How much does it cost to send a registered letter in Portugal in 2026?

The short answer: at CTT (the Portuguese postal service), a registered letter with aviso de receção (AR, the signed proof-of-delivery slip) currently costs €6.05 in postage. But that number does not tell the whole story.

If you are comparing options before sending, whether for a tenancy matter, debt collection, terminating a contract, insurance, or any formal notice between private parties, this article breaks down the real cost of each route: in person at CTT and online. That matters even more if you are not in Portugal, since the counter option assumes you can physically get there.

The price of a registered letter with AR at CTT (in person)

For a domestic letter in standard format, CTT's current price for a registered letter with proof of delivery is:

For larger envelopes or letters with more pages, the postage goes up. The exact amount depends on weight and format; CTT has a calculator on its website you can check before going to the counter.

One thing to know: you cannot avoid the counter by using CTT's website. As of July 2026, CTT's online service only generates the shipping paperwork; you still have to finish the sending at a post office, as stated in CTT's official help pages (in Portuguese).

What that price includes

When you pay €6.05 at CTT, you are paying for the physical sending of the letter, the registration and the AR slip that comes back to your letterbox. The price covers the full postal service. It does not include:

• Drafting the letter (you write it yourself, or pay someone to)
• Printing (if you do not have a printer at home)
• The trip to the CTT counter, in Portugal
• The time spent queueing

The real total cost: in person at CTT

If you account for everything, the cost of sending a registered letter with AR through CTT is well above the €6.05 postage:

The online price: cartaregistada.pt

At cartaregistada.pt the price is €14.99 all inclusive. There are no additional costs, and it works from any country.

What is included:

• Printing and physical sending through CTT as a registered letter, dispatched within 2 business days
• The proof-of-delivery slip (AR) returned to you
• No trip to the post office, and no need to be in Portugal
• No printer, no envelope, no queue

Side-by-side comparison

When the online service is worth it

The online option clearly pays off when:

• You already have the letter ready (or use a free template) and just want the registered sending with AR handled
• You are outside Portugal, or have no time or availability to get to a CTT counter
• You want a fast solution: upload the PDF and the letter is dispatched within 2 business days
• You need to send for any purpose: tenancy, debt collection, contract termination, insurance, notices between private parties

Going to CTT in person can make sense if you already have the letter ready, own a printer, and live near a counter with no queue. In that case, the postage stays at €6.05. But if you want to skip the trip and the queue, or you are simply not in Portugal, the online service at €14.99 handles the sending from wherever you are, and the content remains your responsibility, just as it would at CTT.