How Much Deposit Do You Need to Buy a House in Portugal? (2026)

Last updated: July 2026. "How much deposit do I need?" is really three different questions in Portugal, because three different payments get called a deposit: the small reservation fee that takes the property off the market, the sinal you pay at the CPCV, and the down payment your mortgage leaves you to cover. Buyers who confuse them either freeze too much cash too early or, worse, sign away a six-figure sinal before their financing is safe. This guide separates the three, puts numbers on each, and shows the full payment timeline on a worked example.

What this guide covers

1. The three "deposits", untangled
2. Deposit 1: the reservation fee
3. Deposit 2: the CPCV sinal
4. Deposit 3: the mortgage down payment
5. When each euro leaves your account
6. Worked example: a 300,000 EUR purchase
7. Protecting your money
8. When do you get a deposit back?
9. Moving the money: FX and proof of funds
10. Frequently asked questions
11. Sources

The three "deposits", untangled

Payment	Typical size	When	Refundable?
Reservation fee (reserva)	5,000 to 15,000 EUR	Offer accepted	Usually, during the due-diligence window, per the agreement's terms
Sinal (CPCV deposit)	Most commonly 10%, sometimes up to 20-30%	CPCV signature	No if you default; double back if the seller defaults
Down payment	30 to 40% of price for non-EU financed buyers	Balance at escritura	Not a fee at all: it is your equity

The sinal is not an extra cost on top of the down payment. It is the first slice of it: everything you paid at reservation and CPCV counts toward the price, and the balance is settled at the deed.

Deposit 1: the reservation fee

Once your offer is accepted, most agents will ask you to sign a short reservation agreement (acordo de reserva) and transfer 5,000 to 15,000 EUR to take the property off the market. This buys the window, typically 7 to 15 days, in which your lawyer runs due diligence: title at the land registry, tax records, condominio debt, habitation licence, seller authority.

Two things to check before transferring a euro: where the money sits (the agency's client account or the lawyer's escrow, never the seller's personal account) and the exact refund conditions in writing. A well-drafted reserva is refundable if due diligence turns up problems or if the parties fail to reach a CPCV within the window. A badly drafted one quietly becomes non-refundable the moment you sign.

Deposit 2: the CPCV sinal

The sinal is the real deposit, paid when both sides sign the CPCV, the binding promissory contract. Portuguese practice is anchored on 10 percent of the price. Sellers in hot micro-markets sometimes push for 20 or even 30 percent; developers on new builds set staged schedules of their own.

The sinal has teeth in both directions, straight from the Civil Code's default rules:

• If the buyer walks away without a contractual escape (a financing condition, a failed check, a missed seller obligation), the seller keeps the sinal.
• If the seller walks away, the buyer is entitled to double the sinal back.

That double-return rule is why a serious sinal actually protects you: a seller who gets a better offer next week has to pay real money to take it. It is also why the size of the sinal is a negotiation about risk, not a formality. A financed buyer should keep the sinal as low as the seller accepts, or make the CPCV's financing condition airtight, because the sinal is exactly what is on the table if the bank says no.

Deposit 3: the mortgage down payment

Portuguese banks lend non-EU buyers 60 to 70 percent of the lower of price or bank valuation; EU residents get 80 to 90 percent. The rest is your down payment. Two details foreign buyers regularly miss:

• The LTV applies to the bank's valuation, not your price. If you agreed 300,000 EUR and the valuer says 285,000, a 70 percent loan is 199,500, and your down payment just grew by 10,500. The CPCV's financing condition is your protection.
• Purchase costs are not financeable. IMT, stamp duty, notary, registration, and legal fees, roughly 7 to 9 percent all-in for a financed foreign buyer, come from your own funds on top of the down payment. The full breakdown is in our cost-to-buy guide.

Model your own numbers in the mortgage calculator before you offer, and get a written pre-approval (pré-aprovação): it fixes the LTV and amount a bank will actually give you, and sellers take your offer seriously.

When each euro leaves your account

1. Offer accepted, day 0: reservation fee, 5,000 to 15,000 EUR, into escrow or a client account.
2. Due diligence, days 0 to 15: no new money moves. Your lawyer works.
3. CPCV signature, weeks 2 to 4: the sinal, most commonly 10 percent, minus the reservation already paid.
4. Between CPCV and deed, 30 to 90 days: the bank completes valuation and issues the final loan approval. No money moves except mortgage-related fees (valuation, origination).
5. Escritura morning: IMT and stamp duty are paid at Finanças, then the balance of the price (your remaining down payment plus the bank's loan) moves at the deed. Keys.

Worked example: a 300,000 EUR purchase

Non-EU buyer, primary residence on the mainland, 70 percent mortgage, sinal agreed at 10 percent:

Item	Amount	When
Reservation fee	10,000 EUR	Day 0
Sinal at CPCV (10% minus reserva)	20,000 EUR	Week 3
Balance of down payment at deed (30% total minus sinal paid)	60,000 EUR	Escritura
Bank loan (70%)	210,000 EUR	Escritura, from the bank
IMT (primary-residence scale)	10,978 EUR	Escritura morning
Stamp duty (0.8%)	2,400 EUR	Escritura morning
Notary, registration, legal, mortgage fees	~6,000 to 10,000 EUR	Along the way

Own funds needed: roughly 110,000 to 115,000 EUR, of which 90,000 is equity in the house and the rest is taxes and fees. At 60 percent LTV, own funds rise to about 140,000 to 145,000 EUR. This is why the honest answer to "how much deposit do I need in Portugal" for a financed non-EU buyer is: plan 37 to 48 percent of the purchase price in available cash, depending on your loan-to-value, even though only 10 percent is ever called "the deposit".

Protecting your money

• Financing condition in the CPCV. The single most important clause for a financed buyer: if the bank declines or the valuation collapses the loan, you exit with the sinal back. Sellers resist it; your lawyer's job is to keep it in.
• Document-delivery obligations with deadlines. The seller must produce the habitation licence, energy certificate, condominio declarations, and clean title in time. Missed deadlines should give you exit rights, not just patience.
• Escrow discipline. Reservation money goes to a client account or your lawyer's escrow. The sinal moves only at CPCV signature, never before.
• Independent lawyer. Not the agent's lawyer, not the seller's. Around 1 percent of the price, or a flat 1,500 to 3,500 EUR, and it is the cheapest insurance in the whole transaction. A buyer-side CPCV review before signature is exactly what prevents the horror stories.

When do you get a deposit back?

• Reservation fee: back if due diligence fails or no CPCV is reached, per the written terms of the reserva. Read them before paying.
• Sinal, buyer protected: back (single) if a contractual condition fails, such as the financing condition or the seller failing a document obligation.
• Sinal, seller defaults: double back, by law and standard practice.
• Sinal, buyer defaults: gone. This is the scenario every clause above exists to prevent.

Moving the money: FX and proof of funds

Most foreign buyers fund the purchase from a non-euro account, and two practical points matter more than people expect:

• The FX spread is a real cost. On six-figure transfers, the difference between a bank's retail rate and a specialist FX provider commonly amounts to thousands of euros. Compare the all-in rate, not the advertised fee. Our Foreign Buyer Cost Index tracks FX spread as one of the real acquisition costs.
• Source-of-funds paperwork is not optional. Portuguese banks and notaries apply anti-money-laundering checks: expect to document where the money came from (sale of a property, savings, investments) both when opening the account and before the deed. Start gathering statements early; this is the paperwork that delays closings.

Plan the transfers so cleared euros sit in your Portuguese account a few days before the CPCV and again before the escritura. A deed postponed because an international transfer is stuck in compliance costs everyone patience, and sometimes penalty clauses.

Frequently asked questions

How much deposit do I need to buy a house in Portugal?

The deposit itself (the sinal) is most commonly 10 percent at the CPCV. The cash you need overall is bigger: a non-EU financed buyer should plan roughly 37 to 48 percent of the price, covering the down payment your mortgage does not reach plus 7 to 9 percent in taxes and fees.

What is the sinal?

The deposit paid at CPCV signature. Walk away without protection and it is gone; if the seller walks, they owe you double. It counts toward the price.

Is the reservation fee refundable?

Usually, during the due-diligence window, per the written terms. Insist on escrow or a client account and explicit refund conditions before transferring.

How big a mortgage can a foreigner get?

Non-EU buyers: 60 to 70 percent of the lower of price or valuation. EU residents: 80 to 90 percent. Pre-approval first, and keep a financing condition in the CPCV.

When is the balance paid?

At the escritura. IMT and stamp duty are paid that morning at Finanças, then the remaining down payment and the bank's funds move at the deed, and you get the keys.

Can I pay the deposit from abroad?

Yes, but route it through your Portuguese account, budget the FX spread on six-figure transfers, and prepare source-of-funds documentation early. Compliance delays on international transfers are a classic cause of postponed deeds.

Sources

1. Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira, Portal das Finanças, IMT and stamp duty tables.
2. Banco de Portugal, Statistics, housing credit rates and loan-to-value practice.
3. Diário da República, Civil Code sinal provisions and promissory-contract framework.
4. Ordem dos Advogados, Portuguese Bar Association directory for verifying your lawyer.
5. INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatística, residential price context.

This guide is published by the Portugal Property Invest editorial team and updated quarterly. Last update: July 2026. It is general information, not legal or tax advice. Engage a Portuguese lawyer and a cross-border tax advisor for your specific situation.