“As there is also a new international airport underway, located 30km north of Lisboa at Ota, and there are plans for further golf developments in the area, interest from foreign buyers can only continue.”

It seems the government have now scrapped plans to build the airport at Ota and it will now be sited at Alcochete instead. Alcochete is situated just over the river from Lisboa, not too far from the Vasco da Gama bridge and north of Montijo. If you have google earth you can find it on there.

Here is an article in the newspaper, Público, which confirms this:

http://ultimahora.publico.clix.pt/noticia.aspx?id=1328024&idCanal=63

In brief… in English…

The Minister of Public Works has said that the final environmental report is favourable to the construction of the airport going ahead at Alcochete.

It is now subject to the approval of the Council of Ministers.

After that… the next stage will be an elaboration of the study of the environmental impact, which will be sent to the European Commission, in order to find out if the infrastructure conforms to EU legal rulings.

http://www.cgd.pt/english/Pages/English.aspx

According to the SEF (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras), the Service of Foreigners and Borders, EU citizens do not have to take out residency unless they wish to take advantage of such things as, the health system, to vote in local elections and to import a car for free from another EU country.

I recently got an update from the SEF about the residency issue and was advised that it is now compulsory for any EU citizen to register with them (or the local câmara, if they are running the new system) after being in Portugal 90 days and within 30 days. The cost of the certificate and the 10 year card, which follows the 5 year certificate, is 7 Euros.

The old rules Portugal had in place ran contrary to the free movement of EU citizens and, therefore, many people did not bother to take out residency. As the new system falls in line with EU directive 2004/38/EC it is probably advisable to obtain a certificate, if you spend more than 90 days in Portugal.

You can download the relevant application form here:

http://www.sef.pt/portal/v10/PT/aspx/apoioCliente/index.aspx#0

Go to Impressos On-line and click on the one entitled: Cartão de Residência (Pedidos/Renovação/Alteração de Dados/2ª Via) UE/EEE/Suiça e Familiares. There is a choice of Portuguese or English. However, many of the câmaras are not using this SEF form and are instead entering your details straight onto their computer systems. Enquire at your local câmara municipal in the first instance and then they will either register you or re-direct you to the nearest SEF office.

See the rest of the chapter for more information on this topic.

South: http://www.ccdr-alg.pt/ccdr/index.php

Click on Mapa do Site at the top and then on Horários de Atendimento at the bottom of the list.

This site has been revamped, so whilst you can still click on the above link and enter the site, you now only need to click on Contactos at the top for details of the Algarve offices of the Ministério do Ambiente, do Ordenamento do Território e do Desenvolvimento Regional.

Alternatively, just click here: http://www.ccdr-alg.pt/ccdr/index.php?module=PostContact

On Page 106 I wrote:

Lisboa & Tagus Valley: http://www.ccdr-lvt.pt

Click on Entrar and then on Contactos on the far right hand side.

You no longer need to Entrar, as you go straight to the home page. At the bottom of the home page, go to the left hand corner and click on Contactos for the Lisboa/Tagus Valley offices of the Ministério do Ambiente, do Ordenamento do Território e do Desenvolvimento Regional.

Alternatively, just click here: http://www.ccdr-lvt.pt/138/contactos.htm

Under this new legislation, the buyer will know from the start the exact costs involved in registering a property, which up until now has been something difficult to find out with any great certainty. There will be a fixed and single price for all property transactions presented in a list showing the various items that have to be paid to the different bodies.

There will also be the elimination of the obligatory public deed and you will now be able to use any of the 337 Conservatórias de Registo Predial in Portugal to carry out the acts of buying and selling, not just your local one.

http://www.casapronta.pt

It will allow people to do everything related to buying and selling at a single counter in the Conservatórias do Registo Predial, for example, the payment of the taxes, the contracts for buying and selling, IMI exemption requests and all the necessary registrations. It is hoped that this will reduce costs and simplify the bureaucracy.

The website layout has recently slightly changed and in order to access information you now need to click on Mediação on the left hand side and then Consulta. Continue as per the last paragraph on the book page.

Alternatively, just click here: http://www.inci.pt/Portugues/Mediacao/Paginas/LicencaMediacao.aspx

On page 53 there is a very small change. In the section on “Checking Out UK Agents.” I wrote:

“Go to http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk and click on “Find Company Information” on the right hand side and then on “Access Webcheck.” Enter the name of the company and click on “Search.”

It is now called “Search Company Information with our WebCheck service” on the right hand side and from here you go straight to the search page.

Alternatively, just go here:

http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/5fb2b83a495bb4d3c31115a416b54174/wcfra…

Properties, which are this year still within the 3 or 6 year exemption period, having been re-valued since January 2004 markedly lower than 236.000 Euros, will see their IMI exemption period automatically extended.

According to the paper approved by the government, properties with a valor patrimonial tributário of up to 157.500 Euros, which have been given a 6 year exemption, will see an automatic extension of 2 more years. Properties whose valor patrimonial tributário varies between 157.500 and 236.250 Euros will see the exemption extend by 3 to 4 years.

Its aim is to solve problems in a short space of time i.e. ten weeks.

It is up to each member state to direct their centre and for its part the European Commission manages the database and whenever necessary lends assistance, in order to speed up a resolution to the problems presented. The European Commission also dispatches the complaint forms it receives to SOLVIT, if it feels that there is a good chance that the problems can be solved without resorting to legal action.

You can visit the SOLVIT website here:

http://ec.europa.eu/solvit/

This new by-law defines three kinds of accommodation, which had already been defined under artigo (article) 3 of the previous law:

1. A villa (detached for habitation purpose)

2. An apartment (autonomous fraction in a building)

3. An accommodation establishment (composed of several rooms e.g. a guest house)

The following things are now required:

1. A valid licença de habitação (habitation licence) issued by the local câmara municipal (municipal council);

2. A written request to the câmara municipal’s president according to the format published in the by-law;

3. Proof of legal ownership of the property i.e. escritura/certidão de registo predial (deed/land registry certificate);

4. A declaration of responsibility from a technician in relation to the electricity and gas installations;

5. Plans of the property as filed at the câmara municipal ;

6. Cadernetas (property tax documents) issued from the serviço das finanças (tax office).

A stamped document showing that the relevant department in the câmara municipal has received the application will be sufficient to proceed with renting the property.

It will be up to the câmara municipal as to whether they actually physically verify the requirements above and they have 60 days after the application has been made within which to do it.

If the câmara municipal does decide to verify the requirements and finds anything amiss they will then inform the Autoridade de Segurança Alimentar e Económica (ASAE), who will investigate and initiate the process, if there has been a breach of the law and an offence committed.

The by-law also divides accommodation into two further categories according to their capacity:

1. Less than 50 people

2. 50 or more people

Under number 2 there is an obligation to have a security project against fire hazards.

The rental property may be identified outside by a sign with the letters “AL.” This sign will be supplied by the câmara municipal according to the provisions of the by-Law. A livro de reclamações (complaints book) will also be compulsory.