PIP preparation in Porto and across Portugal. Ground your investment.

Our technology supports the research and the preparation of the request once the necessary information is available. Before that, we talk with you to confirm the property, the project and the documents; afterward, our architects review and sign the technical documents, which is the step that takes longest. From first contact to filing with the council, expect about a week. The municipal review comes after that and runs on its own timelines.

Yes. Once our architects have reviewed and signed the documents, we file the request with the competent city council and follow the process through to the decision: we confirm delivery, track the review, answer requests for information and explain the outcome and the next step to you.

Yes. If you want to go ahead with the architectural design, we do it once the PIP is approved, along with the required engineering projects (especialidades), such as structure and utilities. The design starts from the conditions set in the favorable decision.

Yes. A prior information request can be filed by an interested party, even one who is not the owner. In that case, Article 14 of the RJUE requires the property and the holders of rights over it to be identified, and the municipality notifies them. A PIP lets you test the feasibility of the intended program before acquiring the plot, checking the project against the property's boundaries, the land-use rules and the constraints identified.

The RJUE allows an interested party to file the request. When the applicant is not the owner, the owner and the holders of other property rights must be identified and are notified by the municipality. We confirm what needs to be submitted in your specific case.

The technical documents Apto Group delivers are reviewed and signed by architects registered with the Ordem dos Arquitectos. We identify the drawings, surveys and statements of responsibility required for the project. When input from other specialties is needed, we coordinate with the professionals qualified for those documents.

The studies and technical documents Apto Group delivers are reviewed and signed by architects registered with the Ordem dos Arquitectos, Portugal's professional body for architects. They carry technical and legal weight within the scope of the work signed: the signature identifies the author and their professional responsibility for the documents they sign.

The architect's professional responsibility for the document they sign exists regardless of a favorable municipal decision. The legal value of signed documents and the effects of the municipal decision are separate matters. An architect's signature does not guarantee a favorable decision, nor does it replace the planning control procedures that apply. A decision on a PIP has the effects set out in the RJUE, Portugal's legal framework for urban development and building, according to its content and the applicable legal conditions.

You need to check the scope of the PIP, the conditions of the decision and the applicable procedure. The effects can vary with the information reviewed. Before starting any work, the remaining formalities and obligations must be confirmed.