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practical

The bronze sculpture A Justiça by Leopoldo de Almeida outside the Palácio da Justiça in Lisbon, showing a figure restraining two rearing horses.

When a Debt in Portugal Expires in 2026: A Practical Guide to Prescrição, the Six Months on a Water Bill, the Two Years on a Traffic Fine, the Eight on Tax, the Twenty That Follow a Judgment, and the Sentence That Restarts the Clock

Portuguese law does not delete an old debt; it gives you a right to refuse it, and only if you say so. Article 303 of the Civil Code stops a court raising prescrição for you, and one written acknowledgement, or one part payment, resets the whole clock.
The Portugal Brief
A street corner in Porto: a blue and white azulejo-tiled building with iron balconies and shopfronts at street level, on a cobbled square.

Right of First Refusal in Portugal in 2026: A Practical Guide to the Direito de Preferência, the Thirty Days a Tenant Gets and the Eight Everyone Else Gets, the 15 Euro Notice That Clears the State, and the Six Months to Sue

A tenant of more than two years, a co-owner, a neighbouring farmer and the municipality can each take a Portuguese property off the buyer who agreed to it, at the price the buyer agreed. Here is who holds the right, in what order, and how long each one has.
The Portugal Brief
The Tribunal Central Administrativo Norte in Porto: a white facade with red window frames, a blue and white azulejo frieze and a Portuguese flag.

Stopping the State in Portugal in 2026: A Practical Guide to the Providência Cautelar, the 48-Hour Despacho Liminar, the 306 Euro Fee, and the Rule That Freezes an Act the Moment the Authority Is Served

Portuguese administrative cases take years, by which time the building is up and the flight has gone. The injunction procedure in the CPTA is the answer: 48 hours to a first order, ten days to oppose, five days to a decision, and an automatic freeze most applicants never hear about.
The Portugal Brief