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A free, sourced guide to the process, written for a first-time foreign buyer. Every figure is dated and linked to where it came from.
Portugal places no restrictions on foreign ownership. Buyers of any nationality take full freehold title in their own name, with the same rights as a Portuguese national, and no special structure is required. What you do need first is a NIF (número de identificação fiscal), the Portuguese tax number. Non-EU residents also generally need to appoint a fiscal representative in Portugal to receive tax correspondence on their behalf — a routine service, but one people are often unaware of until a tax notice goes unanswered.
Two things that were true in older guides are no longer true, and both matter a great deal:
Work out your own numbers → Our free IMT calculator shows the old progressive scale and the new flat rate side by side.
This page is being published in August 2026, three weeks before a significant change, so read this section carefully if you are mid-purchase.
Portugal's parliament approved the Construir Portugal housing package in February 2026. From 1 September 2026, non-resident buyers of residential property pay a flat 7.5% IMT (property transfer tax) from the first euro, on both primary and secondary homes. Deeds signed before that date continue to follow the older progressive scale, under which a non-resident buying at around €600,000 paid an effective rate of roughly 5.9%, and exactly 6% at €900,000 (where a flat 6% band applies). At €1 million the new flat rate costs a non-resident roughly €15,000 more than the old scale did.
There is relief available. You can apply to the tax authority to cancel the difference between the 7.5% paid and the standard progressive rates if, after the purchase, you either become a Portuguese tax resident within two years of the acquisition, or allocate the property to moderate-rent long-term housing. If either applies to your plans, raise it with your lawyer before completion rather than after.
Independent of the seller and the agent. Their core job is documentary: obtain the certidão permanente from the Land Registry to confirm ownership and any charges, check the caderneta predial (the tax register description) actually matches the building in front of you, and confirm the habitation licence and any extensions were properly permitted. Mismatches between the registry, the tax record and the physical building are the most common defect in Portuguese property and are tedious and slow to resolve after completion.
The deed (escritura) is executed before a notary, and the transfer is then recorded at the land registry. As in Spain, the notary is a public official confirming the formality of the transaction, not your representative.
Needed both for the IMT position above and for your ongoing annual obligations. Non-EU non-residents generally must have a fiscal representative appointed.
General guidance, not legal or tax advice — sources and dates below.
For a standard residential purchase, total fees and taxes have typically run around 7%–9% of the price in 2026 — but that predates the September IMT change, which pushes the total higher for non-residents buying above roughly €600,000.
| Cost | Figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| IMT (transfer tax) | Progressive to 31 Aug 2026; flat 7.5% for non-residents from 1 Sep 2026 | Paid before signing the deed. Relief available if you become tax resident within two years or allocate the property to moderate-rent long-term housing. |
| Stamp duty | 0.8% | On the acquisition value. A further 0.6% applies where a mortgage is used. |
| Lawyer | 0.5%–1% | Broadly scales with price. |
| Notary and registration | Variable | To execute the deed and record it at the land registry. |
| IMI (annual property tax) | 0.3%–0.45% urban; up to 0.8% rural | Recurring, on the taxable value. Set within a band by each municipality. |
Portuguese residents under 35 buying a first permanent home get full IMT and stamp duty exemption up to €324,058 and reduced rates to €648,022 — worth knowing about, though it will not apply to most readers of this page.
A great many pages still tell prospective movers that Portugal offers a flat 20% tax rate and broad foreign-income exemptions for ten years under the Non-Habitual Resident regime. For anyone arriving now, that is wrong.
NHR closed to new applicants on 1 January 2024 under the 2024 State Budget Law, with a transitional window that ran to 31 March 2025 for people who already met specific pre-closure conditions. Anyone already enrolled as at 31 December 2023 keeps the benefit for the remainder of their ten-year period.
Its replacement is IFICI, sometimes marketed as "NHR 2.0" — the Tax Incentive for Scientific Research and Innovation, regulated by Ordinance 352/2024/1, in force from 24 December 2024 and applying retroactively to 1 January 2024. It offers a similar headline: a flat 20% rate on eligible Portuguese-source income and exemption on much foreign-source income, for up to ten years. The difference is who qualifies. IFICI is aimed at highly qualified professionals in science, technology and innovation roles. It is not a general regime for retirees or passive-income movers, and many people who would have qualified for NHR do not qualify for IFICI. If a tax outcome is central to your decision to move, get that assessed by a Portuguese tax professional before you buy anything.
The golden visa's real-estate route closed in October 2023, so buying a Portuguese home does not lead to residency. Non-EU citizens generally use one of two routes, both pegged to the Portuguese minimum wage, which is €920 per month in 2026 and rises most years:
Because both figures are derived from the minimum wage, they move whenever it does. Check the threshold for the year you actually apply rather than the year you start planning.
Every number on this page is listed below with where it came from and when we checked it. Last reviewed: 8 August 2026. Where a figure is set annually we have said so — treat anything undated elsewhere on the internet with suspicion.
These are secondary sources. For anything that will cost you money, confirm against the official authority named in each section, or ask a qualified local professional.
If something here is wrong or out of date, please tell us and we will fix it. If you or your business are referred to anywhere on this site and you want that changed or removed, email us and we will action it — no questions asked.
