Couples that aren’t officially married but live together, can apply to the GV process if they meet the requirements of “in Portuguese: união de facto”.

In this situation, the documents must prove at least 2 years of common living. 
The couple needs to prove that they are cohabiting and have a common life.
To show the union, we need all the evidences that can be given, including:

• declarations of civil status (attesting they are single) or birth registration of each of them (to prove that none of the de cohabitees had previously celebrated a non-dissolved marriage);
• declaration issued by the competent parish council;
• registration of the partnership in the country of origin;
• accounts in common / invoices in common (water, electricity etc);
• proof of common residence (public deed, lease agreement, etc.); – mandatory
• birth certificate of each child, if any, older than 2 years;
• Sworn Statement signed by both, declaring that they’ve been living together for more than two years.

All the documents must be translated into Portuguese and apostilled.

Factors that make it impossible to apply the união de facto:

• Age of less than 16 years;
• Notorious documented dementia;
• previous marriage not dissolved, unless a judicial separation of persons and property has been decreed;
• relative affiliation (1st or 2nd degree);
• previous conviction of one of them as perpetrator or accomplice for murder, even if not committed against the spouse of the other.