove their professional status or another means of identification with similar security guarantees.

The platform must adopt open standards, under the terms of Law No. 36/2011, of June 21, and the Order maintains an electronic register of the apostilles issued, with the elements provided for in the Convention and the data relating to the apostilled document, the applicant, and the presenter. The Order also maintains a register of signatures, stamps, and seals of the entities authorized to draw up public acts, which notaries use to confirm authenticity.

Request, issuance, and verification

The apostille, and the verification of an already issued apostille, may be requested by the interested party or by any holder of the public act, in person at any notary office or electronically via the Order’s website. The competence covers public acts within the meaning of the Convention, with the exception of those originating from the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the courts, and legalization is only valid if carried out using the electronic platform.

Issuance follows two paths:

• Paper document: the form is printed on white paper, signed by the notary or authorized worker, stapled to the document, and stamped with the notary office’s white seal.
• Electronic format document: a single PDF/A file is created, containing the dematerialized public act and the form covering the act, signed with a qualified electronic certificate and with qualified timestamps affixed by the Order.

Each apostille generates a two-dimensional barcode (QR code) with an alphanumeric access code, delivered immediately to the applicant, and is numbered non-sequentially. Authenticity can be confirmed by reading the QR code or by the alphanumeric code, number, and date of the apostille, at the website www.notarios.pt. The file may not exceed 10 MB, unless authorized by the Order when there is a legitimate interest and it is not technically possible to reduce the size.

Fees, honoraria, and data protection

As the managing entity, the Order of Notaries may charge notaries fees for the management of the platform, under the terms of the Statute of the Order of Notaries, approved by Law No. 155/2015, of September 15. The amount due for the issuance and verification of an apostille is charged directly by the notary office where the act is performed, and the notary may charge honoraria under the terms of Article 14 of Administrative Order No. 385/2004, of April 16, plus value added tax.

The Order is the entity responsible for the processing of personal data, under the terms of Law No. 58/2019, of August 8, and Regulation (EU) 2016/679, and it is responsible for ensuring the rights of information, access, and rectification. The National Data Protection Commission was consulted. Access to the platform is recorded individually, with date, time, user identification, and information consulted, and this record is kept for two years for auditing and supervision purposes.

Entry into force

The administrative order enters into force on the day following its publication and takes effect from January 1, 2027, the date from which legalization by apostille will depend on the electronic platform.

The measure affects citizens and companies that need to validate Portuguese documents abroad, by replacing the paper-based circuit with a digital procedure featuring a qualified signature, QR code, and online verification, and by establishing the rules for the collection of fees and charges applicable from 2027.

Source: Diário da República, 1st series, no. 197, of October 12, 2026, Justice (official reference: Portaria no. 452/2026/1).