Quick answer
A Florida company that buys property in Portugal, holds shares in a Portuguese company or opens a branch needs a Portuguese tax and entity number, the NIPC, from the Registo Nacional de Pessoas Coletivas, part of the IRN. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- The Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), as a certified copy of the articles of incorporation or, for an LLC, the articles of organization.
- Florida state fee
- $10 — included in $220
- Route
- Apostille only — Hague member since 1969
- Online notarization
- Not applicable — needs a certified copy
- Consulate serving Florida
- Consular Section of the Embassy of Portugal in Washington, D.C.
- Translation
- Our general rule is a translation certified by the translator, notarized by a separate notary and apostilled in Florida, but for Portugal you often need no translation at all.
How a Florida articles of incorporation is used in Portugal
A Florida company that buys property in Portugal, holds shares in a Portuguese company or opens a branch needs a Portuguese tax and entity number, the NIPC, from the Registo Nacional de Pessoas Coletivas, part of the IRN. A permanent branch (representação permanente) also goes on the commercial registry. Both want to see the company's formation documents: the articles certified by the Florida Division of Corporations and apostilled. Ask your Portuguese lawyer whether the registry will accept them in English or wants a certified Portuguese translation.
Getting a articles of incorporation Florida will apostille
An original certified copy issued by the Division of Corporations; not a Sunbiz printout or photocopy, and not a notarized copy, since Florida notaries can't attest copies of public records. Add certified amendments, name changes or conversions if the company's current name or structure differs from the original filing.
Request a certified copy from the Division with the entity name, document number, document type and filing date. The Florida Department of State also accepts a certified-copy request filed together with the apostille request, paid with two separate checks, which we can file for you. The Division's own fee (listed at $8.75 for a corporation and $30 for an LLC at this writing) is not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the articles of incorporation apostille page.
Who receives it in Portugal — and translation
The Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado (IRN) and its Conservatória dos Registos Centrais in Lisbon handle nationality and the transcription of births, marriages and deaths of Portuguese citizens abroad. AIMA, the Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo, which replaced SEF in October 2023, handles residence permits. DGES and public universities recognize degrees, Tribunais da Relação review foreign judgments, and the RNPC issues numbers to foreign companies. Florida is served by the Consular Section of the Embassy of Portugal in Washington, D.C.
Our general rule is a translation certified by the translator, notarized by a separate notary and apostilled in Florida, but for Portugal you often need no translation at all. Civil registries can waive it for English, French or Spanish documents when the official knows the language (book ahead), and IRN nationality forms and DGES do the same. When Portugal does require one, the IRN expects it certified in Portugal by a notary, registry officer, lawyer, solicitador or recognized chamber of commerce, or by a Portuguese consulate in the issuing country.
Portugal doesn't publish one age limit for every foreign document; ask the conservatória, AIMA or the consulate. Criminal records are the most time-sensitive, and nationality files filed after May 19, 2026 follow the new law, while files pending on that date keep the old rules.
Consular office serving Florida: Consular Section of the Embassy of Portugal in Washington, D.C. (Florida also has Portuguese honorary consular offices).
Four steps, one week
Order online
Pick the document and destination country on the order form and pay by card. After we review your documents, FedEx emails you a prepaid label.
Send your document
Drop the envelope at any FedEx location.
We file in person
We review it, then walk it to the Florida Department of State in Tallahassee for the apostille.
Returned to you
Back in 5–7 business days — anywhere in the U.S., or abroad for a flat $100.
Why articles of incorporations get rejected
- Sunbiz printout or photocopy
- Notarized copy of the articles
- Original articles only, with no amendments showing the current name
- Company inactive, so the foreign bank stops the file
What it costs for Portugal
$220 per document, $380 for two and $160 each for three or more — the state fee, request form, in-person filing in Tallahassee and FedEx shipping inside the U.S. are included. Shipping the finished apostille to Portugal is a flat $100 per order.
Not included: whatever the issuing office charges for the certified copy or certificate, and notarization (online notarization is $40 for the first document — $10 notarization fee + $30 technology platform fee — and $20 for each additional one).