PIP before buying land in Portugal: a buyer's guide

The pedido de informação prévia (PIP, prior information request) is the procedure under the RJUE, Portugal's planning and building code, in which the city council rules on whether a specific project is feasible on a specific plot. For a buyer, the benefit is a written decision that binds the council when it later assesses the building permit or the comunicação prévia (prior notification) for the same project (article 17 of the RJUE), instead of relying on the listing or your own reading of the PDM, the municipal master plan. Our guide to what a PIP is covers the procedure; this one focuses on the purchase decision.

A PIP makes sense when the price depends on what you can build: floor area, number of floors, number of homes, use or footprint. It makes even more sense when the land shows warning signs, such as a stream, a part zoned as rustic land, a road or a heritage protection zone. If the answer is no, or a very limited yes, it is better to know before you pay the deposit than after the deed.

A PIP does not replace other checks. It does not confirm ownership, charges or the registered area, it does not value the plot, and it only answers for the project described in the request. A vague question gets a vague answer.

Yes. Article 14 of the RJUE lets any interested party file the request. If you are not the owner, you must identify the owner and anyone else holding a property right over the plot using the certidão do registo predial (land registry certificate), and the council notifies them that the procedure has opened.

In practice, the seller will find out about the request. So raise it during the negotiation: ask for the plot's documents (certidão permanente, caderneta predial, plans and planning history), agree on who files the PIP, and set out in the promissory contract what happens depending on the answer. The required documents are listed in Portaria n.º 320/2026/1 and explained in our list of documents for a PIP.

The RJUE has two levels. A simple PIP (article 14(1)) asks whether the project is feasible and which constraints apply: infrastructure, easements and public-interest restrictions, planning ratios, height limits (cérceas) and setbacks. An extended PIP, or âmbito alargado (article 14(2)), can also cover massing, footprint, the architectural design, the use program with the number of homes, local infrastructure, an estimate of development charges and land to be ceded to the municipality.

To buy a plot for a single-family house, a well-framed simple PIP usually answers the key question. The extended version pays off when the price depends on a precise program, such as a number of homes or a floor area per use, or when you want to know the charges before buying. It needs more design work and the council has longer to decide.

Decreto-Lei n.º 108/2026 revised the RJUE and has been in force since October 1, 2026, the date set by Decreto-Lei n.º 155-B/2026. It applies to requests filed since then and to older ones that were still at the initial check stage (saneamento).

The deadlines below are the legal ones. They do not include the time needed to prepare the request or delays caused by missing documents, so build some slack into your purchase timeline.

• Initial check (saneamento): up to 20 days for the council to review the request and ask for corrections.
• Decision: 15 days for a simple PIP and 30 days for an extended one (45 for subdivisions), counted from the end of the initial check or, if other bodies are consulted, from the last opinion.
• Silence: if the council does not decide in time, the PIP is tacitly approved (deferimento tácito, article 16(6)).
• Validity: 2 years from notification or tacit approval. Within that period you must file the permit application or comunicação prévia or, if exempt, start the works.
• Extension: after the 2 years you can ask, once, for a declaration that the conditions still hold; the council decides within 20 days and you get 1 more year.

The CPCV (contrato-promessa de compra e venda) is the promissory purchase contract signed before the deed, and it is usually when you pay the deposit (sinal). If the purchase only makes sense with a favorable answer, the contract can make the deed conditional on it. Drafting is a job for the Portuguese lawyer or solicitador (a licensed Portuguese legal professional) handling the deal; the points below are the ones to discuss with them.

One point to raise with your lawyer is what counts as a "favorable answer": objective criteria linked to the program that justifies the price help avoid disputes when the council approves a smaller project or adds conditions. This guide is not legal advice on the contract.

• Project to test: minimum acceptable use, floor area, floors, number of homes and footprint.
• Who files the PIP and by when, who pays for preparation and fees, and which documents and cooperation the seller provides.
• What counts as a favorable answer, including whether tacit approval is accepted and how conditions imposed by the council are handled.
• A realistic deadline for the decision, with room for the initial check, outside consultations and a possible extension.
• What happens to the deposit if the answer is unfavorable, falls short or has not arrived by the deadline.
• Time limit for the deed after the decision, bearing in mind the PIP's 2-year validity.
• Who keeps the PIP and the technical documents if the deal falls through.

"Plot with approved PIP" is common in Portuguese listings, but it means little without the paperwork. A PIP only covers the project, the plot and the drawings that were assessed, and only while it is valid. Ask the seller for the full file and confirm the key points with the council.

If your program differs from the one assessed, for example more homes, another use or a different footprint, the existing PIP does not answer your question. Treat it as a useful sign and consider filing a new request.

• Title: the request form and proof of fee payment, plus the notice of the favorable decision or, if approval was tacit, proof of submission (article 16(8)).
• Scope: whether it is a simple or extended PIP, and which items it covers.
• Project: the use, areas, floors, homes and footprint assessed, as shown in the drawings and project description.
• Conditions: opinions from outside bodies and any conditions set in the decision.
• Validity: the date of notification or tacit approval, whether 2 years have passed and whether the declaration adding 1 year was obtained.
• Follow-up: whether a permit application or comunicação prévia has already been filed on the basis of the PIP, and its status.
• Plot: whether the boundaries and area assessed match the land you are buying.

A PIP answers planning questions. Ownership, mortgages, liens and the plot's description are in the certidão permanente from the land registry. The caderneta predial is a tax record: it classifies the property as rustic or urban for tax purposes, which is not the same as how the PDM zones the land.

A favorable PIP also no longer turns the plot into a "terreno para construção" (building plot) for IMI, the municipal property tax. Since Lei n.º 56/2023, article 6 of the CIMI requires a permit or a favorable comunicação prévia for subdivision or construction, or notice from the municipality to the tax authority that the land is buildable. And since October 1, 2026, the deed for building land must state whether the planning title was shown or whether the seller declares having it or not having it; without that statement, the sale is voidable.

• Registry and caderneta: owner, charges, registered area and any gap with the real area.
• Rustic land: options are limited; see what you can build on rustic land.
• Access and utilities: water, sewage, electricity and a public road, and who pays for connections.
• Municipal charges: development fees and any land cessions, which a simple PIP does not estimate.
• A land planning analysis to decide what to ask in the PIP.

Illustrative example. An 800 m² plot is listed as "ideal for a house". The buyer wants a two-story home of about 220 m² of floor area. A first reading of the PDM shows a residential zone with a floor area ratio (índice de utilização) of 0.35, which would allow 280 m² if applied to the whole plot.

The analysis shows that about 150 m² lie within the 10 m margin of a stream and that, under this plan, the ratio only applies to the eligible area. With 650 m², the maximum drops to about 227 m², which still fits the program but leaves no slack. The buyer signs the CPCV with a condition: a favorable simple PIP for a house of at least 220 m², decided within four months of signing.

The council approves, with setback conditions from the stream. The buyer checks that the program fits that footprint, completes the deed and has up to 2 years from notification to file the permit application or comunicação prévia. These figures are only illustrative: every PDM has its own rules.

An unfavorable decision must state how the project could be revised to comply with the applicable rules (article 16(5)). Read that part carefully: it often shows what the council would accept, such as less floor area, another footprint or another use.

With that information you have three paths: rework the program and file again, renegotiate the price based on what is feasible, or walk away on the terms set in the CPCV. If the council invites you to comment before the final decision, use that chance to correct misunderstandings or add documents.

Use this list to prepare your conversations with the seller, your lawyer and the technical team. Our PIP preparation service covers the feasibility analysis, the planning statement signed by an architect and the filing with the council.

• Certidão permanente, caderneta predial and location plan of the plot.
• The minimum program that justifies the price, in writing.
• Listing claims to verify, including any "approved PIP", with supporting documents.
• The right type of PIP and who files it.
• A CPCV condition with criteria, a deadline and what happens to the deposit.
• A timeline with the legal deadlines, preparation time and slack for consultations.
• Checks outside the PIP: registry, charges, access, utilities and municipal costs.

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

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