How to buy property in Portugal: from CPCV to deed (step by step)

Finding the home is the easy part. What separates a smooth purchase from a nightmare is understanding the order of things: what you sign, when, and what you pay at each stage. Here is the real process, start to finish.

1. Reservation

Once you pick the property, you usually place a reservation — a small amount that takes the home off the market for a few days while the contract is prepared. It's refundable or deducted from the price, depending on the agreement. Always get in writing what happens to it if you don't proceed.

2. CPCV — the promissory contract

The CPCV (promissory purchase-and-sale contract) is the most important step. This is where buyer and seller commit: price, deadlines, conditions. On signing you pay the deposit, typically 10% to 30% of the price.

The deposit has teeth: if the buyer walks away, they lose it; if the seller walks away, they return it doubled. That's why you don't rush the CPCV — it's where a lawyer earns their fee.

3. Due diligence — checking before you sign

Before (or as a condition of) the CPCV, you confirm the home is what it seems:

• Tax register (caderneta) and land registry certificate — who owns it, any mortgages or liens.
• Use licence — whether the property is legal for housing.
• Energy certificate — mandatory to sell.
• Condominium debts, illegal works, areas that don't add up.

A home with missing paperwork isn't a bad deal — it's a deal that isn't ready yet. The difference is knowing that before you hand over the deposit.

4. The deed

The public deed of purchase and sale is signed before a notary. Here you pay the balance of the price, the IMT and Stamp Duty, and ownership changes hands. If there's a loan, the bank releases the funds at this point.

5. Registration

Finally, the purchase is registered at the Land Registry in the new owner's name. Often the notary or lawyer handles this in the same act. Only after registration is your protection complete.

We don't sell a dream — we save you a mistake. Every step has a right moment; swapping the order is where money is lost.

How long does it take?

From CPCV to deed usually takes 1 to 3 months — enough for due diligence and, if applicable, loan approval. With everything prepared upfront, it can be faster.

Next

If you don't have a NIF yet, start there. Then see the real costs of buying and browse homes available in Northern Portugal.