A Portuguese company wants to open a bank account in Spain, register a branch in France, or bid for a public contract in Germany. In every one of these cases, the receiving authority will ask for the permanent certificate of the commercial registry (certidão permanente) translated and certified. Without it, the process stalls.
The permanent certificate proves a Portuguese company's legal existence: its shareholders, share capital, registered office and the people authorised to sign on its behalf. It is issued online by the Portuguese Commercial Registry (Conservatória do Registo Comercial) with an access code valid for a limited period. For use abroad, that content has to be rendered into the destination country's language through a process that preserves its legal standing.
What "certified" means here
There is no sworn translation in Portugal. That term applies to countries such as Brazil, Spain, France, Germany or Italy, which have state-recognised sworn or certified translators. For Portuguese documents, the correct process is called certified translation.
In practice, a translator renders the permanent certificate and declares, before a lawyer registered with the Portuguese Bar Association or before a notary, that the translation faithfully matches the original. Both the lawyer or notary and the translator sign the certificate, which is attached to the translated document. This replaces, for Portuguese purposes, what other countries call sworn translation.
If the document is going to a country with its own sworn translator system, such as Spain, France or Germany, it is worth confirming with the receiving institution there whether it accepts the Portuguese certification or requires a local sworn translator. This requirement varies by institution and by the type of process.
When the certificate needs an apostille
Certified translation confirms that the content has been faithfully transferred into another language. It does not, by itself, confirm that the original document is recognised as authentic outside Portugal. That is what the apostille does.
If the destination country is party to the Hague Apostille Convention, the permanent certificate (or the translation, depending on what the recipient requests) receives an apostille issued by the Portuguese Attorney General's Office (Procuradoria-Geral da República, PGR). This is the only body that apostilles Portuguese documents, whether commercial certificates, notarial deeds or academic records.
If the destination country is not party to the Convention, the apostille does not apply. In those cases the document goes through legalisation by the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then the destination country's embassy or consulate in Portugal. Angola and Mozambique are not parties to the Apostille Convention, so Portuguese documents destined for those markets always follow this classic consular legalisation route, never the apostille.
The order of these steps matters. As a rule, the original (or the certified translation, depending on what the recipient requires) is apostilled first, and only then does the file move forward. A common mistake runs the other way: sending the translation without the apostille and discovering weeks later that the foreign bank or registry has rejected the file for missing that stamp.
Documents that usually travel with the permanent certificate
A permanent certificate rarely travels alone in an internationalisation process. It is usually accompanied by:
- Articles of association, when the recipient wants detail on the company's object and governing bodies
- Powers of attorney, when someone will sign on the company's behalf in the destination country
- Tax and social security clearance certificates, in public procurement processes
- Financial statements, in banking or investment processes
Each of these documents has its own path through certification and, potentially, apostille. It is worth gathering the complete list of what the foreign authority requires before ordering any translation, to avoid repeated one-off requests and repeated certification costs.
Anyone who has already handled employment contracts for expatriates or court documents will recognise the same principle: whenever more than one document is involved, it is more efficient to process them together. The same logic applies to the related topics of certified legal translation services and sworn translation for court documents.
How M21Global handles this type of request
M21Global translates permanent certificates and other commercial registry documents from Portuguese into dozens of languages, with certification valid for use in Spain, France, Germany, the UK, Brazil, Angola and Mozambique. The team knows the differences between certified translation, apostille and consular legalisation, and advises each company on which applies to its specific destination.
For documents with this legal weight, M21Global recommends the Estratégica tier, with review by a second linguist and a workflow audited under ISO 17100. Request a quote now and receive a proposal within three business hours.
Related Services
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- Certified Legal Translation Services
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- Legal Translation Services For Contracts
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the permanent certificate need a sworn translation?
Not for Portugal, where sworn translation does not exist. The document receives a certified translation, with the translator's declaration before a lawyer or notary. If the destination is Brazil, Spain, France, Germany or Italy, it is worth confirming with the receiving institution there whether it accepts the Portuguese certification or requires a local sworn translator.
Who issues the apostille for the Portuguese permanent certificate?
The Portuguese Attorney General's Office (Procuradoria-Geral da República, PGR) is the only body that apostilles Portuguese documents, including commercial registry certificates.
What if the Portuguese company wants to operate in Angola or Mozambique?
Angola and Mozambique are not parties to the Hague Apostille Convention. The permanent certificate goes through legalisation by the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then the destination country's consulate, without an apostille.
Can certified translation and apostille be done at the same time?
They are separate processes but can be coordinated in sequence: normally the document or the certified translation, whichever the recipient requires, is apostilled before the file is submitted abroad.
How long is the permanent certificate valid for this kind of use?
The access code for the permanent certificate has a validity period set by the Portuguese Commercial Registry. Once it expires, a new certificate must be issued before starting translation and certification.
