Portugal news for people moving here
Immigration, AIMA, visas, residency, tax and housing — the updates that actually affect your move, explained in our own words.
Stay ahead of the changes that affect your move to Portugal. We track official and press sources for news on AIMA appointments and renewals, immigration and residency rules, visa updates (D7, D8, Golden Visa), citizenship, taxes (NHR/IFICI, IRS, IMT) and the housing market — then rewrite each story in plain language with a clear “why it matters” for expats and newcomers. No jargon, no copy-paste: our own honest brief on every update, with a link to the original source if you want to dig deeper.
IRN: 690,480 citizenship applications waiting, up 38%
The Registry and Notary Institute (IRN) had 690,480 pending Portuguese nationality applications on 30 June 2026, 38% more than a year earlier, when there were about half a million, Público reports (via ECO). Only 26% are foreigners living in Portugal who applied on the basis of legal residence; 23% …
Why it matters: If you have applied, a long wait is normal right now: follow your case on justica.gov.pt with your process number and access code, and keep your residence permit valid while you wait. If you plan to apply, count on years rather than months.
Read our brief →Rental law reform: eviction after 2 months, 3 deposits
In early October Parliament approved in general terms the Government's bill to change the urban lease regime; it passed thanks to Chega's abstention. The main changes proposed: eviction can start after two months of unpaid rent instead of three; landlords can ask for three deposits instead of two, w…
Why it matters: Nothing changes for your contract yet. If you rent, pay on time and keep proof of every payment. If you are about to sign a new lease, expect landlords to ask for more money upfront once the law is in force, and read the deposit clause before you sign.
Read our brief →IMI 2027: up 3% on homes after the automatic value update
A portaria published in the Diário da República (n.º 457/2026/1) sets the currency coefficient used by the Tax Authority in the automatic three-yearly update of a property's taxable value (VPT). For homes and building land the value rises 3%; for shops, offices and industry, 4%. It only affects prop…
Why it matters: If you own a home, you can ask the Tax Authority for a new valuation, which can lower the VPT as the building ages (key years: 9, 16, 26, 41, 51 and 60 years after the use licence). Ask by 31 December for it to count next year, and only if you have not asked for the same property in 2024 to 2026. Simulate first: according to DECO PROteste, a new valuation can also raise the value.
Read our brief →IRS: November withholding halved, smaller refund in 2027
Parliament approved a cut of 0.3 to 0.5 points in the rates of the first six IRS brackets, backdated to 1 January 2026, and the President signed it into law on 20 October. To pass the saving on straight away, a Finance Ministry order published in the Diário da República halves the IRS withheld from …
Why it matters: Your November pay will be higher, but less tax is paid in advance, so the IRS refund in spring 2027 will be smaller and some people will owe tax instead. In an EY simulation for ECO, a single person on €1,500 gross a month goes from a refund of about €147 to paying about €21. Do not count on your usual refund.
Read our brief →Social Security on WhatsApp: declarations and appointments
The Social Security Institute (ISS) has opened a WhatsApp service channel. Two things work there now: booking an appointment and receiving official declarations directly on your phone. To find it, go to the Social Security Portal, Ajuda > Contactos e Canais de Atendimento > Canal WhatsApp, or in the…
Why it matters: If a landlord, bank or AIMA asks you for a Social Security declaration, try the WhatsApp channel before queueing at a counter, and use the authorisation option instead of sending the document around by email.
Read our brief →Budget 2027 proposal: IRS brackets up 3.88%
On 8 October the Government delivered its State Budget proposal for 2027 to Parliament. It is a proposal, not yet law: the general debate is on 27 and 28 October, the final vote on 24 November, and Parliament can still change it. For IRS, the proposal raises all nine bracket limits by about 3.88%: t…
Why it matters: Nothing to do yet. If you earn a salary, pension or freelance income in Portugal, these limits would apply to income earned in 2027. Wait for the final vote on 24 November before planning around exact figures.
Read our brief →€970 minimum wage in 2027: higher D7 and D8 income bar
The Government's 2027 budget presentation (8 October) says the national minimum wage goes up to €970 in 2027, from €920 in 2026. The amount itself is set by a separate decree; the 2026 value was fixed by a decree of 29 December 2025, so the 2027 one is expected around the end of this year, to apply …
Why it matters: If you will apply after 1 January 2027, plan with €970 and keep a margin above the bar. If your income is close to it, ask your consulate or visa centre which value it will use on the day you apply.
Read our brief →IMT Jovem: tax-free up to €338,141 in 2027 (proposal)
Buyers aged 35 or under who buy their first home to live in permanently pay no IMT (property transfer tax) and no stamp duty up to a price limit. In 2026 that limit is €330,539, according to the Government. The State Budget proposal for 2027, delivered to Parliament on 8 October, raises it to €338,1…
Why it matters: If you are 35 or under and buying your first home to live in, a deed signed in 2027 at up to €338,141 would pay no IMT if the budget passes as proposed. A deed signed in 2026 uses the €330,539 limit.
Read our brief →Rent update for 2027 set at 2.56%
INE has set the annual rent update coefficient for 2027 at 1.0256, a rise of 2.56% (Aviso 24199/2026/2, Diário da República of 1 October 2026; it was 2.24% for 2026). It covers urban and rural leases. Under article 1077 of the Civil Code, if your contract has no update clause of its own, the landlor…
Why it matters: Check your contract for an update clause. If there is none, a 2027 increase above 2.56%, or one announced with less than 30 days' written notice, does not follow the legal rule.
Read our brief →AIMA: new president announced, appointments after strike
Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro told a parliamentary committee on 7 October that AIMA will have a new president: César Teixeira, a lawyer who already sits on AIMA's board, replacing Pedro Portugal Gaspar, as reported by Lusa. The appointment has not yet been published in the Diário d…
Why it matters: If your appointment on 6 October was at an office that closed, AIMA said, as reported by Lusa, that it will send the new date to the email address used for the booking, with nothing for you to do. If no email has come, check your spam folder and keep the original booking confirmation.
Read our brief →October deadlines for tax and Social Security if you work for yourself or run a company
ECO's monthly tax calendar lists the October deadlines for businesses. 6 October: send the SAF-T file with September invoices. 20 October: the monthly VAT return for August, the recapitulative VAT return for EU sales, the monthly stamp duty return, and payment of the IRS and IRC withheld on Septembe…
Why it matters: If you work on green receipts (recibos verdes) or have a company, put 20 and 31 October in your calendar.
Read our brief →Became tax resident in 2026? The IFICI application is due by 15 January 2027
IFICI, the tax incentive for scientific research and innovation, taxes income from eligible employment and self-employment at a special IRS rate of 20% for 10 consecutive years. It is for people who were not tax resident in Portugal in the previous five years and who work in a qualifying activity. U…
Why it matters: If you moved this year, check now whether your job fits one of the IFICI routes. Years lost by applying late are not added at the end.
Read our brief →October brings the biggest rise in mortgage payments in three years
If your mortgage rate is reviewed in October, your monthly payment goes up. ECO worked it out for a loan of €150,000 over 30 years with a 1% spread: about €25 more on 3-month Euribor (€660 to €685), about €50 more on 6-month Euribor (€658.80 to €708.70) and about €91 more on 12-month Euribor (€646.4…
Why it matters: Look up in your contract which month your rate is reviewed and which Euribor it follows, and plan for the higher payment. If you are about to borrow, work out the payment at today's rates.
Read our brief →New rents up 10.2% in a year: median €10.17 per m²
According to INE, the median rent of the 35,407 new rental contracts signed in Portugal in the second quarter of 2026 was €10.17 per m², 10.2% more than a year earlier (9.1% in the previous quarter). The number of new contracts rose 0.4%, and rents went up in every sub-region. The highest medians we…
Why it matters: To check whether an asking rent is in line, multiply the floor area by the median for the area: a 70 m² flat at the national median comes to about €712 a month, in Greater Lisbon about €1,067.
Read our brief →Sold your home in 2025? The new capital gains exemption does not apply
Decree-Law 97/2026 of 20 May lets you leave out of IRS the gain from selling your own permanent home if you reinvest the money in a property let out as housing. It covers sales from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2029. The Tax Authority has confirmed in binding information PIV_31329 that a home sold …
Why it matters: If you plan to sell your home from 2026 on and buy a flat to let, the dates and the rent cap decide whether the gain is taxed. A sale in 2025 stays under the usual rules.
Read our brief →House prices up 16.5% in a year, sales down — and 4 in 5 new mortgages now on a mixed rate
According to INE, house prices in the second quarter of 2026 were 16.5% higher than a year earlier (17.8% in the first quarter) and 3.6% higher than in the previous quarter. There were 40,142 sales, 6.4% fewer than a year before, worth €10.7 billion (+4.2%). The Banco de Portugal's latest banking re…
Why it matters: If you are taking a mortgage, a mixed rate usually fixes your payment for only about two years — ask the bank what happens after the fixed period and work out your payment at today's variable rate.
Read our brief →AIMA: 24-hour national strike on 6 October, and its president is leaving
The Union of Migration Technicians (STM) has called a 24-hour national strike of AIMA staff for 6 October. It wants its own technical career and a pay supplement like the one proposed for GNR and PSP officers, and says its request for a meeting went unanswered. At the same time AIMA's president, Ped…
Why it matters: If your AIMA appointment falls on 6 October, check with AIMA before you travel: no one has yet said whether appointments that day will go ahead. Delays already have a legal deadline you can count yourself.
Read our brief →Landlords: the 10% IRS rate also applies when a company is the tenant
The special IRS rate on rental income for housing at moderate rents is 10% instead of 25%, under Decree-Law 97/2026 of 20 May (article 45-C of the Tax Benefits Statute), until 31 December 2029. The rent may not exceed €2,300 a month, which is 2.5 times the 2026 minimum wage of €920. The Tax Authorit…
Why it matters: If you let a flat to a company for an employee or manager, you can still pay 10% on the rent — provided the person living there is named in the contract and the rent stays within €2,300.
Read our brief →SNS emergency rooms: charging non-resident foreigners up front is «technically impossible»
The health inspectorate (IGAS) had recommended that local health units assess charging non-resident foreigners on arrival at the emergency department. The São José local health unit in Lisbon says the Ministry of Health's shared services replied that it is «not technically possible to bill an episod…
Why it matters: If you are not yet resident and need emergency care, you will not be asked to pay at the door — the bill, if any, comes after the visit. Keep your insurance or European Health Insurance Card to hand.
Read our brief →EU citizens and their families: permanent residence application no longer asks for NIF or NISS
AIMA has updated its renewals portal (portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt) for EU nationals and their family members. When applying for a permanent residence certificate or card, you no longer have to give your tax number (NIF) or your social security number (NISS). AIMA warns that when you start the appl…
Why it matters: If you have lived here five years as an EU citizen or as the family member of one, a missing NIF or NISS no longer holds up your permanent residence application.
Read our brief →What we cover
AIMA news and appointment changes · Portugal immigration and residency updates · visa and Golden Visa news · citizenship law changes · tax news (NHR, IFICI, IRS, IMT) · rent and house-price trends across Porto, Lisbon and beyond. Looking for background instead of breaking news? Our Knowledge Base and visa guides explain each topic in depth.
Each brief is Re-locant.com’s own summary, written in our words to explain what an update means for relocation; the original source is linked on each item. We do not reproduce or endorse source content, and briefs are informational, not legal advice.
Properties from Cosmic Vortex
See all ↗Apartamento T2
Buarcos, Figueira da Foz
Apartamento T3
Canidelo, Vila Nova de Gaia
Apartamento T3
Cidade da Maia, Maia
Apartamento T2 · Vila do Conde
Vila do Conde
Apartamento T3
Canidelo, Vila Nova de Gaia