You live in Germany, France, the UK or anywhere else, and you need to send a formal letter to someone in Portugal: a tenant, a real estate agency, an insurer, a bank, a condominium administrator. Portuguese law and Portuguese institutions expect that letter to arrive as a carta registada com aviso de receção: a registered letter with a signed proof-of-delivery slip. This guide explains how to do it without flying to Portugal, and why sending it from your own country's post office is usually the wrong move.
The problem with sending it from your country
Your local post office will happily sell you international registered mail to Portugal. It works, but it has real drawbacks for legal correspondence:
- Time: international registered mail typically takes one to three weeks to reach a Portuguese address, against 1 to 3 business days for domestic CTT registered mail.
- The return receipt: the international equivalent of the aviso de receção (the pink "avis de réception" card) has to travel back to you across two postal systems. It frequently arrives very late or not at all, and it is the piece of paper that actually proves delivery.
- Recognition: Portuguese courts, tenants' lawyers and institutions are used to the CTT registered letter with AR. A domestic CTT registration number and AR slip is the format everyone recognises instantly.
- Language and forms: you fill in foreign forms for a Portuguese legal process.
The alternative: post it inside Portugal, from your laptop
The simpler route is to have the letter printed and posted in Portugal itself. An online service receives your document, prints it, puts it in an envelope with your foreign address as the sender, and hands it to CTT (the Portuguese postal service) as a normal domestic registered letter with aviso de receção.
The recipient receives exactly what they would receive if you had queued at a CTT counter in Lisbon. The signed AR slip is returned to the address you choose, and the tracking number works on the CTT website like any other.
As of July 2026, CTT itself does not offer this for private individuals: its online sending service only generates the shipping paperwork, and you still have to finish the sending at a post office in Portugal. That is why a print-and-post service is the only way to do this fully remotely.
Step by step with cartaregistada.pt
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1
Upload your letter
PDF, Word or a photo. You see a preview of exactly what will be printed. Up to 10 pages included; extra pages cost €0.50 each.
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2
Enter the Portuguese recipient and your foreign address
Tick "Sending from abroad", choose your country and enter your postal code in your local format. Your address is printed on the envelope as the sender.
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3
Pay €14.99 by card
All included: printing, envelope, CTT postage and the aviso de receção. Same price from any country.
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4
The letter is posted in Portugal within 2 business days
You receive the proof of sending and the CTT tracking number by email, and can follow delivery online.
Is it legally valid?
Yes. What gives a registered letter its legal force in Portugal is the CTT registration and the signed aviso de receção, not the location of the person who ordered the sending. The letter enters the postal system in Portugal as a domestic registered letter, indistinguishable from one posted at a counter. For rent updates, contract terminations and formal notices under Portuguese law, this is the standard instrument.
Comparing your options from abroad
| Criterion | International registered mail | Posted in Portugal via online service |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery time | 1 to 3 weeks | 1 to 3 business days after posting |
| Proof of delivery | International return receipt, often lost or very slow | Standard Portuguese AR slip |
| Printing and envelope | You do it yourself | Included |
| Tracking | Two postal systems | CTT tracking end to end |
| Typical total cost | €10 to €20 plus your time | €14.99 all included |
Send your registered letter in Portugal today
Upload your file from anywhere in the world. We print it and post it through CTT with proof of delivery. €14.99 all included.
Send my letter →Frequently asked questions
Can the AR slip be sent to my address outside Portugal?
The physical AR slip is returned by CTT to the sender address on the envelope. Since your foreign address is printed as the sender, CTT will forward it abroad through normal mail. You also receive the proof of sending and tracking by email immediately, which is what you will use in practice while the paper slip travels.
What if my document is in Word or is a photo?
Both work. Word documents are converted and confirmed before printing; photos are printed as a single page. You always see a preview of what will be sent.
Do I need a Portuguese tax number (NIF) or account?
No. You only need your letter, the recipient's Portuguese address, your own address and a payment card. There is no registration.
Can I send several letters, for example to two tenants?
Yes. Each letter is a separate order with its own registration and AR. Several of our regular customers abroad send two or three letters in one sitting.
What kinds of letters do people send this way?
Rent increase notices, lease terminations and non-renewals, arrears notices to tenants, cancellation letters to insurers, banks, telecoms and gyms, formal complaints, and communications to condominium administrators. Any letter where you need proof that it was received.