alvará
Published 30 October 2026, 20:39
alvará (the former permit document; also the name for a building firm's licence to work)
An alvará used to be the actual permit document for building work and for occupying a building. It was abolished on 3 August 2026: the law states plainly that every reference to an alvará now means the “título” of the operation, that is, the completed application, the notification of the decision and the receipt for the fees paid. The word survives in another sense: a building firm's alvará is its licence to operate, graded into classes according to the value of the work.
Where you come across it. Old articles and advice about building work, a conversation with a contractor about whether the firm is licensed.
If someone promises today to “bring the alvará to the building site”, ask what exactly they will bring: that document is no longer issued.
Official website: diariodarepublica.pt/dr/legislacao-consolidada/decreto-lei/1999-34567875