Portuguese Consulate in Reading
For the Portuguese consulate, people in Reading have to travel. Its office is the Portuguese Consulate General in Newark: 113 miles by road, roughly 2 h 27 min of driving.
Which Portuguese consulate serves Reading
The Portuguese Consulate General in Newark lists Pennsylvania in its jurisdiction (source), which puts Reading in its hands.
The fastest route covers 113 miles and takes about 2 h 27 min without traffic; the straight-line distance is 97 miles.
Read the office’s hours as they are: Reading is on the same time.
In Wilmington, 46 miles from Reading, the Portuguese Consulate General in Newark holds an outreach visit in 2026: dates still to be set (source).
Other cities in Pennsylvania near Reading
Around Reading: Lancaster (Pennsylvania), 29 miles; Allentown, 30 miles; Bethlehem, 35 miles. The table on the Pennsylvania page gives the drive from each.
The U.S. papers from Reading the consulate asks for
For the birth transcription you need the U.S. certificate, which in Pennsylvania is issued by the Division of Vital Records (CDC).
Reading is in Berks County: for a marriage license issued there, the certificate comes from the Marriage License Clerk at the Berks County Courthouse, according to the CDC directory (CDC). That certificate, with an apostille, is what goes with the marriage transcription.
To be used in Portugal, the certificate needs an apostille: in Pennsylvania it is issued by the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth (Hague Conference list).
What you can settle from Reading without traveling
Without the trip, from Reading:
- You can request a Portuguese criminal record certificate on the criminal record portal: certificates and criminal record (source).
- You can travel to Portugal as a tourist on a U.S. passport, with no visa, for up to 90 days: Schengen visa and entry to Portugal (source).
- You can send the citizenship-by-marriage application straight to Lisbon: citizenship by marriage (source).