Buying and Selling Real Estate in Portugal

Mandatory

• Identification of the owners and buyers;

• Permanent Land Registry Certificate (Certidão Permanente do Registo Predial or Certidão de Teor);

• Property tax record (Caderneta Predial or Certidão Matricial);

• Energy Certificate; and

• Proof of payment of IMT and Stamp Duty (Imposto do Selo) (taxes levied on the purchase of the property).

May be mandatory

• Mortgage discharge (distrate da hipoteca); and

• Pre-emption rights letters (cartas de direitos de preferência).

Optional

• Occupancy permit (autorização de utilização) and housing technical file (ficha técnica da habitação) (no longer required for the deed under Decree-Law 10/2024 (Decreto-Lei), but it is still advisable to check them);

• Previous deed;

• Condominium meeting minutes; and

• Floor plans.

The taxes levied on the property are:

• IMT – Municipal Tax on Onerous Transfers of Real Estate (Imposto Municipal sobre as Transmissões Onerosas de Imóveis, similar to Brazil's ITBI), paid before the deed and calculated on the higher of the price and the tax registered value (VPT). In 2026, the acquisition of a property intended exclusively as the buyer's own permanent home is exempt from IMT if its value does not exceed €106,346.00 on the mainland (the Autonomous Regions have their own limits). Young people up to age 35 buying their first own permanent home may be exempt from IMT and Stamp Duty up to €330,539.00 (IMT Jovem). Since May 2026, the acquisition of residential properties by non-residents of Portugal is, as a rule, subject to a single IMT rate of 7.5%, except for the exceptions provided by law.
• IS – Stamp Duty (Imposto do Selo). As a rule, 0.8% of the acquisition value, paid together with IMT before the deed (an exemption may apply under IMT Jovem). In the case of bank financing, Stamp Duty is also charged on the loan.
• IMI – Municipal Property Tax (Imposto Municipal sobre Imóveis, similar to Brazil's IPTU). After acquiring the property, the owner must pay this municipal tax every year. In some cases (own permanent home with limited tax registered value and household income), a 3-year exemption may be available. High-value real estate holdings may also be subject to the Additional IMI (AIMI). The rate used to calculate IMI is set annually by the municipality where the property is located and ranges from 0.3% to 0.45%, as provided in Article 112(1)(c) of the Municipal Property Tax Code (Código do Imposto Municipal sobre Imóveis, CIMI).
• Capital gains taxes – On the sale of the property, the gain (the difference between the sale value and the acquisition value, adjusted and net of certain expenses) is, as a rule, taken into account at 50% of its value and taxed at the progressive rates of Portuguese personal income tax (IRS); it may be excluded if reinvested in an own permanent home.