Power of attorney to buy in Portugal from abroad: how the procuração works

You do not have to be in Portugal to buy a home here. A power of attorney, a procuração, lets someone you trust sign the promissory contract and the deed on your behalf. It is how many international buyers complete without booking a flight for every signature.

It is also a document that gives another person real power over your money and your purchase, so it deserves care. This guide explains what a procuração is, who signs it, the difference between specific and general powers, the two ways to sign it from abroad and what each costs, how long it lasts, and the safeguards that keep you in control. If you are new to remote buying, start with our guide on buying a home in Portugal without flying over.

What a procuração is

A procuração is a written authority in which you, the grantor, appoint another person, your attorney or procurador, to carry out legal acts in your name. Whatever your attorney signs within those powers binds you as if you had signed it yourself.

In Portugal, a power of attorney has to take the same form as the act it is meant for. Buying property is completed by public deed or by an authenticated document, so the procuração you use for it must be formal too: drawn up or authenticated by a notary, a consular officer or another professional with authority to certify documents. A letter you sign at your kitchen table will not be accepted at the deed.

Who signs, and who should be your attorney

The person who will own the property signs the procuração. If you are buying as a couple and both names will be on the title, you both grant powers, either in one document or in two. If you are married, ask your lawyer early whether your spouse needs to take part even if only one of you is buying, as this depends on your marriage regime and the law that governs it.

As for the attorney, the most common choice for international buyers is their independent, regulated lawyer in Portugal, or a solicitor at the same firm. A family member or friend can also act, but a professional brings two advantages: they know what the notary and the bank expect to see, and they are bound by professional rules and insurance. Whoever you choose, it should be someone independent of the seller and the seller's agent.

Specific or general powers

A general power of attorney lets the attorney manage your affairs broadly. A specific one, which is what you want for a purchase, lists exactly what the attorney may do. A well-drafted purchase procuração typically covers:

• The property, identified by address, its tax article (artigo matricial) and its land registry description.
• The price, or a maximum price, and the deposit.
• Signing the promissory contract (CPCV) and the deed of purchase.
• If you are borrowing, signing the mortgage with a named bank, within a maximum loan amount.
• Paying IMT and stamp duty, requesting certificates, and handling registration with the land registry and the tax office.
• If useful, related paperwork such as utility contracts.

Being specific protects you, and it also helps the purchase. Notaries and banks look closely at whether the attorney's powers cover exactly the act being signed, and a vague document can stall a deed on the day. If you have not chosen the property yet, the lawyer can draft powers that describe the type of purchase and a price ceiling, but the tighter the wording, the better.

Two ways to sign it from abroad

Route 1: at a Portuguese consulate

Portuguese consulates can draw up and authenticate a procuração. It is written in Portuguese, it is a Portuguese public document, and it needs no apostille, so it can be used directly at the deed. The consular fee table, set by Portaria 229/2021, lists a standalone power of attorney at €50, as shown in a published consular fee table, and consular fees are set in euros across the network, per the Consulate General in São Paulo. The catch is access: there are only a few consulates in the UK and the US, and appointments can take weeks, so book early and send the consulate your lawyer's draft in advance.

Route 2: a local notary plus an Apostille

You can sign before a notary where you live, and then have the document legalised with an Apostille under the Hague Convention, which the UK, the US and Portugal have all joined. The Apostille confirms the notary's signature and seal so the document is accepted in Portugal.

• In the UK, you sign before a notary public, not an ordinary solicitor, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office adds the Apostille. The standard service costs £45 per document and takes up to 15 working days, per GOV.UK. Notary fees are set by each notary: one firm quotes £140 to £200 plus disbursements for this kind of work, per its published terms, while another charges by time at £300 an hour plus VAT, per Nelsons.
• In the US, a document signed before a state notary is apostilled by that state's Secretary of State. Fees vary by state, most commonly around $10 to $20 per document, per RecordingLaw.

Language and translation

A document signed before a foreign notary in English will normally need a certified translation into Portuguese before it can be used. The simplest fix is a bilingual document, Portuguese and English side by side, drafted by your Portuguese lawyer and sent to your notary to sign. You understand what you are signing, and the Portuguese text is ready for the notary in Portugal. Ask your lawyer to check the final signed version before it is apostilled, since a missing passport number or a typo in the property description is much easier to fix before the document leaves your country.

How long it lasts, and revoking it

Portuguese law does not give a power of attorney a fixed expiry date. It lasts until it is used up, revoked, or ends for another legal reason, unless the document itself sets an end date. In practice, notaries and banks are more comfortable with a recent document, and an old one can raise questions on the day.

You can generally revoke an ordinary procuração at any time. Tell the attorney in writing and, ideally, have the revocation formalised so third parties can rely on it. Be wary of any document described as irrevocable or granted "in the interest of the attorney". These exist for specific situations, but they are hard to undo and have no place in a normal home purchase. If someone asks you to sign one, stop and ask your own lawyer why.

Risks and safeguards

The risk with any power of attorney is that it is used for something you did not intend. These steps keep that risk small:

• Specific powers only. Name the property, the acts and the price limits.
• A time limit. Six to twelve months is usually enough for a purchase, and it can be renewed if the timetable slips.
• A regulated professional. A lawyer registered with the Ordem dos Advogados, or a solicitor registered with their professional body, is accountable in a way a friend is not.
• Money moves from your own accounts. Pay the deposit and the balance by bank transfer or bank cheque from accounts in your name. Since 2017 the deed must record how the price was paid, including the accounts or cheques used, per idealista, which gives you a clear trail.
• Copies of everything. Ask for the signed CPCV, the deed and the registration certificate as soon as each is done.
• Revoke it when the job is done, unless your lawyer still needs it for post-completion paperwork.

How it is used at the CPCV and the deed

Once signed, the original goes to your attorney in Portugal. The attorney presents it each time they act for you, and the notary or the lawyer authenticating the documents checks that the powers cover the act.

1. CPCV. Your attorney signs the promissory contract and your deposit is paid from your account. The contract states that it is signed by an attorney under a named procuração.
2. Mortgage. If you are borrowing, send the bank the draft procuração early. Banks have their own wording requirements, and it is far better to adjust the draft than to sign a second document later.
3. Deed. Your attorney signs the escritura or authenticated document, the payment is recorded, and the keys are handed over. Read our guide to deed day for what happens on the day.
4. After completion. The registration, the tax office records and the utilities can be handled under the same powers, if the document covers them.

Many buyers still choose to see the home in person before the deed, or to join by video while the attorney signs. That is a good habit: the procuração removes the need to travel, not the need to stay informed.