Documents a Portuguese bank asks for a mortgage

For home loans in Portugal only — offers from Portuguese banks, under Portuguese taxes and fees. The banks’ documents will still be in Portuguese; this page explains them in English.

To approve a mortgage, a bank in Portugal asks for three sets of documents: who you are (Citizen Card or passport, and NIF tax number), what you earn and already owe (payslips, an employer’s letter, your last IRS tax return with its assessment, bank statements and the Banco de Portugal credit report) and the property’s (caderneta predial, land registry certificate, energy certificate and, if signed, the promissory contract). The first two are enough for a pre-approval; the property documents are needed for the valuation and final approval.

Updated 3 November 2026

When each one is asked for

The application runs in two stages. First, with your personal and income documents, the bank works out your debt-to-income ratio (taxa de esforço) and gives an approval in principle — the pre-approval — with how much it is willing to lend. Then, once you have chosen the home, it asks for the property documents, sends a valuer, and only then gives final approval and hands over the FINE (the Portuguese ESIS) with the terms for your case.

The documents are much the same at every bank. Gather them once, as PDFs, and send the same set to three or more banks: that is what gets you several FINEs to compare at the same time. On a joint loan, each borrower provides their own.

Identity, for each borrower

Citizen Card (Cartão de Cidadão); or, for foreign nationals, passport and residence permit.
Portuguese tax number (NIF), if it is not on the identity document.
Proof of address: a recent electricity, water or telecoms bill.
If married, the property regime — some banks ask for the marriage certificate.

Income and debts, for employees

Your last three payslips (recibos de vencimento) — some banks ask for six.
A letter from your employer stating the type of contract, length of service and salary (declaração de efetividade, on a permanent contract).
Your last IRS tax return and its assessment (nota de liquidação).
Statements for the account your salary is paid into, for the last three to six months.
The Banco de Portugal credit report (mapa de responsabilidades de crédito), listing every loan in your name. It is free from the Banco de Portugal website, signing in with the Chave Móvel Digital or your Portal das Finanças credentials.
For any other loans, the payment plan or latest statement of each.

With these the bank works out your debt-to-income ratio: the share of your net income taken up by the payments on all your loans. The Banco de Portugal recommends it stay under 45%, measured with the interest rate pushed up.

For the self-employed

IRS tax returns for the last two years, with Annex B and the assessments.
The invoices (recibos verdes) issued this year, from the Portal das Finanças.
Certificates of no debt to the tax authority and to Social Security.
If you run a company: the IES filings for the last two years and the commercial registry certificate.

Income that varies counts for less in the bank’s sums: most average two years and ask for a longer history than from someone on an employment contract.

For the property

Promissory contract (CPCV), if already signed.
Caderneta predial urbana (CPU) — the property’s tax record, from the Finanças. Only the owner can download it, so the seller provides it. For a new build that does not have one yet, proof that the Modelo 1 IMI declaration was filed.
Land registry certificate (certidão permanente do registo predial), or its access code.
Energy certificate, required for any sale.
Floor plan.
Licença de utilização (occupancy licence) and ficha técnica da habitação, if they exist. Since 2024 they are no longer required at the deed, but some banks still ask for them for the valuation.

The seller, or the estate agent, usually has nearly all of them. The bank uses them for the valuation, which it orders itself and charges as the valuation fee.

If you do not live in Portugal

Portuguese banks do lend to non-residents, usually with a larger deposit. On top of the passport and a Portuguese NIF, they ask for your tax return from the country you live in, your payslips and bank statements from there, a credit report from that country and, often, translations of anything not in Portuguese or English.

And for the deed

After final approval, nearly everything the deed needs — certificates, the tax record, the draft contract — is gathered by the bank, the solicitor or the Casa Pronta desk. From you: your identity documents, proof of payment of the IMT and the purchase stamp duty, the life and home insurance policies the bank requires, and the deposit in your account.

After the documents, the offers

Once the documents are in, each bank sends back a FINE. On qualcredito.com, drop them into the browser and the offers sit side by side on the same scenario, with what each one costs to the end, explained in English.