---
title: "Getting married in Portugal from the UK: cost, legal steps and timeline"
description: "A 70 guest wedding in Portugal costs £21,000 to £51,000 in 2026. The CNI and conservatória route to a legal ceremony, regional prices, IVA and a 12 month plan."
canonical: https://getaisley.com/guides/getting-married-in-portugal-from-the-uk
last_updated: 2026-09-05
---

# Getting married in Portugal from the UK: cost, legal steps and timeline

> A 70 guest wedding in Portugal costs £21,000 to £51,000 in 2026. The CNI and conservatória route to a legal ceremony, regional prices, IVA and a 12 month plan.

Published 5 September 2026, by Dominika, Co-founder of Aisley. Canonical: https://getaisley.com/guides/getting-married-in-portugal-from-the-uk

A wedding in Portugal for 70 guests costs most UK couples €25,000 to €60,000 in 2026, about £21,000 to £51,000 at €1.17 to the pound, before flights and the week you spend there. Venue and catering take half of it, a planner another tenth, and the IVA that Portuguese suppliers leave off their quotes adds 13 to 23 percent on top. The Douro and the Alentejo sit at the bottom of that range; Comporta and the Sintra palaces run past the top.

Unlike Spain or France, Portugal lets two UK residents marry in a civil ceremony. Any Conservatória do Registo Civil will open the marriage file, a planner or lawyer with power of attorney can start it for you, and the registrar will come to the venue for €200. The paperwork is the catch: a UK certificate of no impediment, apostilles and a six month expiry that dictates when you can start, which is why most couples still marry at a register office at home and hold a celebrant ceremony in Portugal. This guide covers both routes, what each region costs, what guests pay and a 12 month timeline.

## Can a UK couple legally marry in Portugal?

Yes. Portugal has no residency rule for civil marriage: two people who live in the UK can marry at a Conservatória do Registo Civil, the civil registry, or have the registrar come to their venue. The [Portuguese registry's own guidance](https://irn.justica.gov.pt/Servicos/Cidadao/Casamento/Organizar-o-casamento) says the marriage process (processo de casamento) can be opened at any conservatória, online, or through a proxy with a power of attorney, which is how planners and lawyers start it while you are still in the UK. For a Catholic wedding the parish priest can open it.

The registry asks a foreign citizen for an identity document, a birth certificate and a certificado de capacidade matrimonial, a certificate of capacity to marry, issued less than six months earlier. For someone living in the UK that is the [certificate of no impediment](https://www.gov.uk/marriage-abroad) from your register office. gov.uk's [Living in Portugal guidance](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-portugal) says you do not need a CNI for Portugal if you are resident in Portugal or another country outside the UK; that exemption is for people who have left, and a couple living in Leeds still needs one each.

The registry's fees are published: €120 for the process and a ceremony at the conservatória in office hours, €200 when the ceremony happens outside the conservatória, at a weekend or outside working hours, which covers almost every wedding a UK couple would plan. Once the registrar approves the file you have six months to marry, and the registry asks you to start at least a month before the date. If neither of you speaks Portuguese an interpreter attends the ceremony; whether you need witnesses is at the registrar's discretion, so ask.

A Catholic wedding is legally binding under the Concordat with the Holy See once that civil file is complete; the parish registers the marriage afterwards. The church wants recent baptism and confirmation certificates, a letter of freedom from your home parish and a preparation course, so see your UK parish priest six to nine months out. Other religious ceremonies count as symbolic unless the minister holds civil authorisation.

A marriage valid under Portuguese law is valid in the UK. There is no register at home to add it to, since the FCDO stopped accepting foreign certificates for deposit in 2014, so the certidão de casamento is the document you keep; ask for the multilingual extract, which UK banks can read.

## The paperwork, step by step

Count backwards from the wedding: the six month expiry on the CNI and the birth certificate sets the earliest you can start, and the apostille sets the latest. Registrars vary in what they ask for, so confirm the list with your conservatória or a Portuguese lawyer before you order anything. Allow €400 to €1,500 for the lot, plus €200 to €500 if a lawyer handles the file.

1. Order a fresh full birth certificate each, the long version with your parents' names. Planners report conservatórias wanting them issued within the last six months.
2. [Give notice for a certificate of no impediment](https://getaisley.com/guides/giving-notice-wedding-uk) at your register office, £42 each. The notice sits on display for 28 days, then the registrar issues the CNI. A Scottish CNI is valid for three months, an English or Welsh one for six.
3. Send the certificates and CNIs, plus a decree absolute if either of you is divorced, to the [FCDO Legalisation Office](https://www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised) for an apostille: £45 per document on paper, up to 25 working days plus post, or £35 as an e-apostille in around two working days if your conservatória accepts one.
4. Translations. The registry's guidance says a document in English needs no certified Portuguese translation. Some conservatórias and most planners still ask for one, so budget €30 to €60 a page and confirm with the registrar who will read your file.
5. Sign a notarised, apostilled power of attorney for your planner or lawyer if they are opening the process for you. Send scans first, originals by tracked courier at least six weeks before the date.
6. The conservatória approves the file and books the registrar. Pay the €120 or €200. From approval you have six months to marry.
7. Marry, with the interpreter present, and collect the certidão de casamento and a multilingual extract before you fly home.

## The route most couples take

Even with a civil ceremony available, most UK couples marry at home first. [Give notice at your register office](https://getaisley.com/guides/giving-notice-wedding-uk) at least 29 days ahead, £42 each, book the statutory ceremony for around £60, and you are married for under £200 with no apostilles, no interpreter and no six month clock. Many couples do it the week before they fly.

In Portugal an English-speaking celebrant then runs the ceremony you want, wherever the venue allows: a cliff top in the Algarve, a vineyard terrace above the Douro, the pine woods at Comporta. Celebrants charge €350 to €900 for two or three calls, a script and a 20 to 30 minute ceremony, and the known names fill June and September a year out. The civil route wins when the Portuguese certificate matters to you. Decide before you sign the venue contract.

## What it costs

Typical 2026 prices for 70 guests at an exclusive-hire quinta with the ceremony and dinner on site and the celebrant route. Pounds at €1.17 to £1 and rounded.

| What | Euros | Pounds, approx. |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Venue hire, exclusive, one day | €4,000 to €12,000 | £3,400 to £10,300 |
| Catering for 70 at €100 to €180 a head | €7,000 to €12,600 | £6,000 to £10,800 |
| Open bar at €35 to €60 a head | €2,450 to €4,200 | £2,100 to £3,600 |
| Planner, full service | €4,000 to €8,000 | £3,400 to £6,800 |
| Celebrant | €400 to €900 | £340 to £770 |
| Photography | €2,000 to €4,500 | £1,700 to £3,800 |
| Videography | €1,500 to €4,000 | £1,300 to £3,400 |
| Flowers and styling | €1,500 to €5,000 | £1,300 to £4,300 |
| DJ or band, sound and lighting | €1,000 to €5,000 | £850 to £4,300 |
| Hair and makeup | €350 to €800 | £300 to £680 |
| Guest coaches | €600 to €1,800 | £510 to £1,500 |
| UK ceremony, apostilles, translations | €400 to €1,500 | £340 to £1,300 |

*Adds up to €25,000 to €60,000 before IVA, about £21,000 to £51,000, for 70 guests. A DJ sits at the bottom of the music line and a live band at the top. Outfits, rings and your own travel are on top, as at home.*

Set against [a UK wedding at £18,000 to £37,000 for 80 guests](https://getaisley.com/guides/how-much-does-a-wedding-cost-uk), Portugal is the one destination where the day itself can come in level or under, and against [Spain](https://getaisley.com/guides/getting-married-in-spain-from-the-uk) venue hire runs 20 to 30 percent lower. Catering at €100 to €180 a head buys a long cocktail hour, a seated dinner and often the wine.

## Regions and venue types

A quinta is a country estate, often a farmhouse with vines or orchards, and the default venue from the Algarve to the Douro. A herdade is the Alentejo version, cork oaks around a whitewashed farmhouse. A palácio is what Sintra sells, and Algarve resorts sell on a minimum spend per head rather than a hire fee.

| Region | Typical total, 70 guests | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Algarve | €22,000 to €45,000 (£18,800 to £38,500); resort buyouts €80,000+ | Quintas inland from Lagos, Loulé and Tavira; cliff-top resorts on €150 to €250 a head minimums. Faro is 30 to 45 minutes away and has the most UK routes. |
| Lisbon and Sintra | €25,000 to €50,000 (£21,400 to £42,700); Sintra palaces €45,000+ | Quintas 30 to 40 minutes from the airport; Sintra palácios with hire fees of €15,000 to €50,000. Sintra runs 2 to 5°C cooler than Lisbon, with morning mist. |
| Comporta and the Alentejo coast | €30,000 to €70,000 (£25,600 to £59,800) | Pine-forest villas and farmhouse compounds 90 minutes south of Lisbon, mostly sold as two-night exclusive hire. The highest demand and the fewest beds in Portugal. |
| Douro and Porto | €20,000 to €40,000 (£17,100 to £34,200) | Wine quintas at €85 to €160 a head all in, Porto hotels at €110 to €240, Six Senses at €180 to €300. One hour from Porto airport. July and August pass 38°C in the valley. |

*Ranges from planners' and venues' 2026 published prices, converted at €1.17 to £1. Each region's top end is a hotel buyout or a multi-night estate booking. The Alentejo interior, 90 minutes from Lisbon, sits 20 to 30 percent under the Algarve.*

## Weather and the best months

The season runs from May to October and the rain falls between October and March: about 500mm a year in the Algarve, 800mm in Lisbon and 1,250mm in Porto, almost none of it in summer. Late May, June, September and early October give 24 to 28°C on the coast with lower demand than July and August, when the Algarve doubles its hotel rates and the school holidays fill the flights. Inland is the exception: the Douro and the Alentejo regularly pass 38°C in July and August, so a ceremony there starts at 6pm or waits for September, the month most planners pick for its warm sea and steady light. Venues charge 10 to 20 percent less in May and 20 to 30 percent less in October, when the second half brings the first rain, and the Algarve stays around 16 to 18°C and dry through the winter.

## What your guests will pay

Flights are the cheap part. London to Faro returns average around £170 in May and August on Kayak's route data and £45 to £65 off peak, and the regional airports all fly direct. London to Lisbon averages £200 to £250 return in July and August and £80 to £120 in the shoulder months. Rooms are where Portugal has changed: an Algarve room at €150 a night in May is €300 to €400 in August, and a mid-range Lisbon hotel at €100 in November is €180 to €220 in July.

A couple flying out for three nights in June spends £250 to £400 on flights and £400 to £700 on a room, plus a hire car and meals: £900 to £1,400 before they buy a gift. Expect 20 to 30 percent of a UK list to decline, which makes [cutting the list](https://getaisley.com/guides/how-to-cut-wedding-guest-list) easier than at home. Couples cover the welcome drinks, the coaches and shade at a summer ceremony; guests pay for flights and rooms, usually at a group rate you negotiate. Send save-the-dates 10 to 12 months ahead with the airport, a hotel block and a price a night.

## A 12 month timeline

1. 12 months or more out: pick the region and month, set the budget in euros with a 10 percent buffer, fly out for a viewing weekend and book the venue and the planner. Quintas near Lisbon and Faro fill June and September Saturdays 12 to 18 months ahead; Comporta wants 18 to 24.
2. 9 months: decide the legal route; for a Catholic wedding see your UK parish priest now. Book the photographer, the music and the celebrant. Block hotel rooms and send save-the-dates.
3. 6 months: menu tasting and a site walk-through. Book your own flights. Buy [wedding insurance](https://getaisley.com/guides/wedding-insurance-uk) that covers a ceremony abroad. For a Portuguese civil ceremony, order the fresh birth certificates now.
4. 4 to 5 months: for the Portuguese route, give notice for the CNIs, then post everything for apostilles the day the certificates arrive. Sign the power of attorney for your planner or lawyer.
5. 3 months: for the UK route, [give notice at your register office](https://getaisley.com/guides/giving-notice-wedding-uk) and book the statutory ceremony. For the Portuguese route, the apostilled file goes to the conservatória now. Chase RSVPs and confirm coach numbers.
6. 1 month: final numbers to the caterer, balances paid in euros, and the venue's music curfew and wet weather plan in writing. The [UK planning timeline](https://getaisley.com/guides/wedding-planning-timeline) covers the rest, from fittings to the seating plan.
7. The week of: arrive three or four days ahead, hand the planner the seating plan, host the welcome drinks, then stop answering emails.

## Do you need a planner?

For a Portuguese civil ceremony, in practice yes: someone with power of attorney has to walk into the conservatória, and it should be someone who has done it before. For a symbolic wedding at a quinta with its own coordinator you can manage without, if you are fine with contracts in Portuguese and IVA left off quotes. Many quintas require a planner or charge for their own.

| Service | Typical fee |
| --- | --- |
| Full planning, 60 to 80 guests | €4,000 to €8,000 (£3,400 to £6,800) |
| Full planning, Comporta, Sintra palaces, hotel buyouts | €8,000 to €15,000 (£6,800 to £12,800), or 10 to 15 percent of spend |
| Partial planning | €2,500 to €5,000 (£2,100 to £4,300) |
| Month-of or on-the-day coordination | €1,500 to €3,000 (£1,300 to £2,600) |

*Planners' 2026 published fees, below Italy and France for the same service. A percentage fee rewards a bigger budget, so ask for a flat fee or a cap once your budget is set.*

Before you sign, ask whether the fee includes IVA, whether they take commission from suppliers on top, and who will hold the power of attorney. [The questions you would ask a UK venue](https://getaisley.com/guides/questions-to-ask-wedding-venue) still apply. At the enquiry stage, before a planner is involved, Aisley writes to the venues on your shortlist, reads the replies and chases the ones that go quiet; you decide which to fly out and see. [How it works](https://getaisley.com/how-it-works).

## Where UK couples get caught out

- IVA. Portuguese quotes often arrive sem IVA: 23 percent on photography, music, planning, hire and most services, 13 percent on restaurant and catering services, 6 percent on hotel rooms, a little lower in Madeira and the Azores. Ask every supplier whether the price is com IVA and get the answer in writing.
- Currency. Deposits of 30 to 50 percent and balances in the last month all settle in euros by bank transfer. A high street bank adds 3 to 4 percent, a specialist transfer service under 1 percent.
- Document expiry. A CNI or birth certificate older than six months is refused, and so is a name that differs from your passport by one letter. Start the file four to five months out.
- Minimum nights. Comporta, the Alentejo and many Sintra and Douro estates sell two or three nights, not a day, and the hire fee assumes you fill the rooms. Ask what happens to the price if you do not.
- Timing. Portuguese weddings start at 4 to 6pm, serve dinner at 8 or 9pm and run past 2am, so settle the outdoor music curfew, often midnight, against that schedule. A beach ceremony needs a maritime police licence, €300 to €1,500 through your planner. Service is in the price and nobody expects a tip.

[The red flags that apply to UK venues](https://getaisley.com/guides/wedding-venue-red-flags) apply twice over when the contract is in Portuguese and the venue is 1,000 miles away.

## A venue enquiry that gets a real price back

Venues in the wedding regions answer in English. Lead with dates, numbers and the questions that change the price, and ask for figures com IVA, following [the same rules as emailing a UK venue](https://getaisley.com/guides/how-to-email-wedding-venues).

```text
Subject: Wedding enquiry, 70 guests, June or September 2027
Olá [venue name],
We are [names], a couple from [city], planning our wedding in [region] for around 70 guests, on a Saturday in June 2027 or the first two weekends of September 2027. Does [venue] have availability?
So we can compare like for like, could you send:
- The exclusive hire fee for one day, and whether a two-night booking is required
- Catering per head, with and without the open bar, and any minimum spend
- Whether all prices include IVA
- The time outdoor music has to stop, and whether there is an indoor space to continue
- Rooms on site, how many they sleep, and the rate for wedding guests
- Whether you require a wedding planner or your own coordinator, and the cost
- The deposit and payment schedule
We plan a symbolic ceremony with our own celebrant, so we do not need a civil ceremony arranged. We can fly out for a viewing in [month].
Muito obrigado,
[names], [phone], [email]
```

## Quick answers

### Can UK citizens legally get married in Portugal?

Yes. Portugal has no residency requirement for civil marriage, so two UK residents can marry at any Conservatória do Registo Civil or have the registrar come to their venue, and a planner or lawyer with power of attorney can open the file for them. Each needs a certificate of no impediment and a fresh birth certificate, apostilled and under six months old. Most UK couples still marry at home and hold a celebrant ceremony in Portugal.

### How much does a wedding in Portugal cost for 70 guests?

Budget €25,000 to €60,000, about £21,000 to £51,000 at €1.17 to the pound, for an exclusive-hire quinta with catering at €100 to €180 a head, an open bar, a planner, a celebrant and a band or DJ. Add 13 to 23 percent IVA if the quotes exclude it, plus your own travel. The Douro and the Alentejo sit at the lower end; Comporta, the Sintra palaces and Algarve resort buyouts at the upper end.

### Is it cheaper to get married in Portugal than in the UK?

Often, yes, which makes Portugal unusual among destinations. Quinta hire runs €4,000 to €12,000 and catering €100 to €180 a head including a long cocktail hour and dinner, so a 70-guest wedding lands level with or under the £18,000 to £37,000 an 80-guest wedding costs at home. The real saving is that fewer guests travel.

### What is the best month to get married in Portugal?

September, then June and late May. The coast gives 24 to 28°C, the sea is warm, the school holidays are over and venues charge 10 to 20 percent less than in July and August. Inland, the Douro and the Alentejo pass 38°C in high summer, so a July wedding there starts at 6pm.

### Is a Portuguese marriage recognised in the UK?

Yes, if it was valid under Portuguese law, which covers a civil marriage at the conservatória and a Catholic wedding registered there afterwards. There is no way to register it in the UK and no need to; keep the certidão de casamento and ask for the multilingual extract. A celebrant ceremony creates no marriage anywhere, which is why couples using one marry at a UK register office first.