Portugal real estate ownership

In Portugal there are a few types of ownership possible to own real estate. The 2 most common forms you will encounter are in individual name and through a company.

The most common for is that the property is held in individual, name as freehold. The property is then easily transferrable to a new owner.

Any loans, mortgages or other outstanding debs in Portugal are registered on the property and your lawyer can check if there are loans which need to be cleared before the transfer onto your name of the property.

The second for or property ownership in Portugal is through a company, this can be an offshore company, Portuguese Limited (LDA), UK Limited company, etc etc. Company owned real estate you will mostly encounter in the higher priced properties. Advantages can be for example that there is no IMT transfer tax payable.

For either form of ownership there are (tax) advantages and disadvantages to which we always advice to seek professional legal advice from a Portuguese registered lawyer / solicitor and with companies accountants or specialized financial companies who can assist you with the due diligence.