The Ambassador of Portugal to France is the highest legal representative of Portugal to France through the Embassy of Portugal in Paris.

History In 1485, John II of Portugal and Charles VIII of France concluded a Treaty of Alliance and Commerce. In 1536, a Treaty of Friendship and Alliance was signed between John III of Portugal and Francis I of France.

In January 1641, the first Portuguese Embassy was sent to France, led by Francisco de Melo and António Coelho de Carvalho, with João Francisco Barreto serving as Secretary. The French Crown had supported the Portuguese Restoration, which led the Portuguese Diplomacy to seek a “formal alliance” in the context of the Thirty Years' War, and the conflict between France and Spain. Diplomatic relations were severed in 1704, due the War of the Spanish Succession, and re-established on 18 August 1715.

The Embassy of Portugal in situated in Paris. Portugal also has 5 General Consulates (Paris,Bordeaux,Lyon,Marseille,Strasburg), 1 Vice-Consulate in Toulouse and 1 Consular Office in Nantes, as well as 9 Honorary Consulates in France.

List of representatives

+ Portuguese Ambassadors in France List of Portuguese Ambassadors in France Website of the Diplomatic Institute in the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accessed on 2026-01-01. Name Portrait Period RemarksFrancisco de Melo (pt) and António Coelho de Carvalho25 March 1641–13 June 1641Together Ambassador, im March 1641 accreditedFrei Dinis de Lencastre21 / 26 August 1641–1641Probably Secret Ambassador, on 22 June 1641 accreditedVasco Luís da Gama (Conde da Vidigueira) (pt)15 August 1642–February(?) 1646AmbassadorLuís Pereira de Castro (pt)1643AmbassadorÁlvaro Pires de Castro e Sousa(Marquês de Cascais) (pt)19 April 1644–20 June 1644Special AmbassadorAntónio Moniz de Carvalho1646–11 February 1648Permanent Representative, in February 1646 accreditedVasco Luís da Gama (Marquês de Nisa) (pt)1647–May(?) 1649Special Ambassador, on 8 February 1647 accreditedCristovão Soares de Abreu1648 until 1651Permanent RepresentativeFrancisco de Sousa Coutinho17 April 1651–12 October 1655AmbassadorFeliciano Dourado1652–August/September 1653Permanent RepresentativeFrei Domingos dos Rosário1656–June 1657Francisco Ferreira de Rebelo1658Probably Permanent RepresentativeFeliciano Dourado1658–14 July 1659Permanent RepresentativeJoão da Costa (Conde de Soure) 1659–2 August 1660Special Ambassador, on 13 June 1659 accreditedRui Teles de Meneses1663EnvoyFrancisco Ferreira RebeloJune 1663–18 September 1663Permanent RepresentativeFrancisco de Melo Manuel da Câmara1663 (from June)Special EnvoyFrancisco de Melo e Torres(Marquês de Sande) (pt)November 1663–November 1664AmbassadorMarquês de Sande1665 until 1666Ambassador, in October 1665 accreditedFrancisco Ferreira Rebelo1667–1 May 1668Permanent RepresentativeDuarte Ribeiro de Macedo (pt)1 May 1668–1676Envoy, 1668 accreditedSalvador Taborda Portugal17 December 1677–8 December 1690EnvoyJoão de Ataíde e Castro10 July 1684–1684unrankedFrancisco Pereira da Silva1691–22 November 1695Special-EnvoyLuís Álvares de Castro (2nd Marquês de Cascais)21 November 1695–19 November 1699Special-Ambassador, on 26 February 1696 accreditedLuís da CunhaSpecial-Envoy, Probably 1698 until 1699 José da Cunha Brochado (pt)1699–May 1704EnvoyLuís da Cunha30 September 1701–15 April 1704AmbassadorLuís Manuel da Câmara(Conde da Ribeira Grande) 18 August 1715–13 February 1721Special-AmbassadorMarco António de Azevedo Coutinho (pt)29 March 1721–1725Special-EnvoyLuís da Cunha1723 until 1725Minister Plenipotentiary, 1723 accreditedFrancisco Mendes de Góis1726 until 1742Diplomatic AgentLuís da Cunha1740–9 October 1749AmbassadorGonçalo Manuel Galvão de Lacerda1750 until 1755Special-EnvoyJosé Galvão de Lacerda (Botado de Pina Macedo)1755–December 1756MinisterAntónio Francisco de Saldanha da Gama1756–September 1757AmbassadorPedro da Costa de Almeida SalemaJuly 1757–1762unrankedMartinho de Melo e Castro (pt)October 1762–29 March 1763Special-Envoy, on 13 October 1762 accreditedVicente de Sousa Coutinho5 July 1763–26 May 1772Minister Plenipotentiary, in July 1763 accreditedVicente de Sousa Coutinho26 May 1772–8 May 1792Ambassador, on 26 May 1772 accreditedHenrique Roberto Tomasini1792 until 1796Chargé d’affairesJosé António dos Santos Branco8 May 1792–1796Chargé d’affairesAntónio de Araújo e Azevedo 15 October 1796–17 July 1798 Special-Envoy. One month in prison. José António dos Santos Branco1799 until 1801Chargé d’affairesJosé Maria de Sousa7 April 1802–18 November 1804Special-Envoy and Minister Plenipotentiary, in April 1802 accreditedLourenço de Lima (pt)17 August 1804–18 November 1804Special-AmbassadorLourenço de Lima18 November 1804–14 October 1807Ambassador, on 18 November 1804 accreditedPedro José de Meneses Coutinho(Marquês de Marialva) (pt)2 October 1814–2 December 1814Special-AmbassadorFrancisco Maria de Brito3 October 1814–22 July 1817Chargé d’affaires, on 3 October 1814 in function Marquês de Marialva1816 until 1817Ambassador, on 30 June 1816 accreditedFrancisco Maria de Brito1817Special-Envoy and Minister Plenipotentiary, on 22 July 1817 accreditedMarquês de Marialva1818–31 December 1821AmbassadorJosé Diogo Mascarenhas Neto (pt)30 December 1821–11 July 1822Chargé d’affairesJoão Francisco de Oliveira11 July 1822–27 October 1822Chargé d’affairesJoão Ferreira da Costa Sampaio27 October 1822–16 January 1823Representative, on 27 October 1822 accreditedMarquês de Marialva4 April 1823–23 November 1823Ambassador, on 10 July 1823 accreditedFrancisco Maria de Brito24 December 1823–March 1825Special-Envoy and Minister PlenipotentiaryJoaquim Conde de Oriola10 June 1825–5 November 1825Pedro de Melo Breyner (pt)5 November 1825–26 September 1826Special-Envoy and Minister Plenipotentiary, on 5 November 1825 accreditedNuno Barbosa de Figueiredo26 September 1826–4 June 1828Chargé d’affairesConde de Vila Real (pt)October 1826–?Special-Envoy and Minister PlenipotentiaryConde da Ponte9 June 1828–18 June 1833Minister PlenipotentiaryNuno Barbosa de Figueiredo8 February 1830–27 May 1830Chargé d’affairesFrancisco de Almeida Portugal(2nd Conde do Lavradio)27 June 1830–10 June 1833Minister PlenipotentiaryVisconde de Alcochete18 June 1833–12 May 1834Interim Chargé d’affaires, on 7 October 1833 accreditedLuís António de Abreu e Lima(Visconde da Carreira) (pt)12 May 1834–8 June 1840Minister Plenipotentiary, on 17 May 1834 accreditedNuno Barbosa de Figueiredo12 December 1836–1 October 1837Special-Chargé d’affairesNuno Barbosa de Figueiredo8 June 1840–6 December 1841Interim Chargé d’affairesVisconde da Carreira7 December 1841–30 May 1847Minister Plenipotentiary, Probably on 7 December 1841 accreditedSimão da Silva Ferraz de Lima e Castro(Conde de Rendufe) 30 May 1847–23 January 1848Minister Plenipotentiary, on 31 May 1847 accreditedFrancisco José de Paiva Pereira(Barão de Paiva)24 January 1848–21 July 1850Interim Chargé d’affaires, on 30 July 1848 accreditedBarão de Paiva10 August 1850–11 November 1851Minister Plenipotentiary, on 31 August 1850 accreditedConde da Azinhaga11 November 1851–20 October 1852Minister Plenipotentiary, on 11 November 1851 accreditedBarão de Paiva27 October 1852–22 October 1868Minister Plenipotentiary, on 21 October 1852 accreditedAntónio José de Ávila (Conde de Ávila)13 November 1868–25 January 1869Minister Plenipotentiary, on 20 November 1868 accreditedJoão Carlos de Saldanha Oliveira e Daun(Duque de Saldanha)14 March 1869–19 October 1869Minister Plenipotentiary, on 14 March 1869 accreditedVisconde de Lancastre20 October 1869–26 February 1870Interim Chargé d’affairesJosé Maria do Casal Ribeiro(Conde do Casal Ribeiro) (pt)27 February 1870–30 June 1870Minister Plenipotentiary, on 27 February 1870 accreditedVisconde de Lancastre3 July 1870–17 October 1870Interim Chargé d’affairesVisconde de Seisal (pt)17 October 1870–8 January 1874Minister Plenipotentiary, on 24 October 1870 accreditedBarão de Santos9 January 1874–23 May 1874Interim Chargé d’affairesJosé da Silva Mendes Leal (pt)23 May 1874–27 July 1883Minister Plenipotentiary, on 23 May 1874 accreditedJoão de Andrade Corvo 27 July 1883–2 June 1886Minister Plenipotentiary, on 27 July 1883 accreditedJoaquim Tomás Lobo de Ávila(Conde de Valbom) (pt)26 June 1886–30 January 1890Minister Plenipotentiary, on 1 July 1886 accreditedMiguel Martins Dantas (pt)18 March 1890–1 August 1891Minister Plenipotentiary, on 25 March 1890 accreditedEmygdio Julyo Navarro (pt)7 August 1891–8 June 1894Minister Plenipotentiary, on 17 November 1891 accreditedConde de Selir9 June 1894–10 August 1894Interim Chargé d’affairesTomás de Sousa Rosa (pt)10 August 1894–12 October 1910Minister Plenipotentiary, on 30 August 1894 accreditedAntónio Carlos de Sousa dos Santos Bandeira7 October 1910–25 April 1911Interim Chargé d’affairesJoão Pinheiro Chagas25 April 1911–31 December 1923Minister Plenipotentiary, on 30 January 1912 accreditedJoão Maria Cisneiros Ferreira29 December 1923–27 March 1924Interim Chargé d’affairesAntónio Joaquim Ferreira da Fonseca (pt)27 March 1924–23 July 1926Minister Plenipotentiary, on 4 April 1924 accreditedJoão Maria Cisneiros Ferreira23 July 1926–25 August 1926Interim Chargé d’affairesArmado Humberto da Gama Ochôa (pt)25 August 1926–9 June 1941Minister Plenipotentiary, on 18 October 1926 accredited, Legation transferred to Vichy in 1940José Caeiro da Mata11 July 1941–14 September 1944Minister Plenipotentiary, on 18 July 1941 accredited (Official Residence in Vichy), left his post on 30 December 1943 Carlos Pedro Pinto Ferreira4 July 1943–15 September 1944Interim Chargé d’affaires, Official Residence in VichyAugusto de Castro Sampaio Côrte Real (pt)(10?) February 1945–29 July 1947Minister Plenipotentiary, on 10 March 1945 accredited, Official Residence again in ParisMarcello Gonçalves Nunes Duarte Mathias 30 July 1947–18 April 1948Minister Plenipotentiary, on 8 June 1947 accreditedMarcello Gonçalves Nunes Duarte Mathias19 April 1948–29 September 1958Ambassador, on 20 April 1948 accredited, Legation elevated to EmbassyManuel Nunes da Silva29 September 1958–25 February 1959Interim Chargé d’affairesAntónio Augusto Braga Leite de Faria25 February 1959–22 May 1961Ambassador, on 12 March 1959 accreditedMarcelo Gonçalves Nunes Duarte Mathias23 May 1961–15 August 1971Ambassador, on 3 June 1961 accredited, left his post on 19 July 1971Mário Júlio de Melo Freitas19 July 1971–20 October 1971Interim Chargé d’affairesAlfredo Lencastre da Veiga20 October 1971–29 August 1974Ambassador, on 16 November 1971José Manuel Borges Gama Cornélio da Silva29 August 1974–23 December 1974Interim Chargé d’affairesAntónio Antero Coimbra Martins (pt)23 December 1974–30 June 1979Ambassador, on 23 December 1974 accreditedAntónio José Aniceto Siqueira Freire2 July 1979–17 August 1983Ambassador, on 12 July 1979 accreditedManuel Moreira de Andrade17 August 1983–30 January 1984Interim Chargé d’affairesWalter Ruivo Pinto Gomes Rosa 30 January 1984–21 February 1985Ambassador, on 23 February 1984 accreditedLuis Gaspar da Silva (pt)14 June 1985–6 November 1990Ambassador, on 3 July 1985 accreditedJosé Maria de Almeida Sherman de Lemos Macedo15 November 1990–16 March 1995Ambassador, on 6 December 1990 accreditedJosé César Paulouro das Neves26 April 1995–29 April 1999Ambassador, on 7 June 1995 accreditedLeornado Charles de Zaffiri Duarte Mathias (pt)30 April 1999–9 February 2001Ambassador, on 18 May 1999 accreditedAntónio Victor Martins Monteiro8 March 2001–16 July 2004AmbassadorJoão Rosa Lã (de)22 October 2004–8 March 2006AmbassadorAntónio Victor Martins Monteiro 20 March 2006–1 February 2009AmbassadorFrancisco Seixas da Costa 2 February 2009–27 January 2013Ambassador, on 7 July 2009 accreditedJosé Filipe Mendes Moraes Cabral 1 February 2013–27 November 2017Ambassador, on 22 February 2013 accreditedJorge Ryder Torres Pereira12 December 2017–2022Ambassador, on 18 December 2017 accreditedJosé Augusto Duarte2022–2025AmbassadorFrancisco Ribeiro de Menezes (de)since 2025Ambassador

References