What does informação prévia mean in Portugal?
Informação prévia is the council's answer, given before you apply, on whether a project is viable and under which legal conditions. A favourable answer binds the council's later decisions on the licence or notification.
- Rests on
- RJUE, art. 14.º, art. 17.º
- Law
- Decreto-Lei n.º 555/99 (RJUE), as republished by Decreto-Lei n.º 108/2026
- Version
- In force since 1 October 2026 (Decreto-Lei n.º 155-B/2026)
- Official text
- data.dre.pt/eli/dec-lei/108/2026/05/29/p/dre/pt/pdf
- Sources
- data.dre.pt/eli/dec-lei/108/2026/05/29/p/dre/pt/pdf
data.dre.pt/eli/dec-lei/155-b/2026/07/31/p/dre/pt/pdf
data.dre.pt/eli/declretif/29-a/2026/07/27/p/dre/pt/pdf - Checked
- 2026-11-05
What it means for the owner
- You can ask the council about viability, infrastructure, easements and restrictions, building indices, heights (cérceas) and distances (art. 14.º n.º 1).
- If the request includes the full set of items in art. 14.º n.º 2 a) to f), a favourable answer also exempts the operation from licence or notification, to be carried out exactly as assessed (art. 17.º n.º 2).
- Apply for the licence or file the notification within two years of the favourable decision (art. 17.º n.º 5).
- If the applicant is not the owner, the request must identify the owner and other rights holders, and the council notifies them (art. 14.º n.º 3 and n.º 4).
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