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Rusting old cars, one with a Portuguese number plate, in a scrapyard near Monte dos Cairos in the southwest of Portugal

Scrapping a Car in Portugal in 2026: A Practical Guide to the Certificate of Destruction, the Free Drop-Off and Its Two Exceptions, and Why the Date Decides Your Road Tax

An old car in Portugal is legal waste, and only a licensed dismantler's certificate of destruction ends your responsibility for it. When the drop-off is free, the papers to bring, the fines for abandoning a car and the IUC dates that change in 2027 and 2028.

The Portugal Brief 23 Sep 2026

A pale yellow flower of the invasive ice plant, Carpobrotus edulis, among its fleshy leaves at Cabo da Roca

Invasive Plants and Animals in Portugal in 2026: A Practical Guide to the National List, the Pampas Grass and Acacias in Your Garden, the Slider Turtle You Already Own and the Environmental Fines

Pampas grass, ice plant, mimosa, nasturtiums, goldfish and slider turtles are all on Portugal's national invasive list. What Decreto-Lei 92/2019 bans, what to do if you already have one, the Madeira-only asterisk, and fines that run into the tens of thousands.

The Portugal Brief 22 Sep 2026

A row of tall cream and pink apartment blocks on a wooded hillside on the outskirts of Lisbon, seen across scrubland beside a road

Existing Homes in Portugal Cost 18 Percent More Than a Year Ago, While Buyers With Foreign Tax Addresses Bought 10.3 Percent Fewer

INE's second-quarter House Price Index has the headline rate at 16.5 percent, a second quarter of deceleration, with 40,142 homes sold and new builds rising at 12.3 percent against 18.0 for the existing stock.

The Portugal Brief 22 Sep 2026

The Rua Augusta Arch on Praca do Comercio in Lisbon, its white stone sculptures and central archway framed by the yellow arcaded buildings of the square

AIMA Counts 1,585,854 Foreign Residents at the End of 2025, and One in Six Is Not Holding a Valid Residence Card

The agency's Migration and Asylum Report for 2025 puts Brazil at 31.1 percent of the total for a sixth year and Angola second. Some 261,443 of the people counted as resident are pending cases or expired titles awaiting an appointment.

The Portugal Brief 22 Sep 2026

A yellow Kamov Ka-32 firefighting helicopter of the Portuguese fire brigade in flight against a clear blue sky, with red water tanks along its fuselage

Portugal's Firefighting Pilots May Now Fly Twenty Consecutive Days, and the Consent Has to Come From the Pilot

Portaria n.º 434/2026/1 is the first change in 33 years to the 1993 rulebook on flight and rest time for aerial-work pilots. A 20-day run needs the pilot's express agreement and five consecutive days off at the end. It takes effect on Wednesday.

The Portugal Brief 22 Sep 2026

Changing Your Name in Portugal in 2026: A Practical Guide to the Registos Centrais Authorisation, the Six-Word Limit and the Seven Changes You Can Make by Simple Request

Changing Your Name in Portugal in 2026: A Practical Guide to the Registos Centrais Authorisation, the Six-Word Limit and the Seven Changes You Can Make by Simple Request

Most name changes in Portugal need the authorisation of one office in Lisbon and cost 200 euros. Seven situations escape that entirely. This guide sets out both routes, the legal limits on what a Portuguese name may contain, and every fee involved.

The Portugal Brief 22 Sep 2026

Portugal Pays Brussels 41,250 Euros a Day for Unprotected Nature Sites, and Monday's Sado Estuary Decree Is Worth 750 of Them

Portugal Pays Brussels 41,250 Euros a Day for Unprotected Nature Sites, and Monday's Sado Estuary Decree Is Worth 750 of Them

Decreto-Lei n.º 189/2026 closes the designation of the Sado Estuary conservation area and takes effect today. It bans most building on rustic land around the bay, puts a 30-working-day ICNF clock on the rest, and carries fines reaching 200,000 euros for an individual.

The Portugal Brief 22 Sep 2026

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