What Portugal searched for on 28 October 2026

Most searched in the 24 hours to 03:20: conta bancária (20K+), veículo elétrico (10K+), terremoto (10K+), brasileiros (2K+), aviação militar (2K+), crise (2K+).

• conta bancária20K+ searches
  Published 31 October 2026, 13:11

  The magazine SÁBADO, followed by other outlets, reports that banks in Portugal are closing the accounts of customers who have no debts and have made no suspicious transfers, without explaining why. The customer receives a letter saying the account will be closed in two months, and in that time they must withdraw their money and move their salary and direct debits to another bank. The practice is known as debanking. The consumer protection association DECO has received about a dozen complaints, most of them about Santander and Millennium bcp.

  A bank has the right to decide for itself whom it does business with, as long as it doesn't break the law or discriminate against anyone, and it is not always obliged to give a reason. Common grounds include out-of-date personal details on the bank's records, debts to the tax office or Segurança Social (social security), transfers the bank considered suspicious, and anti-money-laundering checks. One couple, SÁBADO writes, were told unofficially that the problem was out-of-date details and that the bank had listed one of them as a "politically exposed person". So when your bank asks you to bring in a new residence permit or passport or to confirm your address, it is best not to put it off.

  If you receive such a letter, closing the account does not by itself mean your mortgage moves to another bank: according to Banco de Portugal (the central bank), the bank must let you pay it from another account, whether with the same bank or a different one. But you may lose the interest-rate discount you were given for having your salary paid into this account and holding its card — check your contract. You can complain in the bank's Livro de Reclamações (complaints book) or directly to Banco de Portugal. You can't be left without any account at all: every bank is obliged to open a conta de serviços mínimos bancários — a cheap basic account. For step-by-step instructions, see the guide What to do if your bank closes your account in Portugal.

  Source: sabado.pt

  

• veículo elétrico10K+ searches
  Published 31 October 2026, 13:11

  On 28 October the environment minister, Maria da Graça Carvalho, announced in parliament that for the first time the state will help low-income families buy an electric car, covering up to 80% of the price, for 20,000 cars in total. The minister did not say how families will prove they are eligible, whether there will be a cap on the car's price or when applications will open. Jornal de Notícias reports that the support will be up to €16,000 per car.

  The standard scheme open to everyone will also continue, "under rules similar to the previous ones", with about €50 million in funding — five times as much as last time (€10 million). In the last round, individuals could receive up to €4,000 for a new fully electric car costing no more than €38,500 (or up to €55,000 for cars with more than five seats). Details are in our article.

  Applications for this support are approved in the order they are submitted, and the round closes as soon as the money runs out: last time it was open from 11 June to 27 July. The guide State money towards an electric car explains how the payments work and what to submit.

  

• brasileiros2K+ searches
  Published 31 October 2026, 13:11

  The Brazilian newspaper O Globo reports that 21 Brazilians paid a total of about €30,000 to a woman who claimed to be a lawyer and an AIMA employee, in return for AIMA appointments for residence permits. Their appointments to give fingerprints and have their photos taken were supposedly booked at a Cape Verdean community association in Sines, but nobody there was expecting them. Two of the victims, tired of waiting for a residence permit, have already returned to Brazil; the rest have gone to the police.

  How to avoid being caught out: AIMA appointments are booked by the agency itself — by letter or through its own portal — and fees are paid using the payment details AIMA sends you, not in cash to an individual. You can look up a lawyer by surname using the Ordem dos Advogados search on the website of Portugal's bar association. Since 3 June 2024, people who arrive as tourists without a visa can, as a general rule, no longer get a residence permit: the old route via manifestação de interesse has been closed. Anyone who offers to "book a tourist into AIMA" for money is most likely a fraudster. Other scams are covered in the guide How to spot fraud in Portugal.

  The word "brasileiros" is also being searched for at the moment because of the elections in Brazil, but Google Trends linked the spike primarily to this story.

  Source: oglobo.globo.com

  

• terremoto10K+ searches
  Published 31 October 2026, 13:11

  On the evening of 27 October a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded on the island of Terceira in the Azores and was felt in Angra do Heroísmo; the Azores have been experiencing tremors since 20 October.

  Source: ipma.pt

• aviação militar2K+ searches
  Published 31 October 2026, 13:11

  The first of four Black Hawk helicopters for the Portuguese army has arrived in Tancos; the other three are due by early 2028.

  Source: cnnportugal.iol.pt

• crise2K+ searches
  Published 31 October 2026, 13:11

  Economists expect the European Central Bank to leave rates unchanged in October and raise them in December, and warn of the risk of a debt crisis in the eurozone; Euribor and variable-rate mortgage repayments depend on ECB rates.

  Source: observador.pt

• super bola de ouro2K+ searches
  Published 31 October 2026, 13:11

  France Football readers have voted for the greatest Ballon d'Or in history: Cristiano Ronaldo's first, won in 2008 with Manchester United, beat Messi's 2012 award; third place went to Ronaldo's 2017 award.

  Source: 24noticias.sapo.pt

• senhorio1K+ searches
  Published 31 October 2026, 13:11

  The owner of a house in Lisbon who rented it to the Israeli embassy for €10,000 a month has taken the embassy to court, seeking compensation for damage and payment for the late return of the house.

  Source: cnnportugal.iol.pt