Imposto do Selo

Stamp duty on a property purchase: 0.8% of the price, plus 0.6% on the loan amount for mortgages running more than five years.

Where people slip: almost everyone budgets IMT and forgets this one, then meets it as a surprise line on the day. It is also due before the escritura, together with IMT — not at the notary’s desk — so an unpaid stamp duty can stop the signing outright.

Do this: ask for a written cost breakdown before you sign the CPCV — IMT, stamp duty, notary, registry, lawyer — and pay both taxes a few days ahead. On a €300,000 purchase the stamp duty alone is €2,400, and with a mortgage there is a second amount on top.