Getting a Property Registry Certificate (Certidão Permanente)

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

• You are buying, selling, inheriting, or mortgaging a property in Portugal.
• You want to check who owns a property and what debts or charges are registered on it.
• You live in Portugal or abroad; no Portuguese ID card is needed.

Not for you if: you need the property's tax value for IMI or IMT. Read Understanding the Caderneta Predial instead.

The land registry certificate (certidão permanente do registo predial) is the official record of a property at the land registry. It shows who owns it and any mortgage, seizure, or other charge registered against it. You order it online on Predial Online, the justice ministry's land registry website. Anyone can order it with a name and an email address. It costs €15 online or €20 at a registry office, and gives you an access code valid for six months. You need the property's registry number to order it.

What the certificate shows

The certificate is not a paper document. It is online access, through a code, to the property's registry record. The information is live. If someone files a new registration during your six months, it appears as pending.

It shows:

• The description (descrição). The registry number, parish, municipality, type of property, area, and boundaries. It also gives the property's tax registration number.
• Ownership. Who owns the property, in what shares, and how they acquired it.
• Charges (ónus e encargos). Registered mortgages, seizures (penhoras), usufructs, long leases, rights of way, and similar rights.
• Pending requests. Registrations filed but not yet completed, with their date and number.

A "clean" certificate shows the seller as owner and no charges, or only the mortgage that will be paid off at the sale.

How to order it online

1. Find the property details. You need the district, municipality, parish, and the registry description number (número de descrição). For a flat, you also need its letter (fração). These details appear on the deed, the mortgage contract, or an older certificate.
2. Go to Predial Online and choose "Certidão Permanente", then "Criar".
3. Enter your name and email address. You do not need a digital certificate or a Portuguese Citizen Card. You can use one if you have it.
4. Identify the property. Enter the registry number. If you only have the tax registration number, you can use it to find the property. You must then confirm the registry number before the certificate is released.
5. Pay €15. You can pay by Visa or Mastercard, Multibanco, or online banking.
6. Wait for the emails. One confirms your request and gives the access code. A second tells you when the certificate is ready. For older records still kept in paper books, the registry must first transfer them to the computer system, which can take longer.
7. Read it online. Enter the access code on Predial Online.

For several flats in one building, you must make one request per flat. Each request costs €15.

At a registry office. You can also ask for the certificate in person at any land registry office (conservatória do registo predial). It costs €20. A paper certificate costs €30.

Using the access code

The access code is the certificate. Give it to your bank, notary, lawyer, buyer, or any office that needs to check the registry. By law, no public or private body can then insist on a paper certificate.

A printout is not a certificate. It has no legal value on its own. The person checking must enter the code online.

Renewing. You can renew up to one month before the code expires. The code stays the same, and the new six months start when the old ones end. You cannot renew an expired code. Predial Online emails you 30 days, 7 days, and 1 day before it expires.

Free certificates after a registration. When you register a purchase or a mortgage, you get a free access code for three months for the property. You can renew it for €15.

Where it fits in a purchase

• Before the promissory contract. Your lawyer checks the owner, the area, and any charges. Problems are cheapest to fix at this stage. See Signing a Promissory Contract (CPCV) to Buy a Home.
• For the bank. Your lender checks it before approving a mortgage.
• At the deed. The notary, lawyer, solicitor, or Casa Pronta counter checks the current record before the sale. See Using Casa Pronta to Buy or Sell a Home.
• After the sale. Check that you now appear as owner, and that any new mortgage is recorded correctly.

Sellers can order one before listing, so it is ready for the first serious offer. See Selling Your House in Portugal.

How to read it: what to look for

• Is the seller the registered owner? The name, and the shares if there are several owners, should match the seller.
• Are there charges? A mortgage or seizure must be cancelled at or before the sale. Ask how and when.
• Are there pending requests? A pending registration may change the picture. Ask what it is.
• Does the description match reality? Compare the area and type with the property and the tax record. Extensions that were never registered or licensed are a common problem.
• Is ownership complete? Watch for a shared ownership or an inheritance that was never settled.

If you buy at a court or tax auction, the order and dates of the entries decide which charges survive. See Buying a Repossessed Property at Auction.

The cheaper summary: Informação Predial Simplificada

Predial Online also offers a simplified property summary (Informação Predial Simplificada). It costs €1 online or €5 at a registry office, for one year. It shows the main description, the owners, and whether there are mortgages, seizures, other charges, or pending requests.

It is not a certificate. It does not replace the certificate where the law requires one. Use it for a quick first check, then order the certificate before you sign anything.

How it differs from other property documents

You need both the registry certificate and the tax record for a sale. One does not replace the other.

Common mistakes

• Searching only by tax number. The tax registration helps you find the property, but the registry number is what the certificate uses. Confirm it.
• Missing a pending entry. A recent sale or mortgage may still be pending. Read that section.
• Handing over a printout. Give the access code instead.
• Letting the code expire before the deed. Renew it in time, or order a fresh one.
• Relying on the simplified summary. It has no legal value as a certificate.

Getting help

Predial Online has a contact page and frequently asked questions. Your lawyer, solicitor, or notary can also order and read the certificate for you. For what each professional does, see Using a Notary and Certifying Documents in Portugal.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. For a purchase, have a lawyer or solicitor read the certificate before you sign.

Sources

This guide is written from official sources and, where relevant, organisations' own websites.

• Predial Online (IRN, Ministry of Justice), frequently asked questions: https://www.predialonline.pt/PredialOnline/faq_input.action (what the certificate is; six-month subscription; anyone can order with name and email, no digital certificate needed; property details needed; tax number to locate only; one request per flat; live updates and pending requests; code replaces paper under Código do Registo Predial article 110.º(5); printouts have no legal value; renewal one month ahead, same code, alerts at 30, 7, and 1 day; free three-month code after a registration; €15 online, €20 at a registry office, €30 paper; payment by card, Multibanco, or online banking; Informação Predial Simplificada €1 online, €5 at a registry office, one year, contents, not a certificate), checked 2 October 2026
• Predial Online (IRN), home page: https://www.predialonline.pt/PredialOnline/ (services: Certidão Permanente, Informação Predial Simplificada, online registration), checked 2 October 2026
• gov.pt, Pedir uma certidão permanente do registo predial: https://www.gov.pt/servicos/pedir-uma-certidao-permanente-do-registo-predial (service run by IRN; paper certificates at any land registry office), checked 2 October 2026

Last verified October 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.