Inheritance Certidão (Habilitação de Herdeiros): How to Request It and Cost
This is usually one of the first steps after a family member's death: it legally identifies the heirs and allows the family to move forward with unblocking bank accounts, managing assets, and, later, dividing the inheritance.
Where to Do It — Two Options
Notary Office
- Choose any notary office
- Generally faster to book
- Price varies by notary — typically €200 to €800, depending on how complex the estate is
Balcão de Heranças (IRN)
- Available at Civil Registry Offices
- Fixed prices: €150 with no registrations, €375 with registrations, €425 with division and registrations
- May involve a longer wait for an appointment
In Coimbra, Lisbon, and Santo Tirso there's also the Espaço Óbito, an integrated service that lets you start the inheritance formalities at the very moment you register the death.
Balcão de Heranças: conservatoria.justica.gov.pt — Institute of Registries and Notary (IRN)
Notary offices: notarios.pt — Ordem dos Notários
Frequently Asked Questions
It's the document that identifies who is entitled to inherit from a deceased person, allowing the family to then unblock bank accounts, manage assets, and divide the inheritance.
At any Notary Office, or at the Balcão de Heranças (IRN, at Civil Registry Offices). Coimbra, Lisbon, and Santo Tirso also have the Espaço Óbito.
At a Notary Office, between €200 and €800 depending on complexity. At the Balcão de Heranças, fixed prices: €150, €375, or €425, depending on what's needed.