01
Real Estate Transactions
- Pre-acquisition screening & deal vetting
- Legal due diligence
- Purchase structuring
- CPCV & deed drafting
- Negotiation & closing
Real Estate & Corporate · Lisbon, Portugal
Cross-border deals in Portugal, end to end.
A Portuguese real estate and corporate lawyer for cross-border transactions. Structuring, due diligence, negotiation, closing — one principal, client-side only, no commissions from the asset.
Independence
Client-side only. No commissions — ever.
Structure
One principal, end to end. Single accountability.
Focus
Cross-border transactions, €1M–€30M.
Languages
Portuguese and English.
01 — About
Pedro Caçador FariaLisbon · 2026
A lawyer who reads deals like a principal — foreign capital coming into Portugal, Portuguese projects raising money abroad.
I advise domestic and international clients on property investments and corporate transactions in Portugal — asset and share deals, through every phase: due diligence, structuring, negotiation and closing, with a particular focus on cross-border deals.
Over the past years at a Lisbon boutique law firm I have worked on real estate and corporate transactions with an aggregate value exceeding €250M, regularly acting for UK, US and Canadian investors and institutional clients — residential and mixed-use developments, hospitality and tourism assets, construction contracts and bank financing packages. I also led the firm's desk dedicated to startups, VCs and founders.
Law degree from the University of Lisbon; Master's in Law & Business and a Postgraduate degree in Real Estate Law from Universidade Católica, with a dissertation on blockchain and land registry — a thread I'm pursuing as co-founder of Registar.AI, a legal-tech venture automating the workflow between notary offices and land registries in property registration.
Before law took over, I competed for five years on the national padel circuit. Different arena — same discipline.
02 — Services
Real estate and corporate, coordinated through one principal.
02
Cross-Border Structuring
- Portuguese SPV & holding design
- Inbound foreign capital
- Outbound capital raises
- Asset & share deals
- Post-closing handover
03
Corporate & Commercial
- Incorporation
- M&A
- Shareholder agreements
- Startup & venture transactions — investment rounds, SAFEs, ESOPs
- Day-to-day corporate matters
04
Lease & Asset Law
- Urban & rural lease law
- Retail & hospitality
- Tourism assets
- Residential portfolios
- Lease structuring
05
Tax & Residency
- Tax structuring
- IFICI / NHR 2.0
- Golden Visa structuring
- Residency coordination
- Via specialist partners
06
Litigation, Coordinated
- Real estate disputes
- Corporate disputes
- Inheritance & partition
- Via specialist partners
- One point of contact
03 — Why me
Most lawyers read the contract. I read the whole deal — and answer for it, from first call to closing.
01
Client-side. Always.
My only fee is my client's fee. No commissions from sellers, brokers or developers — the advice you get has no hidden economics.
02
One person, end to end.
Structuring, diligence, negotiation, closing. The client deals with me. One number, one person accountable — even for the parts I coordinate with specialists.
03
Aligned with intermediaries.
Strict no-poach: your client stays your client. Put in writing before any deal, and honoured across every future transaction with the same client.
04
Built on the deal side.
€250M+ in aggregate transaction value across residential, hospitality, tourism and corporate deals — negotiating construction contracts, financing packages and share deals, not just reviewing them.
Scope
The right call for €1M–€30M deals where the client wants one principal who picks up the phone, structures the deal, and closes. Not a full-service firm with twenty associates; not the right call for €100M institutional transactions where ten lawyers are needed in the room.
04 — Representative Experience
A selection of recent transactions.
Matters handled as part of the deal team at a Lisbon boutique law firm. Details anonymised for confidentiality.
Residential Development · Greater Lisbon
€101M residential development
Land acquisition, four buildings (~19,300 sqm GCA), negotiation of a €39M construction contract and a €50M bank financing, plus forward sales of all units. For a UK capital group.
Residential & Aparthotel
€68.7M development
€38M construction contract, horizontal property regime, and the contractual structure for the sale of 126 apartments and 47 commercial lofts, with bank financing.
Affordable Housing · Public Programme
€44M land acquisition & financing
Development and financing under a municipal affordable-housing programme — 90 units; acquisition structuring, planning, and a €14M loan facility with securities package.
Land Banking · Residential
€21M acquisition, 26 urban plots
Acquisition of 26 urban plots for residential development — title review, urban due diligence and transaction structuring.
Cross-Border Hospitality M&A
50% stake, hotel management company
Acquisition of a 50% stake in a hotel management company operating six properties across Lisbon, Comporta and Vila Nova de Gaia, for a US investor — full due diligence, structuring and transaction documents.
Confidentiality
Further matters available on request, under engagement.
Pedro Caçador Faria
Real Estate & Corporate Lawyer · Lisbon
Portuguese Bar Association · Cédula No. [TO ADD]
Admitted to the Portuguese Bar (Ordem dos Advogados). Real estate and corporate practice with a focus on cross-border transactions. LL.B. University of Lisbon; Master's in Law & Business and Postgraduate in Real Estate Law, Universidade Católica. Co-founder of Registar.AI. Working languages: Portuguese and English.
05 — Insights
Writing on Portuguese property and corporate law.
Necessidade de Comunicação Prévia para Junção de Frações Autónomas e Alteração da Utilização
Read the article →More writing on property structuring, due diligence and cross-border corporate practice — published regularly.
06 — Frequently Asked
Questions clients ask before the first call.
Can a foreigner buy property in Portugal?
Yes. Portugal places no nationality restrictions on the ownership of real estate. Non-resident buyers need a Portuguese tax number (NIF) and, in most cases, a Portuguese bank account; both can be arranged remotely with a power of attorney. The transaction process, from due diligence to deed signing, is identical for residents and non-residents.
Should I buy Portuguese property personally or through a company (share deal vs asset deal)?
Both routes are used. An asset deal is the straightforward purchase of the property itself and carries IMT and stamp duty on the price. A share deal — buying the company that owns the property — can defer or reduce transfer tax in specific scenarios, but inherits the company's full history and liabilities. The right structure depends on the buyer's tax residency, holding horizon and exit plan, and should be decided before any offer is signed.
What does legal due diligence on a Portuguese property cover?
Title and registry chain at the Conservatória do Registo Predial; matrix and tax status at the Finanças; urban-planning status (licences for construction, use and habitation); existing leases, encumbrances and mortgages; outstanding condominium and utility debts; and, for developments, the alvará and AUGI/PMOT framework. The goal is to confirm that what is being sold matches what is registered, what is taxed, and what can legally be used.
What is the CPCV (promissory contract) and why does it matter?
The CPCV (contrato-promessa de compra e venda) is the binding promissory contract signed before the deed. It fixes price, deposit, conditions precedent and timing, and triggers specific legal remedies if either side fails to close — including double-deposit return for the buyer or deposit forfeiture against the seller. Most negotiating leverage lives in the CPCV, not in the deed; the deed is mainly execution.
What taxes and costs apply when buying property in Portugal (IMT, stamp duty, IMI)?
On acquisition: IMT (transfer tax, progressive scale up to ~7.5% on residential, flat 6.5% on commercial), stamp duty (0.8% on the price), plus deed and registration fees. Annually: IMI (municipal property tax, 0.3%–0.45% of the VPT for urban property) and, above certain thresholds, AIMI. Exact rates depend on property type, use and value; the full cost stack should be modelled before signing the CPCV.
How does the Golden Visa work in 2026 — and what changed?
Since the 2023 reform, direct real estate investment no longer qualifies for the Portuguese Golden Visa. The current routes include qualifying investment funds, capital transfers, scientific research and job creation. The residency benefit remains attractive — five-year path to citizenship with minimal stay requirements — but property purchases are now decoupled from residency and must be structured on their own merits.
How long does a property transaction in Portugal take, start to finish?
For a clean residential transaction with a prepared buyer, six to ten weeks from offer to deed is realistic. Complex assets — development land, multi-fraction buildings, properties with planning or title issues — typically take three to six months. The two most common delays are bank financing on the buyer side and undisclosed registry or planning issues on the seller side, both of which are addressable upstream.
How do your fees work?
Transparent, agreed in writing after the discovery call, and paid by the client only. No commissions from sellers, brokers or developers — ever. Fees are scoped to the matter: fixed for well-defined transactions, hourly or capped for open-ended work, success-aligned where appropriate. The engagement letter sets out scope, fee, timing and what is outsourced (tax, litigation) through specialist partners.
07 — Contact
Start with a 30-minute call.
Discovery calls are 30 minutes, by video. I listen first, and end with a clear yes or no on whether I can help. If yes, a written summary the same day with the proposed next step.