Documents for a PIP in Portugal: the official list and how to prepare your filing

A PIP under article 14(1) of the RJUE asks the council whether the project is feasible and which constraints apply: utilities, easements, density ratios, cércea (maximum building height), setbacks. That is why the filing is short. Annex V, part I, of Portaria 320/2026/1 sets four items.

The list is the same across Portugal. If your municipality still publishes a list citing Portaria 71-A/2024, it is out of date: that order was repealed on October 1, 2026. To decide whether this request is enough or you need a full PIP, see what a prior information request is.

• Property identification: the access code for the certidão permanente, the online land registry certificate or, if the property is not registered, a negative registry certificate together with the caderneta predial (the tax office's property record) showing the tax article numbers.
• Location: the project area and its surroundings outlined on the location plan (planta de localização) supplied by the council or on a plan at 1:1,000 scale.
• Written description and justification (memória descritiva): a short description of the project or of directly related projects.
• Drawings (optional): whatever is needed to show what you want to do, at 1:200, or 1:500 for subdivisions (loteamentos).

In a full PIP, you ask the council to also rule on massing, alignment, cércea and footprint, the architectural design, the mix of uses, utilities, estimated development charges and land to be ceded to the municipality. If the favorable decision covers every applicable item, the works are exempt from a building permit or a comunicação prévia (a notification-based procedure checked after filing). That is why the Portaria applies the items common to permit applications (Annex V, part II) plus those specific to each type of project.

For building works, that means a complete architectural design, a topographic survey when the terrain or the footprint changes, a design statement showing how the project fits the zoning plan and constraints, and signed statements of responsibility. The table compares both requests for a house or a building.

Opinions from outside agencies that do not depend on location (for example, those tied to the business activity you plan) must be requested by you before filing and attached to the application, under article 13-B of the RJUE.

Since October 1, 2026, you file on a single application form shared by building permits, comunicação prévia and PIPs (Annex I of the Portaria), and using it is mandatory. The same form is used to answer a request for corrections and to add documents.

The form includes a "síntese urbanística", a summary of the project with areas, uses and parameters. Fill it in carefully: if the PIP is favorable, the form with that summary, proof of fee payment and the notice of decision (or the filing receipt, if the council's silence counts as approval) make up the PIP's title, which you will show to banks, notaries and buyers. See how to use that title in the next steps after a favorable PIP.

Article 2 of the Portaria limits extra requests. The council may only require items not listed in the annexes when they are expressly provided for in the RJUE or a special law, or when they are strictly necessary to check compliance with a land-use plan. In that case it must give reasons and cite the specific rule.

You may add other documents that help describe the project. Conversely, you may leave out annex items that are unnecessary for your case, as long as the design coordinator justifies this in writing in detail; the council assesses that justification during its initial review (saneamento). In practice, this matters mostly for a full PIP, since the simple PIP list is already minimal.

Start with the certidão permanente from the land registry, which shows the description, owners and encumbrances, and the caderneta predial issued by the Portuguese tax authority. Check that the certificate code is still valid on the filing date and that the address, area and article numbers match across both documents. Area or description mismatches are a frequent source of questions in the initial review.

The location plan must make clear whether it outlines the whole property or only the project area. A buildable-area estimate based on the wrong parcel changes the footprint and ratios studied. If the boundary is provisional, say so in the description; for a full PIP, the georeferenced topographic survey settles the question.

• Address, concelho (municipality), freguesia (parish) and a recognizable location on the plan.
• Tax article number and land registry description number.
• Registered area, tax-record area and measured area, with any differences flagged.
• Date and validity of each document.

Anyone with an interest can request a PIP without owning the land, for example before signing a promissory purchase contract (contrato-promessa). In that case, article 14(3) of the RJUE requires you to identify the owner and any holders of other property rights through a certificate from the land registry office, and the council notifies them of the request (article 14(4)).

If someone files on your behalf, attach a power of attorney or other proof of representation. For the buyer's side, including the purchase contract clause, read PIP before buying land.

Short as it is, the written description is the core of a simple PIP: the council answers what you ask. Explain the work, the intended use and the parameters that could change your decision to buy, design or invest. Separate what exists, what you will change and what you will add.

• Type of project: new build, extension, alteration, demolition, change of use or subdivision.
• Program: use, approximate areas, number of floors and of dwelling units.
• Footprint, access and parking you have in mind.
• Specific questions: maximum area, height, setbacks, constraints that concern you.

The simple PIP list includes no statements of responsibility and no mandatory design drawings. Still, a description that grounds the request in the plan and clear drawings give the council a precise question, which usually takes a professional. For a full PIP, the architectural design is mandatory, and its authorship and signature belong to architects registered with the Ordem dos Arquitectos, Portugal's architects' association, under Law 31/2009; other designs and statements are signed by qualified professionals.

Studies and documents delivered by Apto Group are reviewed and signed by architects registered with the Ordem dos Arquitectos. The signature identifies the author and their professional responsibility for the documents they sign, but it does not guarantee a favorable decision or replace planning control. The PIP decision has the effects set out in the RJUE, according to its content.

Within 20 days of filing, the mayor (presidente da câmara) may ask you to correct or complete the application if it lacks the identity of the applicant, the request or the location, or an essential document the council cannot obtain itself (article 11 of the RJUE). You then have 10 days to respond; without a response, the application is rejected outright. If the council says nothing within those 20 days, the application is deemed properly filed.

If your application is rejected and you refile for the same purpose, you do not need to resubmit documents that remain valid and suitable. The most common mistakes are easy to avoid:

• An expired certidão permanente code, or one for a different property.
• A location plan without the project area outlined.
• A description that does not match the síntese urbanística in the form.
• A non-owner applicant without the certificate identifying the right holders.
• Files outside the required formats, such as PDF/A, or without the qualified digital signature that Annex VI of the Portaria requires.

The PIP fee is set by each municipality's fee regulation, so it varies from one concelho to another and may depend on the type of request. In Porto, according to the fee table in force when we checked it in October 2026, a PIP costs €194.68; always confirm the amount before filing. In Lisbon, Portugal, check the current municipal fee table or fee calculator.

For the local procedure, the filing platform and each council's specifics, see our guides to the PIP in Porto and the PIP in Lisbon. Professional fees depend on the type of PIP and the survey needed, and come on top of the municipal fee.

Keep a to-do list with one action per item. If the request or the plot boundary changes, review every document that depends on that information before filing.

• Type of PIP chosen (article 14(1) or 14(2)) and, for 14(2), which items a) to f) you want assessed.
• Valid certidão permanente code and a consistent caderneta predial.
• Location plan with the project area outlined.
• Written description with specific questions, consistent with the síntese urbanística.
• Right-holder certificate and power of attorney, if you are not the owner or act for someone else.
• For a full PIP: survey, architectural design, statements of responsibility and non-location opinions.
• Fee and file formats confirmed with the municipality.

Illustrative example: you want to add a floor to a house and find out whether the plan allows it before paying for a design. A simple PIP is enough: certidão permanente, caderneta, a location plan with the lot outlined, and a description asking about the allowed height and floor area, with a schematic section at 1:200.

If the design is already settled and you want to build without a permit once the answer comes back, the route is a full PIP. The preparation sheet then lists "order topographic survey," "architectural design at 1:100" and "statements of responsibility,", each with an owner and a date.

The official sources are in Portuguese. Check the version in force before preparing a notice, project or application.

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