Where to find property auctions in Portugal: every official source
Updated on
Short answer
Property auctions in Portugal are spread across several sources: the tax authority's Portal das Finanças (property seized for tax debts), the e-Leilões platform run by OSAE (court enforcement and insolvencies), the Citius court portal (enforcement sale notices), Social Security, insolvency administrators and their auction houses, and banks selling their own property.
There is no single portal
In Portugal, property sold at auction or in a forced sale is not listed in one place. Each selling body publishes on its own portal, with different rules and formats. Anyone searching has to check several.
This page lists every source we know of, explains what each one sells and links to the official site. It is meant to be useful even if you never use Leiloeiro. All the official sites below are in Portuguese.
The sources at a glance
| Source | What it sells | Who runs the sale | Official site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax authority (Finanças, AT) | Property seized for tax debts | Local tax office (tax enforcement body) | Portal das Finanças, asset sales |
| e-Leilões | Property seized in court enforcement; also insolvencies | Enforcement agent or insolvency administrator | e-leiloes.pt |
| Citius | Notices of sales in enforcement cases | Enforcement agent or court | Citius, sale of seized assets |
| Social Security | Property seized for Social Security debts | Enforcement sections of IGFSS | seg-social.pt |
| Insolvencies | Property of insolvent people and companies | Insolvency administrator, often with an auction house | e-Leilões and auction-house websites |
| Banks | Property owned by the bank | The bank or estate agents | Each bank's property portal |
1. Tax authority: the Portal das Finanças
What it is. The Tax and Customs Authority (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira, AT) sells assets it has seized to collect tax debts. This is a tax sale (). It includes houses, land, shops, shares in properties (), vehicles and other goods.
Where. In the Sistema Integrado de Vendas, in the reserved area of the Portal das Finanças. The tax authority explains that this is where you search current sales, submit bids and manage alerts and favourites. Access requires a login.
How it sells. The sequence is in CPPT article 248:
- An electronic auction () lasting 15 days, with a base value () of 70% of the property's value.
- With no bids, sealed bids () for 15 to 20 days, with a base value of 50%.
- With no bids again, a new 15-day electronic auction, awarded to the highest bid.
In every case the property cannot be awarded for less than 20% of the reference value (paragraph 5 of the same article). For urban property, that reference value is the taxable property value (, VPT).
What the listing must state. The office handling the case, a short description of the asset, where and when it can be viewed, the base value and the deadline for bids (CPPT article 249).
More. How to buy a house at a tax authority auction, step by step. On Leiloeiro: tax authority auctions.
2. e-Leilões: court enforcement
What it is. e-leiloes.pt is the electronic auction platform developed and run by the Order of Solicitors and Enforcement Agents (Ordem dos Solicitadores e dos Agentes de Execução, OSAE). Its rules were approved by Order 12624/2015 of the Minister of Justice.
What it sells. Assets seized in enforcement cases, that is, cases where a creditor () collects a debt in court from a debtor (). The Code of Civil Procedure requires seized property to be sold "preferably by electronic auction" (article 837). The platform may also be used in insolvency cases and by other bodies, under a protocol (article 17 of the rules).
Who runs the sale. The enforcement agent () in charge of the case, who is responsible for listing the asset and for the information in the listing (article 4 of the rules).
Access. Browsing is free and open to anyone. Bidding requires registration, and bidders pay nothing to use the platform (FAQ, questions 11 and 13).
Figures to know. The opening value is 50% of the base value. The minimum value (), from which the asset can be sold, is 85% of the base value (article 2 of the rules).
If you are outside Portugal. The European e-Justice Portal warns that access to e-Leilões is restricted from abroad. See Buying property at auction in Portugal as a foreigner.
More. How e-Leilões works. On Leiloeiro: e-Leilões auctions.
3. Citius: notices of enforcement sales
What it is. Citius is the courts' portal, run by the Ministry of Justice. It has a public search page called Venda de Bens Penhorados em Processos Executivos (sale of seized assets in enforcement cases).
What it is for. When an enforcement sale is made by sealed bids, the law requires a notice "on a publicly accessible web page" and a sale notice () posted on the door of the building (CPC article 817). The Citius page is the public search for notices of sales in enforcement cases. It is useful mainly for sales that do not run on e-Leilões, such as sealed-bid sales or sales by private negotiation (); check the method and the enforcement agent's contact in each notice.
In a court sealed-bid sale, the advertised value is 85% of the base value (article 816) and the bid must come with a deposit () of 5% of the advertised value (article 824). See Sealed bids: how to make an offer.
Citius also has an insolvency publicity page, where you can confirm whether a person or company has been declared insolvent and who the administrator is.
4. Social Security
What it is. Debts to Social Security are collected by the enforcement sections of the Social Security Financial Management Institute (Instituto de Gestão Financeira da Segurança Social, IGFSS), set up by Decree-Law 42/2001. Property seized in those cases is put up for sale by IGFSS itself.
Where. On the Social Security website.
Until we confirm these points, what each notice states about the method, the deadline and where to submit bids is the reference. On Leiloeiro: Social Security auctions.
5. Sales in insolvency proceedings
What it is. When a person or company is declared insolvent (), their assets form the insolvent estate () and are sold to pay creditors. The sale is run by the insolvency administrator ().
How it sells. The administrator sells "preferably by electronic auction" but may, giving reasons, choose another method (Insolvency Code, article 164). Conditions therefore vary a great deal from case to case.
Where. We did not find a single official portal for these sales. They appear in three places:
- on e-Leilões, when the administrator uses that platform;
- on the websites of auction houses hired by the administrator (see section 7);
- by direct contact with the administrator, in sales by private negotiation.
How to check. With the insolvent party's name or the case number, the Citius insolvency publicity page shows the published acts. The Commission for the Monitoring of Justice Auxiliaries (CAAJ) is the body that oversees insolvency administrators and enforcement agents.
6. Bank-owned property
What it is. Banks end up owning property when loans are not repaid, for example by acquiring it in enforcement cases. They then sell it. This is not a judicial sale: it is an ordinary sale, by deed, and the seller is the bank.
How it differs from a judicial auction. The deadlines and rules of the CPPT and the Code of Civil Procedure do not apply. Price, visits and conditions are set by the bank. Some banks also hold their own auctions, under their own terms.
Where. Each bank has a portal. We confirmed on 12 November 2026 that these addresses are live (in alphabetical order):
- Banco Montepio, Imóveis
- Caixa Geral de Depósitos, Caixa Imobiliário
- Crédito Agrícola, CA Imóveis
- Millennium bcp, Imóveis
- Santander, Imóveis
Other banks also sell their own property. Look for the property section on each bank's official website. On Leiloeiro: bank-owned properties.
7. Auction houses
What they are. Private companies (leiloeiras) that organise auctions on behalf of sellers: insolvency administrators, banks, companies and, in some cases, enforcement cases (the Code of Civil Procedure provides for "sale at an auction establishment" in article 834).
Rules. Auctioneering has its own legal regime, Decree-Law 155/2015, which requires authorisation from the Directorate-General for Economic Activities (DGAE).
Each auction has its own sale conditions, set by the auction house and the seller. That is where you see whether there is a deposit, whether the buyer pays a commission to the auction house, how to visit and how to pay.
How to check an auction house and an auction. We do not publish a list of auction houses, so as not to appear to point to some over others. These steps work for any of them:
- Read the full sale conditions before registering or handing over any money.
- Identify the case: number, court and name of the insolvency administrator or seller.
- Confirm on Citius that the case exists and who the administrator is.
- Confirm who receives payment of the price, and ask for a receipt for everything you pay.
- Ask which commissions and expenses fall on the buyer, and whether VAT is added.
- If in doubt, contact the insolvency administrator directly.
How the rules change from source to source
| Tax authority | e-Leilões | Court sealed bid | Insolvency and auction houses | Banks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main law | CPPT | CPC and Order 12624/2015 | CPC | Insolvency Code and sale conditions | Sale contract |
| Value from which it can be sold | 70% of the reference value in the 1st auction; 50% in sealed bids | 85% of the base value | 85% of the base value | Set in each sale | Bank's asking price |
| Deposit to submit a bid | Not provided for in the CPPT | Not provided for in the rules | 5% of the advertised value | As per the conditions | As per the bank |
| Deadline to pay the price | 15 days after the award | 15 days after notification | 15 days after notification | As per the conditions | At the deed |
| Purchase document | Transfer title () | Transfer title | Transfer title | Depends on the method | Deed |
The guides on deposits, costs and deadlines after winning expand on each row.
Documents and registers useful for any source
- Land registry. The registry certificate () shows the owner and the registered liens (). You order it at Predial Online, run by the Institute of Registries and Notaries (IRN).
- Tax authority. The tax record () gives the area, the use and the taxable property value.
- Official statistics. Statistics Portugal (INE) publishes housing prices by municipality, useful for comparison with the base value.
What Leiloeiro does with these sources
Leiloeiro brings the listings from these sources into a single search, showing the origin, the date of the last check and a link to the official listing. We also publish the results of finished auctions and statistics.
We are not a party to the sales, we do not represent sellers or buyers, and we do not replace reading the official listing. If you know of a source missing from this page, tell us.
Official sources
- Tax authority (AT): sale of seized assets (Sistema Integrado de Vendas)
- Tax Procedure Code (CPPT), article 248 (general rule for sales)
- Tax Procedure Code (CPPT), article 249 (advertising the sale)
- Code of Civil Procedure (CPC), articles 811, 816, 817, 824, 834 and 837
- e-Leilões, platform rules (Order 12624/2015)
- e-Leilões, frequently asked questions
- European e-Justice Portal: judicial auctions in Portugal
- Citius portal: sale of seized assets in enforcement cases
- Citius portal: insolvency publicity
- Insolvency Code (CIRE), article 164 (methods of sale)
- Decree-Law 42/2001 (Social Security enforcement sections)
- Decree-Law 155/2015 (legal regime for auctioneers), text reproduced at informador.pt