Getting Married in Portugal

Yes, a wedding in Portugal is entirely possible for German citizens without any difficulty.

Yes. A civil marriage performed in Portugal is fully recognised in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. We take care of the entire bureaucratic process and all the paperwork for you.

Both are possible:

• Option A – Symbolic ceremony: you have your civil wedding in Germany and celebrate an emotional symbolic ceremony in the Algarve with a professional wedding celebrant.
• Option B – Civil wedding in Portugal: directly on site, whether in a villa or on the coast, fully recognised throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland. All that is needed is a power of attorney, with which we handle all documents and dealings with the authorities in Portugal for you. A bilingual, certified celebrant translates the official ceremony in a legally sound way and then moves into a personal symbolic speech.

For the civil marriage ceremony you will need:

• Identity card or passport, valid for at least another 6 months
• International birth certificate in the long version, showing the names of both parents
• International certificate of no impediment to marriage for both German fiancés (issued by your local registry office)
• If divorced or widowed, additionally: international marriage certificate (extract from the marriage register)

No surprises. Official fees, certificates and permits – for example for a ceremony on the beach – are a fixed part of your individual budget calculation, which we draw up together in our very first introductory meeting. Handling all of this is included in our fair all-inclusive fee, and all payments run transparently through the project account of our German GmbH.

Registration takes place through the preliminary marriage procedure (Processo Preliminar de Casamento) at a Portuguese civil registry office, the Conservatória do Registo Civil:

• The procedure can be opened at any Conservatória in Portugal – you do not need to live in Portugal.
• It is opened no earlier than six months and no later than one month before the planned wedding date.
• You declare your intention to marry and submit your documents. These should be no more than six months old; documents in other languages need a certified Portuguese translation.
• The registry office checks that there is no impediment to the marriage and then approves the ceremony.
• You do not need to travel for this: the declaration can also be made by an authorised representative. With your power of attorney (Procuração), we handle the registration and all dealings with the authorities on site for you.
• At the ceremony itself, an interpreter is required if one of you does not speak Portuguese – this role is taken on by our bilingual, certified celebrant.

You should begin planning one and a half years before your intended wedding date. This leaves enough time to secure your preferred date with popular service providers.

Portuguese is my mother tongue, and after more than 25 years in Germany I speak German just as perfectly. I negotiate directly with authorities, venues and partners and translate for you – completely commission-free. Many suppliers in the Algarve also speak German or very good English. And I know the right service providers on the ground:

• Photographers
• Make-up artists
• Florists
• Venues (including on the beach)
• Accommodation
• Travel providers
• Lawyer (for legal matters relating to the marriage)

Yes, same-sex weddings have been legal in Portugal since 2010.