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.
New foreigners law in force since 11 September: what changes if you already live here legally
Law 62/2026 was published in the Diário da República on 10 September and took effect the next day. It adapts Portuguese law to the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, after the Constitutional Court found no unconstitutionality in the contested provisions on 28 August. Most of the tightening concerns pe…
Why it matters: If you change jobs, a notice to AIMA is now enough — and your residence permit stays valid. The harder rules fall mainly on people who arrive without a visa.
Read our brief →Self-employed: the second IRS advance payment is due by 20 September
People with self-employed or business income (category B) make IRS advance payments — pagamentos por conta — in three instalments: by 20 July, 20 September and 20 December. The tax authority notifies you in the month before each deadline, and the amount is based on the tax assessment for the year be…
Why it matters: If you work as a freelancer (recibos verdes), check the Portal das Finanças for a notice now — the next instalment is due on 20 September.
Read our brief →AIMA: 60% more appointments and fewer complaints in the first half of 2026 — union disputes the picture
According to AIMA, attendances at its service desks (Lojas AIMA) rose by more than 60% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period of 2025, and complaints fell by 35.8%: the complaint rate dropped from 6.9% to 2.7%. The agency also joined the public administration's electronic complaints…
Why it matters: If you cannot get an answer from AIMA, the Livro Amarelo Eletrónico is now an official channel for a written complaint; the general phone line is (+351) 217 115 000.
Read our brief →Brussels proposes that short-term rentals can only be limited where they worsen housing pressure
The European Commission has proposed, as part of its affordable housing plan, that countries and cities may restrict short-term rentals (alojamento local) only where they can show a significant negative effect on housing over at least three years. Areas under pressure would be defined by the ratio b…
Why it matters: If you are buying to run a short-term rental, the rules on where new licences are allowed could change — but nothing applies yet, and the current municipal rules stay in force until then.
Read our brief →IRS cut from November: lower withholding on salaries, pensions and the Christmas bonus
The Prime Minister announced on 9 September a further IRS cut for 2026: lower rates in the first six brackets — up to about €43,000 of taxable income a year — worth €400 million and reaching around two million households. It will be felt from November through lower monthly withholding on salaries an…
Why it matters: Nothing to apply for — if you earn a salary or pension in Portugal, your net pay should rise from November, including on the Christmas bonus.
Read our brief →Finanças asks 33,000 landlords to close expired leases by 30 September
The tax authority (AT) emailed 33,381 landlords whose non-renewable leases had already reached their end date before 1 April 2026 but still appear as active in its records. They are asked to answer an alert in the Portal das Finanças and report any change or termination of the contract by 30 Septemb…
Why it matters: If you let property, check your contracts in the Portal das Finanças before 30 September. If you rent, state rent support relies on the contract registered there — worth confirming yours shows correctly.
Read our brief →Building a new home costs 6.8% more than a year ago — and labour is the faster half
INE estimates that the cost of building new housing rose 6.8% year on year in July, 0.6 percentage points below the previous month's reading. Materials went up 6.3% and labour 7.3%. The slight easing does not reverse anything: it means the increase is slowing, not that building has become cheaper.
Why it matters: If you are buying something that needs work, the renovation quote you collected in spring is already out of date — and the labour line moves faster than the materials line.
Read our brief →The new affordable-rent scheme is in force — but nobody can sign up yet
The Regime Simplificado do Arrendamento Acessível (RSAA) came into force on 1 September, replacing the earlier rent-support programme with less paperwork. What is missing is the regulation that actually makes it work: the portaria setting maximum rents per property type has not been published, and t…
Why it matters: «In force» and «available» are not the same thing — if you are budgeting a move around this scheme, plan for the current market rent until the caps are actually published.
Read our brief →State rent support: who gets up to €200 a month without applying
Segurança Social paid the extraordinary rent support (apoio extraordinário à renda) on 7 September. It is automatic — nobody applies: the state cross-checks tax and lease data. It goes to tax residents with a lease registered with Finanças and signed by 15 March 2023, whose rent takes at least 35% o…
Why it matters: It is only paid if your lease is registered with Finanças — if rent eats more than a third of your income and nothing arrives, check that first.
Read our brief →School supplies in your tax return: 30% back, up to €800 — if the invoice carries the child's NIF
The government has restated how school costs count as education expenses in the IRS: 30% of the spending, within an overall education ceiling of €800. For students attending schools in the interior or the autonomous regions the rate rises to 40% and the ceiling to €1,000. Two conditions do the damag…
Why it matters: If you moved with school-age children this year, the difference between asking for the child's NIF at the till and not asking is a few hundred euros next spring.
Read our brief →Your landlord is selling: the right that lets you buy the flat first
Portuguese law gives certain people — tenants, co-owners and some public bodies — the right to buy a property before anyone else, on exactly the terms already agreed with the outside buyer. A tenant whose contract has run for more than two years has 30 days to decide after being notified by the owne…
Why it matters: Most people arriving in Portugal rent before they buy — and few know that a letter announcing the sale can also be an offer to buy the home you already live in.
Read our brief →Students living away from home can deduct rent — 30%, up to €400 a year
Portuguese tax rules let an «estudante deslocado» — a student under 26 studying more than 50 km from the family home — deduct 30% of their rent from IRS, capped at €400 a year. The overall education deduction rises from €800 to €1,100 when the difference comes from rent. It only works if the landlor…
Why it matters: If you moved with a teenager who studies in another city, this is real money — but every step happens before the tax return, not on it.
Read our brief →AIMA says it grew its staff by 17% — the first number behind the queue promises
AIMA reports that its headcount grew 17% between July 2024 and July 2026, with a 35% increase inside the unit that builds its digital platforms. The agency frames this as the groundwork for faster, more automated handling of residence files, and says September projections continue the trend. It note…
Why it matters: Every residence permit in Portugal passes through AIMA, so its capacity is the single biggest factor in how long you wait — this is the first concrete figure attached to that.
Read our brief →Social Security warns of fake messages copying its own portal
The Instituto da Segurança Social has warned that fraudulent messages are circulating in its name, carrying a link to a fake page that copies the look of the Segurança Social portal. The institute asks people not to click the link and not to enter any personal or banking details. It describes the ca…
Why it matters: Newcomers are the easiest target here: you are genuinely waiting for messages from Segurança Social, so a fake one does not look out of place.
Read our brief →IFICI: the 20% rate exists, but the door is narrower than the headlines
The Portugal News set out again this week who actually qualifies for IFICI, the regime that replaced NHR. It gives new tax residents a flat 20% rate on Portuguese employment or self-employment income and broad relief on foreign income for up to 10 years — but only for people working in qualifying fi…
Why it matters: If you become a Portuguese tax resident in 2026, the application deadline is 15 January 2027, and missing it costs the whole ten-year window.
Read our brief →Portugal starts recognising stateless status — the framework takes effect today
The legal framework setting the rules and procedure for official recognition of stateless status in Portugal — Law No. 47/2026 — comes into effect on Tuesday, 1 September. Recognition is handled through AIMA.
Why it matters: This is narrow but decisive for the people it touches: without a recognised status there is no clean route to a residence permit, and every ordinary procedure — bank, health centre, work contract — stalls at the identity step. If this is your situation, the procedure now exists on paper; start with AIMA rather than with a consulate.
Read our brief →Two new rental regimes start today — cheaper rent for tenants, no tax for landlords
From 1 September Portugal runs two new schemes for the rental market: the Simplified Accessible Rental Regime (RSAA) and Investment Contracts for Rental (CIA). Under the RSAA the rent must stay within 80% of the median rent per square metre that INE publishes for that municipality; in exchange the l…
Why it matters: If you are about to rent, this is the first measure in years that pays a landlord to ask for less rather than more — so ask whether a listing is inside the scheme before you sign, and claim the deduction on your return. If you own a flat you let out, the choice between a capped rent with no tax and a free rent taxed at 10% is a real calculation, not a formality.
Read our brief →IRS: if your return left tax to pay, today is the deadline
Taxpayers who owe money after the settlement of their 2025 income — declared this year — must pay the Portuguese tax authority by today. The amount and the payment reference are on the settlement note (nota de liquidação) in Portal das Finanças.
Why it matters: This catches new residents most often: the first Portuguese return frequently produces a balance to pay, because foreign income was not withheld at source during the year. Paying late adds interest and can block the tax-compliance certificate you need for residency renewals and some contracts.
Read our brief →Property owners: the second IMI instalment is due today
Today is the last day to pay the second instalment of IMI, the annual municipal property tax, for owners whose bill is split across the year. Payment is made through Portal das Finanças or at any Finanças desk, using the reference on your settlement notice.
Why it matters: IMI is charged on the taxable value (VPT) of the property, not on what you paid for it — so a recent buyer often meets this deadline before ever seeing a full year of ownership. Miss it and interest starts running; the amount and the instalment plan are both on your own notice in Portal das Finanças.
Read our brief →Mortgage lending hits €118bn — the biggest monthly jump since 2009
Banco de Portugal data for July puts the stock of housing loans at €118 billion, the highest ever recorded. The month-on-month increase of €1.2 billion is the largest since December 2009, seventeen years ago. ECO links much of the demand to the state guarantee scheme for young buyers, launched in ea…
Why it matters: More borrowing means more competition for the same properties — if you are buying, settle your financing before you start bidding, not after.
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.
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