The AMI licence: requirements, fees and duties

Portugal is simpler than many countries on one point: there is one national licence, issued by one body, with no exam. It is also stricter on another: the licence comes with insurance, yearly proof and real fines. This lesson walks you through it.

Who needs the licence

Law 15/2013 makes real estate mediation in Portugal subject to a licence from IMPIC (Instituto dos Mercados Públicos, do Imobiliário e da Construção). The law calls the licence holder an empresa de mediação imobiliária. It can be a company or an individual trader.

If you join an agency as a consultant, the agency holds the licence and you work under it (lesson 2). You need your own licence only if you open your own business. Ekonomista notes there is no mandatory course to open an agency.

The two requirements

Article 5 of the law sets just two conditions:

1. Commercial integrity (idoneidade comercial), for the company and its legal representatives. Article 6 excludes, for example, insolvent companies and people with certain final criminal convictions in the previous five years. Doutor Finanças lists prison sentences for fraud, corruption or money laundering among them. You confirm integrity with a sworn declaration and a criminal record certificate.
2. Civil liability insurance of at least €150,000, or a financial guarantee or equivalent instrument (article 7). gov.pt confirms the same minimum. A policy from another country of the European Economic Area is accepted.

How to apply

Doutor Finanças describes the steps in its 2025 guide. You can apply online, at an IMPIC counter, or through the Balcão do Empreendedor (the business services portal). Apply before you start working, never after.

You will need:

• The application form and the integrity declaration.
• The list of premises open to clients.
• The insurance policy and proof of payment.
• As a sole trader: your ID, your start of activity declaration and a criminal record certificate issued for the purpose of “Mediação Imobiliária”.
• As a company: the list of legal representatives, their IDs and criminal records, the company tax number and the access code to the commercial registry certificate.

Applicants based elsewhere in the European Economic Area can file documents in Portuguese or English (IMPIC FAQ).

Decision time. Article 8 gives IMPIC 20 days to decide once it has the file. If it does not answer in time, the application is treated as tacitly approved. The approval only takes effect once the fee is paid and the insurance is proven.

What it costs

According to IMPIC’s FAQ, based on Ordinance 199/2013:

Item	Amount
Licence application	€100
New application after an unpaid fee	€150
Annual regulation fee	€265, pro rata in your first year
Second copy of a representative card, or a certificate	€25 each

Add the insurance premium, which depends on your insurer. Doutor Finanças confirmed the €100 and €265 amounts in November 2025.

Keeping the licence alive

The licence has no expiry date (article 4). It can lapse, be suspended or be cancelled if you stop meeting the requirements. Your yearly and ongoing duties:

• Every January, pay the annual fee and prove you still meet the requirements, including valid insurance. Doutor Finanças describes this as the yearly renewal.
• Tell IMPIC within 30 days when you open, move or close premises open to the public (article 14).
• Report changes to your company data and requirements, keep an up to date register of mediation contracts, and give IMPIC any information it asks for (article 20, as summarised by gov.pt).
• Offer a complaints book (livro de reclamações).
• Use an approved contract. Since Decree-law 102/2017, standard mediation contracts are checked by IMPIC. If you use the official model from Ordinance 228/2018, you simply deposit it with IMPIC, at least 5 working days before first use. Your own model needs IMPIC’s approval first. Skipping this step can cost €500 to €2,500 (Imojuris).
• Meet your anti-money laundering duties as an obliged entity, including naming a compliance officer and reporting deals every quarter (lesson 4, IMPIC FAQ).

Your number on everything

Article 13 says the company name and its licence number must appear at each office open to the public and on contracts, correspondence, publications and all advertising. Only licensed companies may use the words mediação imobiliária in their name.

As a consultant, check that your agency’s AMI number is on your business cards, your posts and every listing.

Fines

The original 2013 text sets these ranges (article 32). The law has been amended since, so check the consolidated version before you rely on an exact figure.

Breach	Fine range
Mediating without a licence, among others	€5,000 to €30,000
Breaking client duties (article 17) or the rules on advances (article 19)	€2,500 to €25,000
Not reporting offices, or serving clients from a home	€1,000 to €10,000
Missing licence number or name on documents and ads, among others	€750 to €5,000
Other duties, such as some reporting rules	€500 to €2,500

For the two most serious groups, IMPIC can add the closure of premises or a ban on the activity for up to two years. Attempt and negligence are also punished, with the limits halved.

Step by step

1. Decide your model: consultant under an agency, sole trader or company.
2. Get your NIF, NISS and activity registration (lesson 2).
3. Collect your criminal record and sign the integrity declaration.
4. Buy the insurance: at least €150,000.
5. Apply to IMPIC and pay the €100 fee, then the annual fee.
6. Deposit your contract model with IMPIC.
7. Set up AML: compliance officer, client forms, quarterly reports.
8. Put your AMI number on every advert, card and contract.
9. Diary every January for the fee and the proof of requirements.

Rules and fees change, so check with IMPIC before you act. Practise with sales training.

This lesson is general information, not legal advice.