What does licença mean in Portugal?
A licença is the municipal permit for building, altering or extending when the work is not covered by a prior notification. The council's approval, or its silence past the legal deadline, is the permission to build.
- Rests on
- RJUE, art. 4.º n.º 1 a) and n.º 2, art. 26.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
- The câmara municipal (town council) decides on the licence (art. 5.º n.º 1).
- Works on listed buildings or in the protection zones of listed buildings need a licence in general (art. 4.º n.º 2 d)).
- The licence is evidenced by the receipt for the fees and charges, the last completed application and either the approval notice or proof of submission if approval is tacit (art. 4.º-A n.º 2).
- Work on a licensed operation may start only after the fees are paid and the execution documents are delivered (art. 80.º n.º 1).
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