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The Portugal Brief

The Portugal Brief

Decreto-Lei 97/2026 Pins a 10% IMT Penalty on IVA-6% Homebuyers Who Vacate the Primary Residence Inside 12 Months — Pacote Fiscal Habitação Bolts the Affordable-Housing Loophole as Diário da República Publishes Tuesday 20 May

Decreto-Lei 97/2026 Pins a 10% IMT Penalty on IVA-6% Homebuyers Who Vacate the Primary Residence Inside 12 Months — Pacote Fiscal Habitação Bolts the Affordable-Housing Loophole as Diário da República Publishes Tuesday 20 May

Decreto-Lei 97/2026, in the DR on Tuesday 20 May, slaps a 10% IMT surcharge on any IVA-6% homebuyer who fails to designate the property as primary residence within six months — or vacates inside the first 12 months. Marriage, divorce and new dependents are the only carve-outs.
The Portugal Brief
MB Way and Multibanco in Portugal in 2026 — A Practical Guide to the SIBS-Owned Card Rails, the 11,000-ATM Network, the Mobile-Wallet App, the MB Spot Cash-In/Cash-Out Service and the Mechanics Outside Visa-Mastercard

MB Way and Multibanco in Portugal in 2026 — A Practical Guide to the SIBS-Owned Card Rails, the 11,000-ATM Network, the Mobile-Wallet App, the MB Spot Cash-In/Cash-Out Service and the Mechanics Outside Visa-Mastercard

Multibanco is the SIBS-operated domestic card network behind Portugal's 11,000-plus ATMs, the Entidade-Referência-Montante bill rail and the MB Way mobile wallet. A 2026 practical guide to onboarding, P2P limits, MB Spot and what to watch as a foreign resident.
The Portugal Brief
Medway Steps Up the Palmela Rail-Freight Line to Three Trains a Week for Volkswagen Autoeuropa — Leixões and Santander Anchor the Modal-Shift Pipeline as Carlos Vasconcelos Reads the Railway Option 'Gaining Strength'

Medway Steps Up the Palmela Rail-Freight Line to Three Trains a Week for Volkswagen Autoeuropa — Leixões and Santander Anchor the Modal-Shift Pipeline as Carlos Vasconcelos Reads the Railway Option 'Gaining Strength'

Medway runs up to three trains a week from Palmela to Leixões and Santander carrying finished Volkswagen Autoeuropa vehicles, president Carlos Vasconcelos tells Jornal de Negócios. The Rodo Cargo service marks a slow modal shift toward rail-based finished-car logistics on the Atlantic Corridor.
The Portugal Brief