Chapter II · Exemptions

Article 11 Exempt public entities

Artigo 11.º · Entidades públicas isentas

Código do Imposto Municipal sobre Imóveis · annex I to Decree-Law No. 287/2003 · consolidated text checked 26 October 2026

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1. The State, the Autonomous Regions and any of their departments, establishments and bodies, even if they have legal personality, including public institutes, as well as local authorities and their associations and federations of municipalities governed by public law, are exempt from municipal property tax.

1 - Estão isentos de imposto municipal sobre imóveis o Estado, as Regiões Autónomas e qualquer dos seus serviços, estabelecimentos e organismos, ainda que personalizados, compreendendo os institutos públicos, bem como as autarquias locais e as suas associações e federações de municípios de direito público.

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2. The following are not exempt:

2 - Não estão isentos:

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a) State departments, establishments and bodies of a business nature, except hospitals and health units constituted as public business entities, in respect of the immovable property in which healthcare is provided;

a) Os serviços, estabelecimentos e organismos do Estado que tenham caráter empresarial, exceto os hospitais e unidades de saúde constituídos em entidades públicas empresariais em relação aos imóveis nos quais sejam prestados cuidados de saúde;

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b) Unused public real estate, as defined in specific legislation.

b) O património imobiliário público sem utilização, nos termos definidos em diploma próprio.

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3. Unused public real estate, as defined in specific legislation, means the immovable property in the private domain of the State or of public institutes that is inactive, vacant or abandoned and has not been subject to any of the forms of administration provided for in Article 52(2) of Decree-Law No. 280/2007 of 7 August, nor included in a procedure to that end, for a period of not less than 3 consecutive years.

3 - Considera-se património imobiliário público sem utilização, nos termos definidos em diploma próprio, o conjunto de bens imóveis do domínio privado do Estado ou dos institutos públicos que se encontrem em inatividade, devolutos ou abandonados e não tenham sido objeto de qualquer uma das formas de administração previstas no artigo 52.º, n.º 2, do Decreto-Lei n.º 280/2007, de 7 de agosto, ou se encontrem integrados em procedimento tendente a esse efeito, por um período não inferior a 3 anos consecutivos.

What we checked in this article

Check the list of exempt public entities, the exclusions (business-type bodies other than public hospitals for healthcare premises, unused public real estate), the reference to Article 52(2) of Decree-Law No. 280/2007 and the 3-consecutive-year period.

Own property in Portugal? Article 11 sets the yearly bill.

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Unofficial English translation prepared by BCA Portugal for reference. Only the Portuguese text published in the Diário da República has legal force. Editorial notes are ours and are not part of the statute.

Applying the law

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IMI depends on the taxable value the tax office assigns and on the municipality; AIMI depends on who owns what. Send us the property records and we will check the valuation, the exemptions and the ownership structure.

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