## The process on paper

1. **Find an exam centre.** CAPLE publishes a list. Centres exist in Portugal and in dozens of
   other countries. In Portugal the largest are in Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra.
2. **Check the exam calendar.** Sessions run a handful of times a year, and not every centre
   offers every session.
3. **Register** through the portal or directly with the centre, depending on which that centre
   uses.
4. **Pay the registration fee.**

## The process in practice

Each authorised centre manages its own availability, schedule and sometimes its own registration
process. Some use CAPLE's portal, some require direct contact, and some do both with conflicting
information between the two.

The result is that there is no single reliable place to see all available sessions. Expect to
check the portal, contact individual centres, check the portal again, and try a different centre.

## What actually works

- **Contact centres directly by phone or email.** Do not rely on the portal alone. This is the
  single highest-yield tactic.
- **Check frequently.** Availability appears and disappears. Some centres add sessions without
  announcing them.
- **Register early.** Popular centres in Lisbon and Porto can fill within hours of opening.
- **Have a backup centre.** Be willing to travel to another city rather than lose a session.

## Do not leave it to the last minute

If a citizenship deadline is driving this, work backwards: certificate collection, roughly 21
working days for issuing, up to six weeks for results, then the exam date itself, then the
registration window before it. Three months from exam day to document is a realistic budget, and
finding a slot can take longer than any of those stages.