Permanent land registry certificate (certidão permanente)
Updated on
The certidão permanente is the online, always up-to-date version of a property’s land registry entry, showing who the owner is and which encumbrances are registered.
The exists to make the legal status of properties public (Land Registry Code, article 1). The certidão permanente is the most practical way to consult it: you request it online, at Predial Online, and receive an access code. While the code is valid, it shows the entries in force and any pending applications on the property.
To request it you only need to identify the property: parish and number (plus the unit letter, if any). Check the price and validity period on Predial Online.
Example
Illustrative example: the certificate for a house shows, in date order: acquisition in favour of A (2012); mortgage in favour of a bank (2012); seizure in favour of the Tax Authority (2023); seizure in favour of another creditor (2024). No usufruct or lease is registered. You learn who the owner is and that the existing entries are security rights, which lapse with an enforcement sale.
In practice, at an auction
This is the document to read before bidding. Look for:
- who the holder is and whether they own all of it or only an ;
- and , and their dates;
- any registered , , easements or leases, and whether they predate the oldest security;
- registered court actions.
Dates matter because of article 824 of the Civil Code: property rights registered before any seizure or security do not lapse with the sale. After buying, consult the certificate again to confirm that your acquisition is registered and that lapsed have been cancelled.