Buying in Portugal as a non-resident (2026): the flat 7.5% IMT, exceptions and refund

How much IMT does a non-resident pay?

A flat 7.5% of the taxable value, the higher of the price and the property’s tax value (CIMT art. 17(10)). On a €300,000 home that is €22,500. A tax-resident buyer of the same home as a second home pays €11,605.50, and as their own permanent home €10,542.04.

Non-resident buyer, €300,000 home, mainland

Line	Kind	Amount	Estimate range	Share of price
IMT, non-resident buyer (flat 7.5%)	Tax	€22,500		7.50%
Stamp duty (Imposto do Selo, 0.8%)	Tax	€2,400		0.80%
Lawyer (market rate)	Fee, estimate	€3,750	€3,000 to €6,000	1.25%
Deed and land registration (Casa Pronta)	Fee, estimate	€375	€375 to €700	0.13%
Taxes		€24,900		8.30%
Fees, typical		€4,125	€3,375 to €6,700	1.38%
Total on top of the price		€29,025	€28,275 to €31,600	9.68%

The rule covers any urban property intended only for housing, whatever the buyer plans to do with it, and the law says no exemption or reduction applies. Stamp duty of 0.8% is charged on top, as for every buyer.

When did the 7.5% rate start?

It applies to homes bought on or after 25 May 2026. It was added to the IMT Code by article 6 of Decree-Law 97/2026, published on 20 May 2026. The decree-law gives later dates only to other measures (art. 18): for example, its new rental regimes and the repeal of the old affordable-rent programme take effect on 1 September 2026, which is the date some summaries wrongly give for the IMT change. For the IMT change it sets no date, so the general rule applies and it took effect five days after publication.

The same non-resident buying the same €300,000 second home paid this the day before:

Non-resident buyer, €300,000 second home, bought on 24 May 2026

Line	Kind	Amount	Estimate range	Share of price
IMT (property transfer tax), other housing	Tax	€11,605.50		3.87%
Stamp duty (Imposto do Selo, 0.8%)	Tax	€2,400		0.80%
Lawyer (market rate)	Fee, estimate	€3,750	€3,000 to €6,000	1.25%
Deed and land registration (Casa Pronta)	Fee, estimate	€375	€375 to €700	0.13%
Taxes		€14,005.50		4.67%
Fees, typical		€4,125	€3,375 to €6,700	1.38%
Total on top of the price		€18,130.50	€17,380.50 to €20,705.50	6.04%

Who counts as a non-resident?

The test is tax residence, not nationality. The law refers to the income tax test in article 16 of the IRS Code. A person is tax resident in Portugal for a year if, in any 12-month period starting or ending in that year, they either spend more than 183 days there, or have a home there in conditions that suggest they mean to keep and live in it as their habitual residence (IRS Code art. 16(1)(a) and (b)). A day counts if it includes a night spent in Portugal (art. 16(2)).

• A foreign citizen who is tax resident in Portugal pays the normal tables.
• A Portuguese citizen living abroad who has never been tax resident in Portugal pays the flat rate.
• A Portuguese citizen who moves to a listed tax haven stays tax resident in Portugal for the year of the move and the next four years, unless they show a valid reason for the move (IRS Code art. 16(6)).

Do Americans or British buyers pay more in Portugal?

No. Nationality plays no part in the purchase taxes; tax residence does. An American, British or any other foreign buyer who is not tax resident in Portugal pays the same flat 7.5% IMT as a Portuguese citizen living abroad who was never resident, with the same exceptions (CIMT art. 17(10)). A foreign buyer who is tax resident in Portugal pays the normal tables. On a €300,000 home:

Buyer, any nationality	IMT
Not tax resident in Portugal	€22,500
Tax resident, second home	€11,605.50
Tax resident, own permanent home	€10,542.04

What living outside the EU changes is the paperwork, not the tax. A buyer living in the United States or the United Kingdom is outside the EU and the EEA, so they must appoint a fiscal representative in Portugal unless they sign up to the Tax Authority’s electronic notifications (General Tax Law art. 19(6), (8) and (15)). The Tax Authority issues a tax number (NIF) to foreign citizens who are not resident, as to anyone else.

The guides on buying as an American and buying after Brexit compare Portugal with Spain and England.

What are the exceptions?

The law lists three (CIMT art. 17(10)):

Exception	What it requires	How it works
(a) Former resident	The buyer was tax resident in Portugal at some time before	Normal tables at the deed; no 7.5%
(b) Becomes resident	The buyer becomes tax resident within 2 years of the purchase	7.5% at the deed, then a refund of the difference
(c) Lets at a moderate rent	Let as housing within 6 months of purchase, at no more than the moderate rent, for at least 36 months (consecutive or not) in the first 5 years	7.5% at the deed, then a refund of the difference

The moderate rent limit is 2.5 times the national minimum monthly wage for 2026 (Decree-Law 97/2026, art. 2(2)(a)). The minimum wage for 2026 is €920 (Decree-Law 139/2025), so the limit is €2,300 a month. The government can update it by ordinance (art. 2(3)).

How does the refund work?

For exceptions (b) and (c), the buyer pays the 7.5% at the deed and asks the Tax Authority to cancel the difference between the tax paid and the tax under the normal tables (CIMT art. 17(11)). The request:

• is made within 6 months of becoming resident, or of signing the lease (art. 17(12));
• takes the form of a reclamação graciosa, a formal administrative complaint, and is not automatic (Tax Authority Ofício Circulado 40131/2026, point 4.2).

The refund covers IMT only; stamp duty is the same either way. For a buyer who moves into the home as their permanent residence, the normal tables are the own-home rates. On a €300,000 home, the buyer pays €22,500 at the deed, and the IMT a resident pays on the same home is €10,542.04. The refund is the difference between the two.

See a buyer who becomes resident within 2 years in the calculator

The moving to Portugal guide compares buying before and after becoming resident.

What if a couple buys together and only one is resident?

The Tax Authority set out how it applies the rule to individuals in Ofício Circulado 40131/2026 (4 September 2026):

• One buyer (single, divorced, widowed, or married under separation of property): the flat rate applies if the buyer is non-resident at purchase, unless they were resident before.
• Co-owners: each share is a separate purchase, so each buyer is checked on their own.
• A married couple buying in a community of property regime: there is one purchase, and the flat rate applies only if both spouses are non-resident and neither has ever been tax resident in Portugal. If either spouse becomes resident within 2 years, the couple can claim the refund.

What does a non-resident pay at different prices?

Non-resident buyer, mainland

Price	Taxes	Fees, typical	Total on top	Estimate range	Share of price
€150,000	€12,450	€2,250	€14,700	€14,325 to €16,150	9.80%
€300,000	€24,900	€4,125	€29,025	€28,275 to €31,600	9.68%
€600,000	€49,800	€7,875	€57,675	€56,175 to €62,500	9.61%
€900,000	€74,700	€11,625	€86,325	€84,075 to €93,400	9.59%
€1,200,000	€99,600	€15,375	€114,975	€111,975 to €124,300	9.58%
€1,500,000	€124,500	€19,125	€143,625	€139,875 to €155,200	9.57%

Tax-resident buyer of a second home, mainland

Price	Taxes	Fees, typical	Total on top	Estimate range	Share of price
€150,000	€3,272.44	€2,250	€5,522.44	€5,147.44 to €6,972.44	3.68%
€300,000	€14,005.50	€4,125	€18,130.50	€17,380.50 to €20,705.50	6.04%
€600,000	€40,100.11	€7,875	€47,975.11	€46,475.11 to €52,800.11	8.00%
€900,000	€61,200	€11,625	€72,825	€70,575 to €79,900	8.09%
€1,200,000	€99,600	€15,375	€114,975	€111,975 to €124,300	9.58%
€1,500,000	€124,500	€19,125	€143,625	€139,875 to €155,200	9.57%

The gap closes at the top. Above €1,150,853 every buyer already pays a single 7.5% on the whole value, so the non-resident rule makes no difference there.

Do buyers living in a tax haven pay 10%?

Not as individuals. The IMT Code charges 10%, with no exemption or reduction, when the buyer has its tax domicile in a jurisdiction on the ministerial list, or is an entity controlled from one (art. 17(4)). The next paragraph excludes people: “O disposto no n.º 4 não se aplica quando o adquirente seja pessoa singular” (art. 17(7)), that is, the 10% does not apply when the buyer is an individual.

So a person living in, for example, the United Arab Emirates or Monaco is treated like any other non-resident and pays the flat 7.5%, with the same exceptions. A company based in a listed jurisdiction, or a Portuguese company controlled from one, pays 10%; the 7.5% rule gives way to the 10% rule where both apply (art. 17(10) opens “Sem prejuízo do disposto no n.º 4”). The annual property tax follows the same pattern: 7.5% IMI for such entities, not for individuals (CIMI art. 112(4) and (17)).

The list is Portaria 150/2004, as amended. It currently names 77 jurisdictions, including the United Arab Emirates, Monaco, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Panama, Qatar and Kuwait. Hong Kong, Liechtenstein and Uruguay were removed with effect from 1 January 2026 (Portaria 292/2025/1), and Andorra from 1 January 2021.

What documents does a non-resident need?

• A Portuguese tax number (NIF). The IMT declaration asks for the tax number of every buyer and seller, and of a buyer’s spouse in a community of property. Anyone, resident or not, can ask for one (gov.pt).
• A fiscal representative, in some cases. A taxpayer resident abroad must appoint a representative resident in Portugal (General Tax Law art. 19(6)). It is optional for residents of the EU or EEA (art. 19(8)), and not required for anyone who signs up to the Tax Authority’s electronic notifications (art. 19(15)).

The rest of the purchase works as for any buyer: see buying property in Portugal. The purchase taxes are the same in every mainland municipality, as buying in the Algarve, Lisbon or Porto explains.

What this guide does not cover

• Companies buying property, apart from the 10% tax-haven rate, and whether the 7.5% applies to a company.
• Residence permits and visas.
• Income tax on rent and capital gains tax when selling.
• Annual property taxes in detail (IMI and AIMI).

Work out the 7.5% IMT and every other cost as a non-resident