How much does a PIP cost in Portugal? Municipal fee, preparation and other costs in 2026

There is no national price for a PIP. The RJUE (Regime Jurídico da Urbanização e da Edificação, Portugal's planning and building code) sets the procedure, deadlines and effects, but each municipality sets its own fees by bylaw, and preparation depends on the property and the question you want answered. So the useful question is not "how much does a PIP cost?" but "how much does this PIP cost, for this project, with this council?"

The table sums up what goes into the total. We only give amounts where there is an official source; elsewhere, the honest answer is that it depends, and it belongs in a written quote.

Planning fees are set in each Portuguese municipality's fee bylaw. Some councils charge a flat review fee; others vary it by type of project or charge separately for supplements and renewals. Before you file, check the table in force on the council's website or ask the planning department for the amount.

In Porto, the Tabela de Taxas of the municipal code (Código Regulamentar, Annex G-1), in the version checked in October 2026, sets €194.68 for a prior information request, the same for building, demolition, urbanization, subdivision, land remodeling and change of use. A supplement (aditamento) to the request costs €97.93, unless the municipality expressly asked for it. The table's wording predates Decree-Law 108/2026, so confirm the amount before you pay; our guide to the PIP in Porto explains the procedure.

In Lisbon, the fee comes from the municipal fee bylaw and its price table, and the procedure page points to a calculator. We don't give an amount because we could not confirm one in an official source: run the calculator with your project's details and see our guide to the PIP in Lisbon, Portugal for filing.

In other municipalities, look for the fee table on the council's website. If the table still refers to alvarás (the old permit documents) or to repealed regulations, ask the council to confirm the applicable amount: since October 1, 2026, references to alvarás are read as references to the project's title.

The biggest variable is the type of PIP. A simple PIP (article 14(1) of the RJUE) asks whether the project is feasible and which constraints apply; under Portaria 320/2026/1, it is filed with the certidão permanente access code (or a certificate of non-registration plus the caderneta predial), a 1:1,000 location plan and a short project description, with optional drawings. An extended PIP (article 14(2)) can also settle massing, footprint, architecture, number of units, infrastructure, development charges and land dedications, and its documents come close to an architectural study.

Within the same type, the work grows with the site's constraints and with what is still missing. A plot without clear boundaries, in a heritage protection zone, next to a stream or with municipal records still to be found needs more analysis before the question can even be framed. The national document list is in our guide to PIP documents.

Be wary of quotes that don't say which type of PIP they cover or which documents they deliver. A cheaper request that asks a vague question can end up costly if you have to file again.

At Apto Group, we analyze planning feasibility and building capacity, prepare your PIP with documents signed by our architects, file it with the city council and follow the case through to the decision, including replies to requests for further information.

The price depends on the scope: type of PIP, project, constraints and the documents already available. Once we know the property and what you plan to do, we send a proposal that separates our preparation fee from the municipal fee, which is not part of our fees, and from third-party costs such as a topographic survey.

Our proprietary technology supports the research and the preparation of the request. With the initial conversation and review and signature by our architects, the request reaches the council in about a week. That timeline does not include obtaining certificates or surveys, or the council's review, which runs on its own deadlines. For the cost of preparation in your case, ask for a quote.

Beyond the fee and the preparation, some requests involve third-party costs or extra fees. Identify them in the initial quote so they don't surprise you halfway through.

• Certidão permanente (online land registry certificate): gives online access to the plot's description and any liens, and carries its own registry fee; if the seller already has a valid access code, it can be used for the request.
• Caderneta predial (property tax record): the owner downloads it from the Portal das Finanças, the tax authority's website; if you don't own the plot yet, ask the seller for it.
• Topographic survey: Porto's checklist asks for one at 1:200 when the proposal changes the terrain or the footprint; Lisbon's 2024 checklist asked for a georeferenced survey covering at least 100 m around the site.
• Outside opinions: the council usually consults the agencies itself, but Lisbon's 2024 checklist left paid opinions to the applicant, such as the one from ANEPC (Autoridade Nacional de Emergência e Proteção Civil, the civil protection authority).
• Supplements: if you change or add to the request on your own initiative, some municipalities charge a fee; in Porto it is €97.93, which is not charged when the municipality expressly asked for the supplement.
• Extension: after the 2-year validity, the declaration that extends the PIP by 1 more year may carry its own fee; in Porto, the table we checked lists the same amount for renewal as for the request.
• Construction fees: with an extended PIP that waives the permit, the planning fees for the works are paid before work starts and are separate from the PIP fee.

Time has a cost too, especially when a land purchase depends on the answer. Since October 1, 2026, the council has up to 20 days for its initial check (saneamento) and then decides within 15 days (simple PIP) or 30 days (extended PIP; 45 for subdivisions), counted from the end of that check or from the last outside opinion. If it misses the deadline, the PIP is deemed approved (deferimento tácito).

An incomplete request costs you twice: in supplements and in weeks. Our guide to PIP timelines at the council explains how the days are counted; if you are buying, see how to tie the promissory contract to the answer in PIP before buying land.

Ask every professional for the same information, in writing. That way you compare like with like and see what is left out of the price.

• Type of PIP: simple or extended and, if extended, which items of article 14(2) it covers.
• Deliverables: project description, drawings, summary table and statements of professional responsibility.
• Who signs: an architect registered with the Ordem dos Arquitectos, Portugal's architects' board, who is responsible for what they sign.
• Filing and follow-up: whether it includes filing the request and answering requests for information until the decision.
• Exclusions: municipal fee, topographic survey, certificates and paid opinions.
• Corrections: what happens, and at what cost, if the council asks for more documents or the answer calls for a new request.

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

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