A deal from start to finish in Portugal

A Portuguese sale passes through several hands: you, often a lawyer or solicitor, the bank, the tax office, a notary or a Casa Pronta desk, and the land registry. Your value is knowing the order, keeping everyone on time and making sure nobody is surprised by a tax bill. This lesson follows a resale, then works through one deal in euros.

Who does what

• You, the consultant: mediation contract, marketing, viewings, offer, client identification, coordination.
• The buyer’s lawyer or solicitor: checks the papers, drafts or reviews the CPCV, books the deed.
• The bank: values the home and approves the mortgage.
• The tax office (Finanças): issues the IMT and stamp duty payment slips, which the buyer pays before the deed.
• The notary or Casa Pronta: the public act of sale. Casa Pronta is the land registry’s one-stop desk.
• The land registry (conservatória do registo predial): records the new owner and any mortgage.

A resale, step by step

1. Mediation contract. Signed and written, with the fee and VAT rate (lesson 4).
2. Offer and reservation. Many agencies take a reservation to stop viewings. We found no special legal rule for it, so write down the amount, the deadline to sign the CPCV and whether it is refundable.
3. Identification. Under IMPIC’s rules, identify both parties and any beneficial owner before the CPCV (lesson 4).
4. Checks. The lawyer pulls the certidão permanente (owner, mortgages, seizures), the caderneta predial (tax data), the energy certificate and the town hall’s licence history. Since 2024 the licença de utilização is no longer needed at the deed (Montepio), but a missing licence can still block a mortgage.
5. CPCV and sinal. See below.
6. Mortgage approval. The bank approves the loan before the deed is booked.
7. IMT and stamp duty. The buyer files the IMT form (Modelo 1) and pays, at the latest the next working day after the slip is issued, always before the deed (Portal das Finanças).
8. Deed and registration. At a notary, or at Casa Pronta where sale and registration happen in one sitting.
9. Your fee. Due when the deal is concluded, or at the CPCV if your mediation contract says so (Law 15/2013, article 19).

The CPCV and the sinal

The contrato-promessa de compra e venda (CPCV) is the promise to buy and sell. Montepio’s September 2026 guide explains:

• It is written and signed by both parties. The law provides for in-person recognition of signatures, which the parties can waive in the contract.
• It should state the parties, the property and its registry and tax references, the price and payment terms, the sinal, the deed deadline, that the home is sold free of charges, its urban planning licence and its energy certificate.
• The sinal (deposit) is free to agree, usually 10% to 20% of the price, and is deducted at the deed.
• The double return rule. Under article 442 of the Civil Code, a buyer who walks away loses the sinal. A seller who walks away must pay it back in double. A court can also be asked to force the sale through (execução específica).

Make sure the sinal is paid by bank transfer and written in the CPCV.

The mortgage

Banco de Portugal tightened its guidance from 1 August 2026 (Dinheiro Vivo):

• Loan to value: up to 90% for a permanent home, 80% for other purposes.
• Debt service: repayments up to 45% of the borrower’s income, down from 50%.
• Term: up to 40 years if the oldest borrower is 35 or younger, 35 years otherwise.

So even a resident usually needs at least 10% of the price in cash, plus taxes and fees.

IMT and stamp duty in 2026

The buyer pays IMT (the transfer tax) and stamp duty (imposto do selo) of 0.8%, both on the IMT taxable value (Portal das Finanças). PwC’s 2026 tax guide gives the IMT brackets for mainland Portugal:

Taxable value	Permanent home (HPP)	Second home or rental
Up to €106,346	0%	1%
€106,346 to €145,470	2%	2%
€145,470 to €198,347	5%	5%
€198,347 to €330,539	7%	7%
€330,539 to €660,982	8%	8%
€660,982 to €1,150,853	6% flat	6% flat
Above €1,150,853	7.5% flat	7.5% flat

The rates up to €660,982 are marginal: each slice of the price is taxed at its own rate. Above that, one rate applies to the whole price. Buyers aged 35 or under buying their first permanent home may get an exemption up to €330,539 (PwC). Madeira and the Azores use different brackets, which we do not cover here.

Non-residents. Since late May 2026, under Decree-law 97/2026, a buyer who is not tax resident pays a flat 7.5% on a home, with no brackets (Financial Options). The tax office’s September 2026 guidance, reported by idealista, says a buyer who was resident before pays the normal rates, and a buyer who becomes resident within two years can claim the difference back within six months. A refund is also possible if the home is let at a moderate rent (up to €2,300 a month) within six months and for 36 months in the first five years.

Worked example: a flat in Lisbon

A couple buys a flat in Lisbon for €400,000, with a mortgage, as their permanent home. The mediation contract says 5% plus VAT, paid by the seller. The sinal and Casa Pronta choice are examples.

Item	Calculation	Amount
Sinal at 10% (example)	400,000 x 10%	€40,000
Minimum own funds at 90% LTV (the sinal counts)	400,000 x 10%	€40,000
IMT, permanent home	0 + 782.48 + 2,643.85 + 9,253.44 + (69,461 x 8%)	€18,236.65
Stamp duty on the purchase	400,000 x 0.8%	€3,200
Casa Pronta with a mortgage	Fixed fee (Kinvest)	€700
Agency fee, paid by seller	400,000 x 5%	€20,000
VAT on the fee	20,000 x 23%	€4,600

How the IMT adds up: nothing on the first €106,346, then 2% on the next €39,124, 5% on €52,877, 7% on €132,192 and 8% on the last €69,461.

Same flat, non-resident buyer. 400,000 x 7.5% = €30,000 of IMT, about €11,763 more. Show this to foreign clients before they make an offer. Nobody likes a surprise at the deed.

The bank adds its own fees and the taxes on the loan. Ask for its written cost sheet.

The deed: notary or Casa Pronta

Casa Pronta does the sale and the land registration in one appointment at a registry desk. Kinvest’s October 2026 guide gives fixed fees of €375 with one registration act (cash purchase) and €700 with more than one (purchase plus mortgage), plus €50 per extra property. IMT and stamp duty are paid separately. With all documents ready, an appointment can often be set within about five working days.

At a notary, fees depend on the act. The notary or lawyer then files the registration. Either way, the buyer is only safe once the purchase is registered.

Off-plan and new builds

For an off-plan purchase, the CPCV is the core document. Montepio advises adding the building specifications and any condition linked to works. Watch two points in 2026:

• 6% VAT. Decree-law 97/2026 lets some new homes be built with 6% VAT instead of 23%, for permanent homes priced up to €660,982. A buyer who does not move in within six months faces a 10% IMT surcharge (ECO).
• Stage payments. We could not confirm a general legal duty for developers to guarantee buyers’ stage payments, as exists in Spain. Ask the developer what guarantee it offers, and have the buyer’s lawyer check it.

Tax rates change by date and residence, so check the official source before you act. Practise with sales training.

This lesson is general information, not legal or tax advice.