Checking the code on this page
The checker above asks Predial Online, the Land Registry website, whether the code is active. It is the same validation the official website runs, with two extras: it accepts the code in lower case, with spaces or without hyphens, and it tells you if the code belongs to another service.
- Valid code: the certificate is active. You open it on the official website with the code already filled in.
- Expired code: the certificate is no longer accessible and a new one has to be ordered.
- Unknown code: the code is mistyped, or the registry office has not made the certificate available yet.
The certificate itself is always shown by the Land Registry. We keep neither the code nor the content of the certificate.
Viewing it directly on the official website
- Open the certificate consultation page on Predial Online, the Land Registry website. The page is in Portuguese: the field is labelled "Código da Certidão a Pesquisar".
- Type the access code exactly as you received it and confirm ("Validar Código").
- Open the description shown on screen to see the entries in force.
Viewing is free and can be repeated as often as needed while the code is active. No account or login is required.
How to type the access code
The official website only accepts the code if it is typed exactly as issued:
- letters in capitals;
- hyphens in the right places;
- no spaces before or after the code.
When you copy and paste the code from an e-mail, an extra space often comes along at the end, and that is enough for the code to be rejected. If you get an error, delete the trailing space or type the code by hand.
What you see
- Descrição genérica (general description): shown on every certificate. For a house or a plot of land it is the only one. For a building divided into units, it is the information on the whole building, common to all units.
- Descrição subordinada (unit description): shown when the certificate is for a flat, a shop or another unit, with the entries that concern only that unit.
- Fração temporal: shown for time-share rights.
Each one lists the owners, mortgages, seizures and other entries in force. The guide on what the certidão permanente predial is explains how to read them.
Who can view it
Any person or organisation you give the code to. That is how the certificate is used: instead of handing over paper, you give the code to the notary, the bank, the lawyer or the buyer, and each of them views the up-to-date version. The online view is valid proof for all legal purposes. A printout is not.
The code does not work
- It is mistyped. Check the capitals, hyphens and spaces, as explained above.
- The certificate is not available yet. After the request, the registry office can take up to 2 working days to make it available.
- The code has expired. A permanent certificate is valid for 6 months. Codes issued free of charge at the end of a registration are valid for 3 months. An expired code is deactivated and cannot be reactivated: you need to order a new certificate. See the guide on validity and renewal.
- It is a code for another service. The code for the simplified land registry information is entered in its own area of the same website, and can also be checked on this page. A company's certidão permanente has a 12-digit code, belongs to the commercial registry and is viewed on a different portal.
You do not have an access code
The code is e-mailed to whoever ordered the certificate. If the seller, the estate agent or the bank told you about the certificate, ask them for the code: you can view it at no cost.
If nobody gives you the code, order your own. Anyone can order the certificate of any property, without the owner's permission:
- Permanent land registry certificate (€39): legally valid, for deeds, banks and courts.
- Simplified land registry information (€19): to check who the owner is and whether there are mortgages or seizures.
We e-mail you the code with a direct link to view it.