How to read a Portuguese land registry certificate (certidão permanente)
The certidão permanente says who owns the property and what is charged against it. It is the document that governs ownership. Below is an illustrative model, field by field, including each kind of encumbrance that can appear and what each one implies.
The certidão permanente is the property's land registry record: who owns it, how they acquired it, and everything charged against it. It is the document that governs ownership — where it diverges from the caderneta, this is the one that decides who can sell. This model describes the same fração «F» of artigo U-00000 as the caderneta predial and energy certificate models, and shows the full chain: purchase in 2011, succession in 2021. It also deliberately carries more encumbrances than a normal certidão: five entries — usufruct, mortgage, penhora, arresto and a registered action — plus one pending application, so each kind can be shown and explained once. A real certidão carrying all five at the same time would be extraordinary.
How to use this page
Tap a field on the model to jump to its explanation; the full explanation of every field is also written out below, in order, and reads straight through as ordinary text. Fields marked with a gold dot are the ones where problems most often turn up.
The field names are kept in Portuguese because that is how they appear on the document — each one is glossed in English below it.
Certidão Permanente — Registo Predial
What each field means
Descrição predial
N.º 00000/19990101 — Freguesia de Vale Fictício · Conservatória do Registo Predial de Exemplo · Fração «F» · Artigo matricial U-00000
- What it is
- The description number is the property's identity at the land registry, and the date beside it is when the description was opened — not when the building went up, nor when it was bought. The description cross-refers to the artigo matricial, which is the bridge between this document and the caderneta.
- What is ordinary
- Descriptions opened on old dates often refer to the paper register that preceded computerisation. In a horizontal property, the building has a parent description and each fraction its own entry beneath it.
- What stops or delays a purchase
- The artigo matricial cited here must be the same one on the caderneta, and the fraction must be the same letter. When they do not match, or one side is missing entirely, there is a regularisation outstanding that comes before any transfer. This needs verifying before you commit.
Composição e confrontações
Fração autónoma destinada a habitação, 2.º andar direito, com garagem na cave. Prédio a confrontar a Norte com o descrito sob o n.º 00001 · Sul: Rua Fictícia · Nascente: logradouro comum · Poente: descrito sob o n.º 00002
- What it is
- The composition describes what the fraction consists of; the confrontations say what the building borders on each side. Together they are the registry's delimitation of the property — how the register tells it apart from its neighbours. In a horizontal property the confrontations belong to the building, not the fraction.
- What is ordinary
- Confrontations on old descriptions often cite the names of long-dead owners or place names no longer used. That alone is not a defect: confrontations are historical and are only updated when there is a registry reason to do so.
- What stops or delays a purchase
- The composition must include the extras the seller treats as part of the deal — garage, storage, terrace. What is not described here is not being sold with the fraction, however present it was at the viewing and in the listing. This needs verifying before you commit.
Área da fração
Área bruta privativa 96,5000 m² · Área bruta dependente 22,0000 m² (garagem na cave) — total 118,5000 m²
- What it is
- The fraction's area as the land registry has it recorded. Note what is NOT here: the 480 m² plot is not the fraction's, it belongs to the building's parent description and is a common part. The registry and the tax register measure the same fraction but by different criteria and at different moments, so the numbers are rarely identical.
- What is ordinary
- On this model the figures match the caderneta's, which is the simple case. Small divergences between the registry area and the tax-register area are common and exist across much of the built stock; older descriptions sometimes give only one overall figure for the fraction.
- What stops or delays a purchase
- A large divergence between this area, the caderneta's and the licensed plan points to untitled work or a registry error, and correcting an area is a procedure of its own that has to precede the deed. This needs verifying before you commit.
Aquisição — elo anterior da cadeia
AP. 1234 de 2011/03/15 — Compra. Sujeitos ativos: MARIA EXEMPLO DA SILVA, NIF 000 000 000, e JOÃO MODELO EXEMPLO, NIF 000 000 000, casados entre si sob o regime da comunhão de adquiridos. [Não é a inscrição em vigor]
- What it is
- The certidão shows the whole chain, not only the last link. This is the 2011 purchase: how the then owners acquired. "AP." is the filing number and the date is when the application reached the registry, which fixes the entry's priority. It is not the entry in force — that is the next one.
- What is ordinary
- Reading the chain backwards is the useful exercise: each acquisition explains the next. The couple's matrimonial property regime appears here, and it is what explains why, on the death of one of them, the whole property comes to be held in common by the heirs.
- What stops or delays a purchase
- A chain with a missing link — a transfer that was never registered — blocks registration in the buyer's name, because the registry requires an unbroken succession of title. Confirm that each acquisition follows from the one before and that none was left unregistered. This needs verifying before you commit.
Aquisição — inscrição em vigor (sucessão)
AP. 2345 de 2021/06/02 — Aquisição. Causa: sucessão hereditária por óbito de JOÃO MODELO EXEMPLO. Sujeitos ativos: MARIA EXEMPLO DA SILVA, cônjuge sobrevivo, e ROSA EXEMPLO MODELO e PEDRO EXEMPLO MODELO, filhos — três herdeiros, em comum e sem determinação de parte ou direito
- What it is
- This is the acquisition entry in force: it identifies who the registry treats as the holder, and it is the only source that matters for who can sell. The surviving spouse inherits alongside the descendants, so there are three heirs. The phrase "em comum e sem determinação de parte ou direito" means the estate has not been divided: the three hold the whole, not defined shares in this particular property.
- What is ordinary
- Undivided estates sit in that state for years and are very common in the Portuguese market. A sale is possible, but it requires every heir to take part, or a prior division of the estate. Note that the caderneta for this same property still shows the 2011 buyers — the typical lag between the two registers.
- What stops or delays a purchase
- Every heir has to be identified, confirmed to be the full set, and checked for minors, represented parties or people living abroad — each of which adds requirements of its own. One missing heir blocks the transfer, and the usufruct registered below limits what the heirs can transfer on their own. This needs verifying before you commit.
Usufruto
AP. 2346 de 2021/06/02 — Usufruto vitalício a favor de MARIA EXEMPLO DA SILVA, cônjuge sobrevivo. Raiz: os restantes herdeiros identificados supra
- What it is
- A usufruct splits ownership in two: the usufructuary has the use and income of the property — they can live in it or let it — and the bare owner holds title without use. Here the life usufruct went to the surviving spouse and the bare ownership to the children, which is the commonest succession arrangement in Portugal.
- What is ordinary
- A life usufruct ends on the usufructuary's death; it can also be set for a fixed term. While it lasts, buying only the bare ownership means buying a property you cannot occupy.
- What stops or delays a purchase
- Selling full ownership requires the usufructuary to take part and give up her right, on top of every holder of the bare ownership. If the deal on the table is bare ownership only, that changes fundamentally what is being bought and the price that makes sense. This needs verifying before you commit.
Hipoteca voluntária
AP. 3456 de 2011/03/15 — Hipoteca voluntária a favor de BANCO FICTÍCIO, S.A. Montante máximo assegurado: € 150 000,00
- What it is
- The security for the mortgage taken out in 2011, registered against the property. The "montante máximo assegurado" is the ceiling of the security and includes interest and costs — it is not the outstanding balance, which is almost always well below it.
- What is ordinary
- A mortgage follows the property until it is discharged, not the person — and this model shows it: it was registered in 2011 against the buyers of the day and remains in force after the 2021 succession, because a registered charge survives a transfer by inheritance and goes on to burden the heirs. The standard procedure is discharge at the deed: the buyer pays, the bank issues the release, and the charge is cancelled in the same act.
- What stops or delays a purchase
- You need the exact balance at the date, written confirmation from the bank that it will issue the release against payment, and that mechanism written into the promissory contract. A mortgage not cancelled at the deed stays on the property you have already bought. This needs verifying before you commit.
Penhora
AP. 4567 de 2024/09/10 — Penhora. Exequente: CREDOR ILUSTRATIVO, LDA. Quantia exequenda: € 18 500,00. Processo de execução n.º 0000/00.0XXXXX
- What it is
- A penhora is judicial seizure of the property in enforcement proceedings: a creditor has obtained a title and is enforcing against the debtor's assets. The property is earmarked for payment of that debt and can be sold by the court.
- What is ordinary
- There is nothing ordinary about a registered penhora. They exist, they happen, and some are lifted once the debt is paid or an objection succeeds — but the entry means there is live litigation over this property. In an undivided estate, a penhora can stem from a debt of just one of the heirs.
- What stops or delays a purchase
- A registered penhora has to be cancelled on the register before the property changes hands, and the amount claimed is not necessarily the full cost of lifting it. While it stands, the property answers for the debt regardless of who owns it. This needs verifying before you commit.
Arresto
AP. 5678 de 2025/02/20 — Arresto. Requerente: REQUERENTE ILUSTRATIVO, LDA. Processo n.º 0000/00.0XXXXX
- What it is
- An arresto is a precautionary seizure of the property, ordered before or during an action to stop the debtor disposing of it. It differs from a penhora in being an interim measure: the debt has not yet been finally established.
- What is ordinary
- An arresto can be lifted if the measure falls away or security is given, and it can convert into a penhora if the main action succeeds. Either way, while it is registered it has effect.
- What stops or delays a purchase
- You need to know which proceedings gave rise to it, what stage they are at and what sum is at stake — and none of that appears on the certidão. A property under arresto should not be the subject of a promissory contract without that established. This needs verifying before you commit.
Registo de ação
AP. 6789 de 2025/05/08 — Ação. Autor: AUTOR ILUSTRATIVO. Pedido: declaração de nulidade de ato de registo. Processo n.º 0000/00.0XXXXX
- What it is
- Registering a court action warns third parties that there is litigation whose outcome may change the property's registry position — ownership, an encumbrance, the validity of an earlier entry. Anyone buying after this entry buys subject to whatever the action decides.
- What is ordinary
- Not every registered action is serious, and many are dismissed. But the entry exists precisely so nobody can claim ignorance: once it is on the register, a buyer's good faith no longer protects them.
- What stops or delays a purchase
- The certidão says an action exists and what it asks for; it does not say what stage it is at or what is genuinely in dispute. That comes from the court file. This needs verifying before you commit.
Apresentações pendentes
AP. 7890 de 2026/09/18 — pendente de decisão. Natureza: aquisição
- What it is
- Applications filed at the registry and not yet decided. They do not appear as entries in force because they have not been assessed, but the filing date has already fixed their priority — so a pending application can outrank an entry made later.
- What is ordinary
- Most pending applications are routine: recent filings still being processed. On a certidão issued days after a transaction, finding them is normal.
- What stops or delays a purchase
- A pending application of the "acquisition" kind on a property being offered to you means somebody has already filed with priority ahead of yours, and the certidão does not say what it contains. A certidão checked today with nothing pending is the minimum before signing. This needs verifying before you commit.
Código de acesso e validade
Código 0000-0000-0000 (ilustrativo) · Válido por 6 meses a contar da emissão
- What it is
- The certidão permanente is a subscription, not a piece of paper: the code gives online access to the register, which updates while the subscription is live. Whoever holds the code always sees the current position — unlike the caderneta predial, which is a snapshot of the day it was pulled.
- What is ordinary
- The subscription normally runs six months and is renewable. A seller supplying the code rather than a printed PDF is good practice — it lets you confirm the position on the day you sign.
- What stops or delays a purchase
- A PDF handed over by the seller shows the position on the day it was taken and nothing more: charges registered afterwards do not appear on it. Check the live code, on the day. This needs verifying before you commit.
What the document does not tell you
Título urbanístico (a partir de 1 de outubro de 2026)
- What it is
- The certidão says what is registered against the property, but not whether it is licensed. From 1 October 2026 that gap has to be closed in the transfer document itself: article 4.º-A n.º 14 of the RJUE, added by Decreto-Lei n.º 108/2026 of 29 May, has the registrar, notary, lawyer or solicitador state the urbanistic title's position there, in one of three forms — title produced, title declared but not produced, or absence of title declared.
- What is ordinary
- The deadline is not the publication date: article 2.º of Decreto-Lei n.º 155-B/2026 of 31 July amended article 13.º of the May diploma and set it in force on 1 October 2026. Note that option c) is a legitimate route: declaring that no title exists satisfies the rule. What the rule forbids is silence on the point.
- What stops or delays a purchase
- The text of the rule visits the omission with anulabilidade — the transaction becomes voidable — so this is not a formal irregularity. And the three options are not equivalent: option c) discharges the duty to state the position while confirming, in writing, that no urbanistic title exists. This needs verifying before you commit.
The other two documents on the same property
The certidão says who can sell. The caderneta predial, the other register, says what the tax will be and which areas the tax authority recognises. The energy certificate is not a register: it says how the property performs and what improving it would cost. All three describe the same fraction and are rarely perfectly aligned.
How to read a Portuguese caderneta predial →How to read a Portuguese energy certificate →Where the three documents read differently
The three models describe the same fração «F» of artigo U-00000. Only the first of these points is a genuine mismatch between the registers — the rest are differences of scope, of currency and of measuring convention, where the documents say different things without contradicting each other. They are all here because they are exactly the points that trip people up on real documents.
Who is shown as the holder
Caderneta predial: MARIA EXEMPLO DA SILVA and JOÃO MODELO EXEMPLO, 1/2 each — the 2011 buyers.
Certidão permanente: Three heirs holding in common after JOÃO's death in 2021, with a life usufruct for MARIA.
On your own documents: This is the classic lag: the tax register only updates when the parties file, the land registry updates with the act. Who can sell is whoever holds title at the land registry. When you meet this divergence on your own documents, treat the certidão as the source and ask why the tax register was never updated. This needs verifying before you commit.
Which areas each register prints (not a mismatch)
Caderneta predial: The same fraction areas — 96.5000 + 22.0000 m² — and, IN ADDITION, the BUILDING's areas: 480.0000 m² of land and a 160.0000 m² footprint.
Certidão permanente: The same fraction areas — 96.5000 + 22.0000 m² — and nothing else. The 480 m² plot sits on the building's parent description, not on this entry.
On your own documents: Note that the fraction's areas agree across both documents: there is no mismatch here, there is a difference in scope. The caderneta prints, on the same page, figures that belong to the building; the certidão does not. The land on a fraction's caderneta is a common part of every owner and is not yours. Add only the privativa and the dependente to know what you are buying. This needs verifying before you commit.
How long each document stays reliable
Caderneta predial: A snapshot of the day it was pulled — on this model, 23-09-2026. It does not update afterwards.
Certidão permanente: A subscription with an access code, valid six months; it always shows the register as it now stands.
On your own documents: That is why you ask for a caderneta pulled on the day and check the certidão through the code rather than a PDF. A three-month-old document is not false — it is simply older than anything registered since. This needs verifying before you commit.
Three documents, three areas (none of them wrong)
Caderneta predial: Área bruta privativa 96.5000 m² plus área bruta dependente 22.0000 m², measured to the outer perimeter and the centre lines of the walls (CIMI art. 40.º).
Certidão permanente: The same fraction areas, 96.5000 + 22.0000 m², as entered on the register.
On your own documents: The energy certificate adds a third: 85.0000 m² of área útil de pavimento, measured internally and counting only heated space — which is why it is smaller than the área bruta privativa and leaves the garage out entirely. The three numbers describe the same fraction by different criteria. Be suspicious when the useful area approaches the área bruta privativa, not when it falls below it. This needs verifying before you commit.
What the certidão shows, and what only the case file answers
Recognising a penhora, an arresto or an undivided estate is reading, and this page puts it within reach. Knowing which debt sits behind that case number, whether the arresto will fall away, how many heirs there actually are, and what it takes to clear each charge before the deed is written nowhere on the certidão.
It comes from checking the live code on the day and going to the case files, on the buyer's side — that is what we do in Contract & Deed Representation, with no seller commission.
Sources
- Código do IMI, artigo 40.º — n.º 2 and n.º 3 give the wording used above for área bruta privativa and áreas brutas dependentes, and set the coefficients at 1 and 0.30. (Article 40.º-A is a different provision: the area adjustment coefficient.)
- Decreto-Lei n.º 108/2026, de 29 de maio — its article 3.º gives the RJUE a new article 4.º-A, whose n.º 14 requires the urbanistic title to be mentioned on pain of the transaction being voidable.
- Declaração de Retificação n.º 29-A/2026/1 — checked against article 4.º-A: it corrects only article 1.º d) of the diploma and article 3.º n.º 3 c) of Decreto-Lei n.º 555/99, so n.º 14 above stands in its original wording.
- Decreto-Lei n.º 155-B/2026, de 31 de julho — its article 2.º amends article 13.º of the diploma above and sets it in force on 1 October 2026.
This page explains what the fields on these documents mean. It is not legal or tax advice, and no document shown here corresponds to a real property. Soverite is a buyer's agent licensed under AMI 27281.