I’m a Portuguese citizen. I am registered as married in Portugal but, in the meanwhile, I got divorced in the United States. I want to register my divorce in the Portuguese law.
What do I need to do??

To register your north-American divorce in Portugal, it is necessary to have the divorce sentence decreed by the Court, reviewed and confirmed by the Portuguese Family Court (Tribunal da Relação de Lisboa).

In the case of decrees issued in Massachusetts:

1. First of all, you have to get your Certificate of Divorce Absolute (the US Court has to issue Exemplified Copies); (Attention: the Divorce Nisi is only temporary and NOT valid for this purpose).

2. Secondly, foreign documents related to divorce proceeding to be sent to Portugal require apostille. Please check https://www.sec.state.ma.us/pre/precom/comidx.htm 

3. The Certificate of Divorce Absolute  will require translation to Portuguese. You can request it at the Consulate (cost will be per page). Attention: In some cases you may have to translate additional documentation provided by the Massachusetts Court like Divorce Agreements regarding division of property and/or custody of minors, etc)

4. Finally, you can send all these documents to your lawyer in Portugal so that your north-American divorce can be reviewed and confirmed by the Tribunal da Relação in Portugal.

Do I have to have a lawyer in Portugal to help me do this?

Yes, it is very helpful to have one, especially for step n.º 4. Please check the following website: www.oa.pt