Portuguese family matters split three ways for fees. A contested divorce or a standalone child-arrangements action is an indeterminate-value proceeding under art. 12.º of the Regulamento das Custas Processuais (RCP), charged on the reduced Tabela I-B at the statutory default value (€30.000,01 → band 6 → 3 UC = €306). Adoção is fully exempt from the taxa de justiçaPortugal's court fee — the mandatory charge payable to the State to file or proceed with a case, fixed by the Regulamento das Custas Processuais (DL 34/2008). Each fee is a multiple of the unidade de conta, read off the RCP value tables (Tabela I/II). It is a court cost, not a lawyer fee — Portugal has no statutory lawyer tariff.Glossary → under art. 4.º n.º 2 al. f) — €0 by statute. And a consensual divorce is not a court action at all in Portugal: it is processed at the Conservatória do Registo Civil and charged a registry emolument under a different statute. These are court fees only — Portugal has no statutory lawyer tariff.
Contested (litigated) divorce
A contested divorce — divórcio sem consentimento — brought before the court when the spouses do not agree on the divorce or its consequences.
You file it when an out-of-court (registry) divorce is unavailable because one spouse refuses or an ancillary issue is disputed; the value of a dissolution-of-status action is not quantifiable.
State court fee — art. 12.º n.º 1 + Tabela I-B. As an indeterminate-value action of personal status, it takes the statutory default (€30.000,01 → band 6) on the reduced column B: 3 UC = €306. (Each party is charged the indeterminate-value fee.)
Child arrangements (responsabilidades parentais)
A regulation of parental responsibilities — regulação das responsabilidades parentais — deciding custody, residence, contact and maintenance for a child.
You file it (as a standalone processo tutelar cível) when parents cannot agree on the arrangements for their child, outside of any divorce proceeding.
State court fee — art. 12.º n.º 1 + Tabela I-B. Unlike some countries that exempt child-arrangements applications, Portugal charges the indeterminate-value fee on the reduced column B: 3 UC = €306. The matter benefits from deferral of prior payment (art. 15.º) but the taxa de justiça is ultimately due.
Divorce by mutual consent (civil registry)
A divorce by mutual consent — divórcio por mútuo consentimento — where both spouses agree to dissolve the marriage and on its consequences.
You complete it at the Conservatória do Registo Civil (civil registry), not a court, whenever the spouses agree; it becomes a court matter only if agreement breaks down (see the contested case above).
No taxa de justiça — registo act. A consensual divorce is an administrative registry act charged a registo emolument under the Regulamento Emolumentar dos Registos e Notariado (DL 322-A/2001), not a court fee. The calculator returns no taxa de justiça for this case.
Compute this case in the calculatorAdoption (adoção)
An adoption — adoção — the court process that transfers legal parenthood to the adopting parent(s).
You file it to obtain a court decree of adoption; the procedure runs in the family and minors’ jurisdiction.
State court fee — art. 4.º n.º 2 al. f) (isenção). Adoção is fully exempt from the taxa de justiça — €0 by statute. Unlike some jurisdictions that charge an adoption fee, Portugal exempts the proceeding outright.
Portuguese family fees are re-derived from the RCP: contested divorce and child arrangements are charged the indeterminate-value Tabela I-B fee (3 UC = €306), adoção is exempt (€0, art. 4.º n.º 2 al. f)), and a consensual divorce is a registry act under DL 322-A/2001 with no taxa de justiça. These are mandatory court fees, not reference valuesA tariff figure that is advisory, not mandatory — a guide to what a fee customarily is, which the lawyer and client remain free to depart from. Every number Tarifo shows is a reference value.Glossary →, and not lawyer fees — Portugal has no statutory lawyer tariff. See the methodology page for the full encoding rules.