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Is the word cartório the same in Brazilian and European Portuguese?

No

While the word "cartório" exists in both varieties of Portuguese, there is a significant difference in typical usage. In Brazil, cartório is the common, everyday term used to refer to any registry office, whether it handles births, deaths, marriages, or property deeds. In Portugal, the standard and much more common term for these public institutions is conservatória (e.g., Conservatória do Registo Civil). While a Portuguese person would understand "cartório" in a legal context, they would rarely use it to refer to the place where one goes to register a birth or a property.

Brazilian Portuguese Examples (Typical Usage)

  1. Preciso ir ao cartório para reconhecer firma nesta assinatura. (I need to go to the notary office to certify my signature on this document.)
  2. Você já tirou a certidão de nascimento no cartório? (Have you already obtained the birth certificate at the registry office?)
  3. O cartório está muito cheio hoje. (The registry office is very crowded today.)
  4. Vou ao cartório registrar o nascimento do meu filho. (I am going to the registry office to register my son's birth.)
  5. O documento precisa ser autenticado em um cartório. (The document needs to be notarized at a notary office.)

Continental Portuguese Examples (Typical Usage)

  1. Preciso ir à conservatória para reconhecer uma assinatura. (I need to go to the registry office to certify a signature.)
  2. Já pediste o assento de nascimento na conservatória? (Have you already requested the birth certificate at the registry office?)
  3. A conservatória está fechada hoje. (The registry office is closed today.)
  4. Vou à conservatória para registar o nascimento do bebé. (I am going to the registry office to register the baby's birth.)
  5. O processo de propriedade está parado na conservatória. (The property process is stuck at the registry office.)