Documents to Sell a House in Portugal: 2026 Checklist

To sell a house in Portugal in 2026 you need eight core documents ready before you sign the deed: the caderneta predial urbana, the certidão permanente do registo predial, an energy certificate, the licença de utilização, the ficha técnica de habitação (for properties built or significantly altered after March 2004), proof that your IMI is paid, the floor plans, and the latest condominium minutes plus a declaração de não dívida if the property forms part of a building with shared parts.

Most of these are free or cheap and can be ordered online. The one that costs real money and takes a few days is the energy certificate, which runs roughly €150 to €350 depending on the size of the flat or house.

This guide covers each document: what it is, where to get it, what it costs and how long it takes. It is written for sellers, including foreign owners who may never have dealt with Finanças or a Conservatória before.

The full document checklist at a glance

Below is every document, where to obtain it, the typical cost and how long you should expect to wait. Costs and processing times vary slightly by municipality, but the table reflects what most sellers see in 2026.

Caderneta predial urbana

The caderneta predial urbana is the tax registry record of the property held by the Autoridade Tributária (Finanças). It shows the article number, the location, the description, the owners and the VPT, the taxable asset value the State assigns to the property. The VPT follows the CIMI formula and sits almost always below the market price, so do not confuse it with what your home is worth.

You download it free from the Portal das Finanças using your NIF and password, under Património. Check that the owners and the area match reality. If you renovated and added a room, or the property changed hands and was never updated, fix the caderneta before you go to market. A mismatch between the caderneta, the land registry and the licence is the most common reason a deed gets delayed at the notary.

Certidão permanente do registo predial

This is the land registry certificate from the Conservatória do Registo Predial. Where the caderneta is the tax view, the certidão permanente is the legal-ownership view: who holds title, and crucially what charges sit on the property, such as a mortgage, a usufruct, a seizure or a right of first refusal.

Order it online at predialonline.pt, run by the IRN. A six-month subscription costs €15 and gives you a code the buyer's lawyer and the notary can verify in real time. If a mortgage is still registered, ask your bank for the outstanding balance and the distrate (mortgage cancellation) so it can be settled at the deed. Buyers walk away from properties with surprise charges, so order this early and read it.

Energy certificate (certificado energético)

The energy certificate is legally required before you advertise or sell, under Decreto-Lei 101-D/2020, and the scheme is run by ADENE ^[1]. It rates the property from A+ to F and lists recommended improvements. The certificate stays valid for ten years, so if you bought recently you may already have a valid one on file.

Only an ADENE-accredited assessor (perito qualificado) can issue it. They visit, measure and assess the building, then register the certificate ^[2]. Expect to pay €150 to €350 depending on size and type, and to wait three to eight working days. Advertising a property without a valid energy certificate can trigger fines, and most serious portals will not let the listing go live without the rating, so this is not a step to skip.

Licença de utilização

The licença de utilização is the council's confirmation that the building is legally fit for its stated use, residential in the case of a home. The Câmara Municipal issues it. Properties built before 7 August 1951 are exempt and instead need a certidão from the council confirming that exemption.

If you have lost the original, request a copy or a certidão from the council where the property sits. The cost is usually €10 to €75 and turnaround ranges from same day to a few weeks. The licence must match the actual use. If a garage was turned into a bedroom, or a commercial unit is being sold as a flat, the notary may refuse the deed until the situation is regularised. Sort this out before listing, not the week of signing.

Ficha técnica de habitação

The ficha técnica de habitação is a technical data sheet describing the construction, materials and systems of the home. It became mandatory for properties built or substantially altered after 30 March 2004. Older homes do not need one, so do not panic if your 1980s flat lacks it.

If the property is post-2004, the ficha should have been filed with the Câmara Municipal at completion and a copy handed to the first owner. Request a copy from the council if you cannot find it. The cost ranges from free to around €50. For older properties this line simply does not apply.

Proof of IMI paid, plans and condominium documents

IMI (Imposto Municipal sobre Imóveis) is the annual municipal property tax. Buyers and notaries want to see it paid up to date, and you can download the payment proof from the Portal das Finanças free. Settle any outstanding instalment before the deed. Unpaid IMI does not block the sale by itself, but it is awkward to leave hanging and the buyer's side will flag it.

Floor plans (plantas) are not always strictly mandatory for the deed, but buyers and their banks ask for them, and a mortgage valuation usually needs them. Get them from the Câmara Municipal archive or from the original architect. The cost is free to around €50.

If the property sits in a building with shared parts, you also need the latest condominium minutes (última acta de condomínio) and a declaração de não dívida ao condomínio, a statement from the administrator confirming you owe nothing in shared charges. The buyer inherits any condominium debt, so this declaration is non-negotiable for them. Request both from the condominium administrator. They are usually free or a small fee.

What the agent does vs what the seller does

A good estate agent does more than find a buyer. The agent should audit your paperwork at the listing stage and chase the gaps, while a few items stay your personal responsibility because they need your tax credentials or your bank.

Typical agency commission in Portugal is 5 to 6% plus VAT, often negotiable to 3 to 4.5% on properties above €1,000,000. Estate agency is regulated by IMPIC, which issues the AMI licence (Licença AMI, the mandatory real estate mediation licence) under Lei 15/2013 ^[3], and ASAE polices commercial practice. Always confirm the agent holds a valid AMI licence before signing a mediation contract.

Common mistakes that cost money

1. Letting the caderneta predial, the land registry and the licença de utilização disagree on area or use, then discovering it the week of the deed.
2. Leaving the energy certificate to the last minute when it takes up to eight working days and is required just to advertise legally.
3. Forgetting to request the distrate (mortgage cancellation) from your bank, so the outstanding loan blocks the deed.
4. Selling a flat without the declaração de não dívida ao condomínio, leaving the buyer exposed to inherited shared-charge debt.
5. Assuming the VPT on the caderneta is your market price, then pricing the home wrongly.
6. Hiring an agent who does not hold a valid AMI licence and cannot audit your documents.

A note on taxes and timing

The documents above get you to the deed. Two taxes sit alongside them. IMT (Imposto Municipal sobre Transmissões, the property transfer tax) and IS (Imposto do Selo, stamp duty) are paid by the buyer, not you, though they shape what the buyer can afford. Stamp duty on the transfer is 0.8%. For 2026, a buyer using the property as their permanent main home is exempt from IMT up to €106,346, and a young-buyer relief covers first homes up to €330,539 for buyers under 35 ^[4].

As the seller, your tax is IRS (the personal income tax) on the capital gain, known locally as mais-valias. For residents, 50% of the gain is added to taxable income at your marginal rate, with a full exemption if you reinvest the proceeds in another permanent main home, broadly within 24 months before or 36 months after the sale ^[5]. Keep your purchase deed and the invoices for any capital improvements, because they reduce the gain. Non-resident sellers are now taxed on the same 50% basis after the 2023 alignment with EU law. These outcomes depend on your circumstances, so confirm them with an accountant before you sign.

Borrowing conditions also shape buyer demand for your home. The average interest rate on new housing loans in Portugal has fallen well below the roughly 4% seen in 2023, which puts more buyers in a position to act ^[6].

One clarification for foreign owners reading older guides. The Residência Não Habitual (RNH) regime, a special tax status for new arrivals, has been closed to new applicants since 1 January 2024; its successor is the IFICI incentive for research and innovation. The Golden Visa real estate routes were removed in October 2023, with current routes limited to qualifying funds, R&D, cultural heritage, capital with job creation, and ten-job creation. Neither affects your document checklist, but both still circulate in outdated advice.

Frequently asked questions

Pull your caderneta and certidão permanente this week, book the energy certificate, and make sure the three records agree on area and use. Get those right and the deed signs cleanly. The fastest way to handle the rest is to work with an AMI-licensed agent who audits your paperwork before the property ever goes live.

This article was written with AI assistance and reviewed editorially by The Agent Trust. All cited sources are official and verifiable in the links above.