Buying a home in Portugal, step by step

1. Get a Portuguese tax number (NIF)

Every buyer needs a NIF (Número de Identificação Fiscal) before signing anything or paying a deposit. You can request it at a tax office (Finanças) in person, or remotely through a lawyer or an authorised representative.

Buyers who live outside the EU/EEA may need to appoint a fiscal representative in Portugal, or sign up for electronic tax notifications instead. Your lawyer will tell you which applies to you.

2. Line up your team and your budget

• An independent lawyer (advogado or solicitador) who works for you, not the seller. They run the checks below and can sign on your behalf with a power of attorney.
• A Portuguese bank account — not legally required, but it makes paying taxes, utilities and the annual property tax much easier.
• Mortgage pre-approval, if you are borrowing. Portuguese banks lend to non-residents, usually at a lower loan-to-value than for residents.
• Purchase costs on top of the price: transfer tax (IMT), stamp duty, notary or registration fees and legal fees. Ask your lawyer for a written estimate for the specific property before you make an offer.

3. Check the property before you commit

Before any binding contract, your lawyer should obtain and review:

• Certidão permanente do registo predial — the land registry record: who owns it and whether there are mortgages, liens or other charges.
• Caderneta predial — the tax record, which should match the registry and the property you visited.
• Licença de utilização — the habitation licence confirming the property can legally be used as a home (older buildings may have an exemption instead).
• Certificado energético — the energy certificate, which the seller must provide.
• Ficha técnica da habitação — the technical file for homes licensed in recent decades, describing how the building was built.
• Confirmation that there are no unpaid condominium fees and that any extensions, pools or annexes are licensed.

4. Sign the promissory contract (CPCV) and pay the deposit

Once the checks are clean, buyer and seller usually sign a CPCV (Contrato-Promessa de Compra e Venda). It fixes the price, the completion date and the conditions, and you pay a deposit — the sinal — commonly between 10% and 30% of the price.

The deposit protects both sides: if the buyer walks away without cause, they lose it; if the seller backs out, they must normally return double the deposit. Make sure the CPCV states clearly what happens if your mortgage is refused or a document problem appears.

5. Pay the taxes and sign the deed

Before completion you pay IMT (the property transfer tax, on a sliding scale that depends on the price and on whether the home will be your permanent residence) and stamp duty (Imposto do Selo, 0.8% of the price). Both are paid before the deed is signed.

Ownership passes when the escritura (deed) is signed — at a notary, at a Casa Pronta desk, or as a document certified by a lawyer. The balance of the price is paid at that moment, usually by bank transfer or banker's draft.

6. Register and settle in

• Your lawyer registers the purchase at the land registry in your name — do not skip this; registration is what protects you against third parties.
• Transfer water, electricity and internet into your name.
• From the following year you pay IMI, the annual municipal property tax, based on the property's tax value.

Good to know

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules and rates change, and your situation (residency, financing, the property itself) matters — always work with an independent lawyer before you sign or pay anything.