What it costs to buy property in Portugal
A foreign buyer should budget roughly 10.3%–11.8% of the purchase price on top of the price itself. No licence or permit is required.
What you pay
- Transfer tax (IMT)7.5% of the price$37,500
- Notary, deed and land registration1.0%–2.0% of the price$5,000–$10,000
- Legal fees1.0%–1.5% of the price$5,000–$7,500
- Stamp duty (Imposto do Selo)0.8% of the price$4,000
| On a purchase of | $250,000 | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer tax (IMT) | $18,750 | $37,500 | $75,000 |
| Stamp duty (Imposto do Selo) | $2,000 | $4,000 | $8,000 |
| Notary, deed and land registration | $2,500 – $5,000 | $5,000 – $10,000 | $10,000 – $20,000 |
| Legal fees | $2,500 – $3,750 | $5,000 – $7,500 | $10,000 – $15,000 |
| Total on top of the price | 10.3%–11.8% | 10.3%–11.8% | 10.3%–11.8% |
Can you buy as a foreigner?
No licence required
No permit and no restriction on foreign ownership — only a NIF, the Portuguese tax number, is needed. Residence is a different matter from ownership: Portugal removed real estate from its Golden Visa in October 2023, so buying property here no longer opens a residency route however many agency pages still say it does.
No approval to wait for
With no permission to obtain, the timeline is set by conveyancing rather than by a government queue.
Take it with you
These figures as a PDF, worked out at the price you enter, with every source and the date it was checked.
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Nearby markets compared
What a foreign buyer pays on top of a $500,000 price, here and in the markets around it nearest in cost.
An estimate for budgeting, not legal or tax advice. These rates are traced to published sources but have not been reviewed by a practitioner in this jurisdiction. Confirm the current position with an attorney before you commit.
The 7.5% non-resident rate is traced to PwC's summary of the 2026 State Budget and to the decree-law's reported commencement of 25 May 2026; it had been in force a matter of months when this was written, so the refund mechanism in particular is worth confirming with a Portuguese lawyer before relying on it. The resident scale is deliberately not modelled.