{"id":5223,"date":"2026-06-12T10:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T10:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/tmp-en-4831\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T18:17:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T18:17:29","slug":"building-permitting-portugal-2026-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/building-permitting-portugal-2026-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Building permitting in Portugal: the complete 2026 guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"trc-art-meta\"><span><strong>Legislation<\/strong><\/span><span>8 min read<\/span><span>Updated June 2026<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Building, extending or rehabilitating in Portugal always goes through one of four routes: planning permission, prior notification, prior information request or exemption. This guide explains how each works in 2026 \u2014 including what changes on 3 August with Decree-Law n.\u00ba 108\/2026 \u2014 and what to consider so that permitting does not dictate the project\u2019s calendar.<\/p>\n<div class=\"trc-art-summary\"><span class=\"trc-art-label\">Executive summary<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"list\">\n<li><strong>Four routes of prior control<\/strong> \u2014 permission, prior notification, PIP and exemption. The right route depends on what your area already has defined in a plan.<\/li>\n<li><strong>DL 10\/2024 (Simplex)<\/strong> \u2014 the municipality\u2019s silence now counts as tacit approval, after 120, 150 or 200 days depending on complexity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>DL 108\/2026, in force on 3 August<\/strong> \u2014 prior notification without a preliminary check, shortened decision deadlines and nullity reduced to 3 years.<\/li>\n<li><strong>RGEU revoked on 1 June 2026<\/strong> \u2014 technical rules are now defined by the professional bodies, until the Construction Code arrives.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The risk shifted to the technical team\u2019s side<\/strong> \u2014 with less prior control, design rigour is the client\u2019s main safeguard.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>1. The legal framework: three decrees you must know<\/h2>\n<p>The regime still rests on the <strong>RJUE<\/strong> \u2014 the Legal Regime for Urbanisation and Building, approved by <a href=\"https:\/\/diariodarepublica.pt\/dr\/legislacao-consolidada\/decreto-lei\/1999-34563175\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Decreto-Lei n.\u00ba 555\/99<\/a> and successively amended. It defines the planning operations and the routes of prior control.<\/p>\n<p>On that base, <a href=\"https:\/\/diariodarepublica.pt\/dr\/detalhe\/decreto-lei\/10-2024-836222484\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Decreto-Lei n.\u00ba 10\/2024<\/a> (the \u00abSimplex Urban\u00edstico\u00bb) simplified procedures, generalised tacit approval and marked the end of the RGEU. And in May 2026, <a href=\"https:\/\/diariodarepublica.pt\/dr\/detalhe\/decreto-lei\/108-2026-1128002421\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Decreto-Lei n.\u00ba 108\/2026<\/a> was published, revising planning permitting with effect from <strong>3 August 2026<\/strong> \u2014 applicable to new applications and to pending ones still at the preliminary-check stage.<\/p>\n<div class=\"blog-details__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-lg-8\">\n<div class=\"media\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/trc-guia-licenciamento-obras-portugal.webp\" alt=\"Fa\u00e7ade of a Portuguese building under rehabilitation with scaffolding\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-lg-4\">\n<div class=\"media\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/trc-pilar-detalhe.webp\" alt=\"Detail of scaffolding and protection net against a stone frame\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>2. The four routes of prior control<\/h2>\n<div class=\"trc-diagram\">\n<p>YOUR WORKS<br \/>\nplanning operation<\/p>\n<p>PRIOR NOTIFICATION<br \/>\nparameters defined in a plan \u00b7 no waiting<\/p>\n<p>PLANNING PERMISSION<br \/>\nheritage \u00b7 no defined parameters<\/p>\n<p>EXEMPTION<br \/>\nminor relevance \u00b7 interior alterations<\/p>\n<p>PIP \u2014 before deciding<br \/>\nfixes the case\u2019s rules for 2 years\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"trc-art-caption\">The four routes at a glance \u2014 the right-hand column is decided by what your area already has defined in a plan.<\/p>\n<div class=\"trc-art-table\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Route<\/th>\n<th>When it applies<\/th>\n<th>What to expect<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Planning permission<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Operations with more room for appraisal: new construction outside areas with defined parameters, listed buildings or buildings undergoing classification, subdivisions without a plan<\/td>\n<td>Express decision by the municipality; failing that, tacit approval after 120 to 200 days (DL 10\/2024)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Prior notification<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Works conforming to the plans in force (PDM, detailed plan, subdivision), with no relevant structural change<\/td>\n<td>Today: tacit admission in 20 days. From 3 August: starts with fees paid, no preliminary-check phase<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>PIP<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Feasibility enquiry before buying or designing<\/td>\n<td>When fully favourable, it binds the municipality for 2 years<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Use permit<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>End of works and changes of use<\/td>\n<td>A condition for using \u2014 and for selling well \u2014 the building<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p class=\"trc-src\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/diariodarepublica.pt\/dr\/legislacao-consolidada\/decreto-lei\/1999-34563175\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RJUE (DL n.\u00ba 555\/99, current wording)<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/diariodarepublica.pt\/dr\/detalhe\/decreto-lei\/10-2024-836222484\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DL n.\u00ba 10\/2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>3. What is exempt \u2014 and what the exemption does not mean<\/h2>\n<p>Works of <strong>minor planning relevance<\/strong> require neither permission nor prior notification: small buildings up to 10 m\u00b2 and 2.20 m high that do not abut the public road, boundary walls up to 1.80 m, retaining walls up to 2 m, greenhouses and solar panels within certain parameters.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Interior alterations<\/strong> to a building are also, as a rule, exempt \u2014 provided they do not touch the structure, the fa\u00e7ades or the building height. Mind the exceptions: in listed buildings, buildings undergoing classification or protection zones, these exemptions do not apply.<\/p>\n<p>An important warning: <strong>exempt from procedure is not exempt from rules<\/strong>. The PDM, the municipal regulations and the technical standards still apply \u2014 and so does successive inspection.<\/p>\n<h2>4. What changes on 3 August 2026<\/h2>\n<p>DL 108\/2026 takes the Simplex logic further. <strong>Prior notification loses the preliminary-check phase<\/strong>: once the notification is submitted, the fees paid and the start date notified, the works can begin. In return, the municipality has one year for the successive control of conformity.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"archidex-blog-details-quote\">\n<p>From 3 August, a prior notification with fees paid allows the works to start immediately \u2014 and the municipal conformity control lapses one year later.<\/p>\n<p><cite class=\"trc-art-cite\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/diariodarepublica.pt\/dr\/detalhe\/decreto-lei\/108-2026-1128002421\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Decreto-Lei n.\u00ba 108\/2026, of 29 May \u2014 Di\u00e1rio da Rep\u00fablica<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Decision deadlines also shorten:<\/p>\n<div class=\"trc-art-table\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Procedure phase<\/th>\n<th>Deadline (DL 108\/2026)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Preliminary check and screening<\/td>\n<td><strong>20 days<\/strong> (10 for corrections to the application)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Assessment of the architectural design<\/td>\n<td><strong>30 days<\/strong>, extendable by another 30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Final deliberation \u2014 building and demolition<\/td>\n<td><strong>20 days<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Subdivision<\/td>\n<td><strong>45 days<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Urbanisation works<\/td>\n<td><strong>30 days<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p class=\"trc-src\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/adcecija.pt\/alteracao-ao-regime-juridico-da-urbanizacao-e-edificacao-rjue\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Antas da Cunha Ecija \u2014 alert on the amendment to the RJUE (DL 108\/2026)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Two further changes with real weight: the period for the administrative declaration of <strong>nullity<\/strong> of permits and prior information decisions drops to <strong>3 years<\/strong>, and the <strong>planning title<\/strong> returns in a standardised format \u2014 with deeds now stating whether the property holds one.<\/p>\n<p>We have prepared dedicated analyses for both audiences: <a href=\"\/en\/new-rjue-dl-108-2026-five-changes\/\">the impact of the new RJUE on real estate development<\/a> and <a href=\"\/en\/new-building-permitting-rules-2026\/\">what the new rules mean for those building or refurbishing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"blog-details__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/trc-fachadas-lisboa-rgeu.webp\" alt=\"Front of Lisbon residential fa\u00e7ades in the late afternoon\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"trc-art-caption\">75 years of the RGEU shaped the image of Portuguese cities.<\/p>\n<h2>5. RGEU: the end of a 75-year era<\/h2>\n<p>Since 1 June 2026, the General Regulation for Urban Buildings \u2014 in force since 1951 \u2014 is <strong>revoked<\/strong>, by effect of DL 10\/2024. Until the future Construction Code enters into force, the technical rules for preparing designs are defined by the professional bodies. We explain the practical consequences in the article on <a href=\"\/rgeu-revogado-o-que-muda-nos-projectos\/\">the end of the RGEU and the new technical rules<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"title\">\u201cPermitting is not an obstacle: it is the design of risk. Whoever masters the procedure chooses the timing of the works \u2014 whoever ignores it is chosen by it.\u201d<\/h2>\n<h3>Tiago R. Correia<\/h3>\n<p>Architect<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>6. In practice: how to keep the process from stalling the project<\/h2>\n<p>Studio experience shows that processes that go well share four habits: <strong>a complete application at first submission<\/strong> (correction requests cost months), a <strong>strategic PIP before buying<\/strong>, a team that coordinates architecture and engineering from the start, and active tracking of deadlines \u2014 because tacit approval only protects those who can prove it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"trc-art-cta-inline\">\n<p>Buying a plot or a building? <a href=\"\/en\/landscope-feasibility-analysis-real-estate\/\">LANDSCOPE<\/a> tells you, from 48 hours, what can rise there \u2014 before you sign anything.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>How long does it take, in practice?<\/h2>\n<p>The legal deadlines are ceilings, not promises \u2014 and experience shows the decisive variable sits on the applicant\u2019s side. An application with complete documentation, coherent drawings across disciplines and a well-grounded planning framework crosses the preliminary check without correction requests; each of those requests costs, in practice, weeks to months.<\/p>\n<p>Two further factors are worth budgeting from the start: consultations with external entities (heritage, REN, roads, aeronautics), which run on their own timelines, and municipal charges \u2014 including the municipal urbanisation charge (TMU), which varies substantially between municipalities. None of these items surprises those who do their homework; all of them are expensive surprises for those who do not.<\/p>\n<div class=\"trc-art-faq\"><span class=\"trc-art-label\">Frequently asked questions<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Do I always need an architect?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes \u2014 architectural designs must be prepared and signed by architects, under Law n.\u00ba 31\/2009. And with the reduction of prior control, the designer\u2019s statement of responsibility has become the central piece of the process.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I start the works right after submitting the application?<\/h3>\n<p>Under prior notification, today the admission is deemed tacit after 20 days; from 3 August 2026, the works can start with the fees paid and the start date notified. Under a permit, no: you must await approval, express or tacit.<\/p>\n<h3>And if the municipality does not respond?<\/h3>\n<p>Silence now has consequences: in permit procedures, tacit approval forms after 120, 150 or 200 days, depending on the operation\u2019s complexity (DL 10\/2024). With DL 108\/2026, the proof of submission becomes part of the title itself.<\/p>\n<h3>Planning permission or prior notification \u2014 which applies to my case?<\/h3>\n<p>It depends mainly on whether your area has planning parameters defined in a plan. We made <a href=\"\/en\/planning-permission-or-prior-notification\/\">a dedicated comparison of the two routes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Is a PIP worth it before buying?<\/h3>\n<p>Almost always. A fully favourable PIP binds the municipality for 2 years and turns a purchase promise into an informed deal. For a quicker screening, <a href=\"\/en\/landscope-feasibility-analysis-real-estate\/\">LANDSCOPE<\/a> does that reading before any commitment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"trc-art-cta\"><span class=\"trc-art-cta-title\">Do you have a project to permit?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>We handle the planning framework, the design and the complete preparation of the application \u2014 with the technical responsibility on the right side of the table. Talk to us before submitting.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"trc-art-btn\" href=\"\/en\/contact\/\">Talk to the studio<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Legislation8 min readUpdated June 2026 Building, extending or rehabilitating in Portugal always goes through one of four routes: planning permission, prior notification, prior information request or exemption. This guide explains how each works in 2026 \u2014 including what changes on 3 August with Decree-Law n.\u00ba 108\/2026 \u2014 and what to consider so that permitting does [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[126],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-legislation-permitting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5223"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5223\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5357,"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5223\/revisions\/5357"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiagorcorreia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}