Portuguese Postal Codes & the Post Office

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Portuguese Postal Codes & the Post Office

CTT (Correios e Telecomunicações) is the national state-owned Portuguese postal service. 

There are over 1,000 post offices (correios) in Portugal with varying opening hours. In main towns and tourist areas post offices are open on weekdays from 08:30-18:00 and on Saturday mornings until 12:30. In some rural areas delivery services are fairly infrequent and people often find it more convenient to rent a post office box (apartado) and collect their mail themselves from the nearest post office.

• Tel: 800 206 868 (free call)
  Website

Portuguese Postal Codes

Portuguese postal codes (código postal) are written as a sequence of seven digits, for example 1002-345. (This replaces the old system of P-1234.) 

1. The first digit represents one of the nine postal regions, followed by two digits for the postal distribution centres. 
2. If the post code is for a capital of a municipality the fourth digit is a zero, if not it is a five. In the case of a designated address it is any other digit. 
3. The last three numbers of Portuguese postal codes sort designated addresses and buildings.

Find a Portuguese address or post code

• Search for a postal code, or find an address with a postal code, in English: Click here

Sending Domestic Mail and Parcels

When sending mail in Portugal, the standard envelope shape is rectangle. Different shapes may cost more to send. 

A standard envelope should not exceed 5mm in thickness and should be sealed without the use of staples or clips.

• For information on allowable envelope dimensions: Click here

Addressing mail and parcels

All envelopes and parcels should be addressed using an ink pen or pre-printed white label. 

The sender's address should be included on the front of the envelope or parcel in the upper left-hand corner. The recipient's address must be written on the front in the centre of the envelope. 

The addresses should be written in capital letters, with a maximum of six lines per address and should be written in the following style:

• NAME OR COMPANY
  STREET NAME, BUILDING NAME (if applicable), NUMBER
  FLOOR NUMBER OR FLAT LOCATION (front, left, A, B)
  POSTBOX NUMBER/CCI (if applicable)
  POST CODE, CITY

For example: 

• JOSE BLOGGS
  AVENIDA DA LIBERDADE 100
  1269-121 LISBOA

If the address is for an apartment or an office the first line will look like this

• JOSE BLOGGS
  AVENIDA DA LIBERDADE 100-3° DIR
  1269-121 LISBOA

This means that the apartment or office is on the third floor of number 100 Avenida da Liberdade, and that it is on the right (Dir, or D, is short for direita)

Weight limits

The maximum weight limit for correspondence is 2 Kg, for books it's 5 Kg and for parcels it's 20 Kg.

Postage and delivery times

Regular and Priority Mail letters can be sent using postage-paid envelopes, stamps or franking machines located at post offices.

Domestic postage-paid envelopes are available for:

• Regular mail
• Priority mail
• Registered mail 

Regular mail: Letters and parcels sent within Portugal via ordinary service should be delivered within three business days in mainland Portugal and within five business days to Madeira. 

Priority mail: Letters and parcels sent using the Priority Mail service will be delivered within one business day on mainland Portugal.

Registered mail: Many options are available for domestic registered mail in Portugal. 

• EMS 9: guaranteed delivery in mainland Portugal by 09:00 the following business day, with tracking service via the Internet or phone.
• EMS 12: guaranteed delivery in mainland Portugal by 12:00 the following business day, with tracking service via the Internet or phone. Saturday delivery possible for an extra charge.
• EMS 18: guaranteed delivery in mainland Portugal by 18:00 the following business day, with tracking service via the Internet or phone. Saturday delivery possible for an extra charge.
• EMS Advantage: pre-paid vouchers for delivery in mainland Portugal by 18:00 the following day, with tracking service via the Internet or phone. It offers a flat rate for packages weighing up to 5kg.
• EMS Pronto: a pre-paid envelope for documents offering delivery in mainland Portugal by 12:00 the following business day, with a tracking service via the Internet or phone. It offers a flat rate for packages weighing up to 500g.
• QUICK National: guaranteed, insured and traceable delivery in mainland Portugal within 3 business days (5 business days for Madeira and 7-15 business days for the Azores). Saturday delivery possible for an extra charge.

Same-day delivery: Two same-day delivery services are available to postal customers in the Lisbon, Porto and Braga metropolitan areas.

• Today 1 is a delivery service for documents and small parcels that offers an average delivery time of 1 hour from the time of the pickup request. Items must be under 1.5 meters in length and the length plus the perimeter of the longest edge perpendicular can be no longer than 3 meters. 
• Today 2 is a delivery service for documents and small parcels that offers an average delivery time of 2 hours from the time of the pickup request. Items must be under 1.5 meters in length and the length plus the perimeter of the longest edge perpendicular can be no longer than 3 meters. 
• For more information on the Today services: Click here

Sending International Mail and Parcels

When sending mail from Portugal, the standard envelope shape is a rectangle. Different shapes may cost more to send. 

A standard envelope should not exceed 5mm in thickness and should be sealed without the use of staples or clips.

• For information on allowable envelope dimensions: Click here

Addressing mail and parcels

All envelopes and parcels should be addressed using an ink pen or pre-printed white label. 

The sender's address should be included on the front of the envelope or parcel in the upper left-hand corner. The recipient's address must be written on the front in the centre of the envelope. 

Weight limits

The maximum weight limit for correspondence is 2 Kg, for books it's 5 Kg and for parcels it's 20 Kg.

Postage and delivery times

Items sent via ordinary mail to Europe should arrive within 10 business days. Mail to the rest of the world can take 7 to 20 business days.

International letters can be sent using postage-paid envelopes, stamps or franking machines located at post offices. 

If sending a parcel to a country outside of the EU/EEA, a customs declaration is necessary. Obtain this form, which will be attached to the parcel, at the post office.

International postage-paid envelopes are available for:

• Ordinary mail
• Priority mail

Other Services Available at the Post Office

Faxes

Many Portuguese post offices offer a fax service for sending and receiving faxes. Faxes can be sent to individuals who do not have a fax machine, in care of the recipient's local post office. There are several options for delivery:

• The fax can be picked up at the post office by the recipient
• The fax can be delivered via mail for next day delivery
• The fax can be delivered by hand to the recipient's home/office on the same day (for faxes received before 16:00)

CTT also has agreements with some foreign post offices to offer similar services for recipients who are abroad.

Pricing for the fax service varies depending on the number of pages sent and the delivery location and method.

Photocopy certification

Certification of photocopies, to attest that the photocopy is the same as the original, can be done at post offices.

• For more information from CTT about certification of photocopies: Click here

Glossary of Postal Terms

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