In order to complete a purchase of property, a number of documents are required and must be delivered to the Notary’s office at least one week before the date booked for signing the Deed of Transfer known as the Escritura. These are:
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A registration certificate. This is issued by the Land Registry (Conservatório do Registo Predial and is valid for six months and shows who is the owner and if there are any mortgages or encumbrances registered on the property.
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A tax office certificate (Caderneta Predial). This is a stamped document issued by the Tax office confirming the property’s tax status. It is valid for 12 months from the date of issue. If the property has not been registered with the tax office, a duplicate of the registration application. This document is called Modelo 1 of I.M.I. and is stamped by the tax office.
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A receipt for the payment of the property transfer tax (IMT) This tax must be paid by the purchaser and can be done at any tax office (Finanças) before the transfer takes place or by Internet. The IMT is levied on the value of the property in accordance with the tax rates, as shown in the section on buying costs.
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A Habitation Certificate (Licença de Habitação) The notary public must verify that the building is registered with the Tax office and that the habitation certificate was granted by the municipal authorities. If a building is newly constructed and no habitation certificate has yet been issued, this may be replaced by the construction license or building permit, if:
- The vendor can prove that he has already applied for the habitation certificate for the building or the part referred to.
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escritura, title deed, portugal, documents