Beto made his Portugal debut on 6 September 1997, in a 1–1 draw against Germany for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Berlin. He was subsequently part of the nation's squads at the 2002 World Cup – where he scored against the United States, as the national team lost 2–3 and exited in the group stage (he played that competition as a right back)– and both the 2000 and 2004 UEFA European Championships.