Portugal has a national postal service called CTT (Correios de Portugal).
It is the Portuguese national postal service provider, delivering registered or express mail and parcels throughout Portugal and internationally.
International deliveries from Portugal to Japan are also processed by the CTT.
International mail procedures
This time, we will go to this branch, which we found on our way on foot. Basically, try to go to the bigger branches. If it is too small, it may only handle normal deliveries and re-deliveries etc.
Output reception form.
As this is a document delivery, press A and wait.
Change the button you press according to the following requirements.
- A General services (Atendimento Geral)
- B Express mail and parcels (Envios Urgentes)
- C Savings relationships (Certificados de Aforro e Tesouro)
- D Bank deposits and withdrawals (bancoctt)
- E Bank general services (bancoctt)
When the number appears on the display, go to the counter.
Purchase envelopes
I only had documents, so I say at the counter, ‘I want to send you my documents. I want an envelope’. Do you speak English? I asked, and they said no… I tell them, ‘I want to send them to Japan!’ with a gesture and they tell me what I need to do.
They also ask you which size envelope you want. You will be asked, so make sure it is the right size for your documents.
The envelopes themselves are available at the CTT in various sizes, so it would have been better to buy them in advance.
Address correspondence to.
Write your address in Remetente and the destination in Destinatario.
You can write in English. Incidentally, if you are sending to Japan, it is recommended to write both English and Japanese. This is because there are no mistakes.
At this point, I was given a ballpoint pen, but the lid was broken.
It was good because I could do my purpose of writing, but I think the Portuguese sense of ‘it’s okay if it’s a bit broken because it’s usable’ is what gives rise to their generous nature.
Complete the mailing procedure at the counter.
Issue it again and wait for the receipt slip. When it appears on the display, go to the counter.
Tell them you want international mail and a tracking number, and they will process your request.
The tracking number is charged separately, so they tell you to fill in the following paper, which I wrote and submitted on the spot.
In Portugal, the Check Number is the tracking number.
The Check Number can be found here and shows the current tracking status.
payment
Finally, I paid and that was it – they delivered it for about 8€.
Also, I don’t know if it was because of this branch, but I was told that they only accept cash or a Bank of Portugal card. They said they don’t accept international cards (like VISA).
First international mail. It’s a little bit difficult to speak Portuguese only, because I’m still a newcomer to the country. But it’s a bit of a relief when there are more things you can do.
