Not necessarily. A will drawn up in Sweden cannot be directly executed in Portugal, because even though it may follow the formalities of the Swedish law, it does not fulfill the formalities of the Portuguese law. For example: wills in Portugal are drawn up exclusively by the Notary and they follow a legal formality, namely the presence of 2 witnesses and the Notary witnessing the whole procedure and reading it's content out loud.
Due to the discrepancy of the different internal succession laws and to the increasing relocation of citizens across the EU, the ECS (European Certificate of Succession) has been created.
Therefore, since 17.08.2015 it is possible for any for citizens to handle the legal aspects of an international succession by ensuring that a cross-border succession is treated coherently, under a single law and by one single authority.
The ECS is issued by the authority dealing with the succession, and can be used by heirs, legatees, executors of wills and administrators of the estate to prove their status and exercise their rights or powers in other Member States. Once issued, the ECS will be recognized in all Member States without any special procedure being required.
In case the citizen does not have a ECS, then the most efficient way to deal with a succession is to draw a new will in Portugal, because it can be immediately executed without any delays.