You can buy a home in Portugal without ever flying there. Buyers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Gulf, and across Europe complete Portuguese purchases from home every year. The tool that makes it work is a power of attorney, called a procuracao, which lets a trusted representative in Portugal sign on your behalf.
Foreign demand is large. Foreign buyers purchased just over 41,000 homes in Portugal in 2025, and many of them began the search while still living abroad. Buyers based outside the country tend to pay well above the local average, which makes getting the remote process right worth the effort.
Most guides stop at “grant power of attorney to a lawyer.” The details that actually decide whether your purchase completes cleanly are the form the document must take, how it is validated from abroad, what powers it grants, and one point that catches people out: whether you can sign the final deed yourself over video. This guide covers each step.
Key Takeaways: the remote purchase in seven steps
- Get your Portuguese tax number (NIF) and a bank account. Both can be arranged from abroad through a representative before you buy.
- View properties remotely. A local agent inspects each shortlisted home in person and sends video walkthroughs, so you choose on real information rather than listing photos.
- Appoint an independent Portuguese lawyer and grant a power of attorney that names your representative and lists exactly what they can do.
- Sign the power of attorney at home. Either sign before a local notary and add a Hague apostille, or sign at a Portuguese consulate. A certified Portuguese translation is added where needed.
- Your representative signs the promissory contract (CPCV) and pays the deposit on the agreed terms.
- Your representative signs the final deed (escritura) before a Portuguese notary and registers the property in your name.
- Keep the records and revoke the power of attorney once the purchase is complete.
Ola Estate works with international buyers through exactly this process, handling the property search, in-person viewings with video for you, negotiation, and legal review, so the on-the-ground side is covered while you stay abroad.
Can you really buy property in Portugal without visiting?
Yes. There is no residency, visa, or citizenship requirement to own property in Portugal, and no rule requires you to be physically present at any stage once a valid power of attorney is in place. Owning a home is a separate matter from the right to live in Portugal, which needs its own visa or residence permit.
What “remote” means in practice is simple. Someone you authorise is physically present in Portugal to act for you, while you stay abroad. The buyer does not need to be anywhere in particular. The representative does.
What a power of attorney is, and the two types
A procuracao authorises one person, your representative (the procurador), to act for you (the principal) within limits you set. It does not transfer ownership. You remain the owner and the decision-maker, and the representative can only do what the document says.
General power of attorney
Broad authority across many matters. It is convenient, but it is wider than a single purchase needs and gives the holder more latitude than most buyers want.
Special (specific) power of attorney
Tied to one named purchase and the steps it involves. This is the safer choice for most buyers, because it limits the representative to the task in hand and tends to expire once the purchase completes. For a single purchase, a special power of attorney is usually the right call.
The detail most guides skip: the form the document must take
Under Portuguese law, a power of attorney must be granted in the same form the law requires for the act the representative will carry out. Buying real estate is a formal act, so the power of attorney has to be notarised, as a public or authenticated instrument. A printed template you sign at your kitchen table will not do.
In practice, a Portuguese lawyer drafts it in Portuguese with the specific powers spelled out, and you sign it in front of a notary or an equivalent official. This is the point that causes rejected documents and last-minute delays when buyers try to shortcut it.
How to make the power of attorney valid from abroad
There are two routine routes, and the right one depends on your country and how quickly you need it.
Route A: sign at home, then apostille
Sign the document before a notary in your own country, then have it apostilled. The apostille is a certificate under the 1961 Hague Convention that lets one country’s public documents be recognised in another without embassy legalisation. Portugal is a party, and most major countries are too, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
Route B: sign at a Portuguese consulate
A Portuguese consulate can draw up and witness the power of attorney directly. No apostille is needed, because it is already a Portuguese official act. The catch is availability. Consular notary appointments can be booked weeks out, so this route only saves time if a consulate near you has openings.
One rule applies to both routes. A document signed abroad only takes effect in Portugal after it is translated into Portuguese, and if your country is outside the Hague Convention it must be legalised through a Portuguese consulate rather than apostilled. Having the document drafted in Portuguese from the start avoids the translation step.
What powers to include, and what to leave out
A power of attorney for a remote purchase usually authorises the representative to:
- Obtain a NIF and deal with the tax office (Financas).
- Open and operate a Portuguese bank account for the purchase.
- Sign the promissory contract (CPCV) and pay the deposit.
- Sign the final deed (escritura) before the notary.
- Pay the purchase taxes (IMT and stamp duty) and the notary and registration fees.
- Register the property in your name at the Land Registry.
- Arrange utility connections.
If you are financing the purchase, add explicit authority to sign the mortgage deed and the related bank documents. A power of attorney that only covers the purchase will not let your representative take out a mortgage for you.
Build in three guardrails: name the specific property, set a maximum purchase price, and give the document an end date or tie it to completion of the purchase.
Can you sign the deed yourself over video from abroad?
This is the point people most often get wrong. The short answer is no, not from another country, and not as a reliable route today.
Portugal did introduce remote notarial acts by videoconference. Decree-Law 126/2021 created that regime as a temporary two-year measure from April 2022, and it applied only to acts carried out inside Portuguese territory. It was never a way for someone sitting in New York or London to sign a Portuguese deed by video from home.
So the dependable remote route is the one this guide describes: a power of attorney held by a representative who physically attends the notary in Portugal and signs for you. Treat any promise that you can personally sign the deed by video call from abroad with caution, and confirm the current position with your lawyer before you rely on it.
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Viewing and checking the property from abroad
Because you are not there in person, the eyes on the ground carry the weight.
- Video walkthroughs. A good agent visits each shortlisted property and records an unedited walk-through that shows the street, the building, the light, the noise, and the true condition, not just staged photos.
- Independent legal checks. Your lawyer runs due diligence on title, registration, debts, and licences before you commit any money.
- Local presence. A representative can attend the property, meet the seller’s side, and flag problems that a listing hides.
This is where working with a buyer-side agent rather than the seller’s contact matters most, because your representative’s only job is to protect your position.
How long a remote purchase takes
A straightforward purchase runs around six to ten weeks from an agreed offer to the signed deed. Remote purchases can run a little longer, because documents travel between countries and appointments for the notary, the consulate, and the apostille take time to book. Sorting the NIF, the bank account, and the power of attorney early keeps the timeline tight.
Costs that are specific to buying remotely
The taxes and fees on the purchase itself are the same whether you sign in person or by proxy. Buying remotely adds a few extra, document-related costs:
- Drafting the power of attorney, plus the notary, apostille, or consular fees. Usually a few hundred euros in total, depending on your country.
- A certified Portuguese translation of the power of attorney, where it is needed.
- Courier or shipping of the original documents between countries.
Everything else, meaning the purchase taxes, the notary, the registration, and the legal fees, follows the same schedule as an in-person purchase.
Risks, and how to protect yourself
- Keep the power specific and time-limited, so it cannot be used beyond the purchase.
- Give it to your own independent lawyer, never to someone connected to the seller or the selling agency.
- Check that your lawyer is registered with the Portuguese Bar Association (Ordem dos Advogados).
- Set a maximum price, so the representative cannot commit you beyond it.
- Revoke the power of attorney once the purchase completes. Sign a revocation before a notary, notify your representative in writing, and tell any bank or registry that relied on it. Until they are notified, the representative may still be able to act.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I buy a house in Portugal without visiting?
Yes. With a valid power of attorney, a representative signs for you and you never need to travel. Many buyers only visit after they have the keys.
Do I need to be present to sign the deed (escritura)?
No, if you have granted a valid power of attorney. Your representative attends the notary and signs on your behalf.
Can I sign the deed myself by video call from abroad?
Not reliably. Portugal trialled remote video deeds under a temporary law, but the acts had to be carried out inside Portugal, so it was never a route for signing from another country. Use a power of attorney instead.
Who should hold my power of attorney?
Your own independent Portuguese lawyer. Avoid granting it to anyone connected to the seller or the selling agency.
Does the power of attorney need to be in Portuguese?
It is usually drafted in Portuguese. If it is in another language, a certified Portuguese translation is generally required before it is accepted.
What is an apostille, and do I need one?
An apostille is a certificate that makes your country's public documents valid in Portugal without embassy legalisation, under the 1961 Hague Convention. You need it if you sign the power of attorney before a notary in a member country. If your country is not a member, you use consular legalisation instead.
How much does a power of attorney cost?
Usually a few hundred euros, covering the lawyer's drafting and the notary, apostille, or consular fees, plus translation where needed. Costs vary by country.
Can my representative also arrange my mortgage?
Only if the power of attorney gives explicit authority to sign the mortgage and bank documents. A power limited to the purchase does not cover financing.
Do I need a NIF and a bank account before buying remotely?
Yes. Both can be arranged from abroad through a representative, and both are needed to complete the purchase.
Should I revoke the power of attorney afterwards?
Yes. Once the purchase completes, revoke it before a notary and notify your representative and any institution that relied on it.
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Buying in Portugal from your home country
A remote purchase is very doable, but it depends on the people acting for you on the ground. Ola Estate works with buyers who are still abroad: searching the market, viewing each property in person and sending you video walkthroughs, negotiating on your behalf, and reviewing every contract with our lawyers before anyone signs.
