An eviction process in Portugal can cost between 150€ and more than 3,000€ depending on the route you choose, the complexity of the case and whether you need a lawyer. This guide breaks down all the real costs so you can plan ahead, whether you live in Portugal or manage your property from abroad.
1. Cost of the registered letter (the mandatory first step)
Before any eviction process, you must send one or more registered letters with acknowledgment of receipt (in Portuguese, "carta registada com aviso de receção", or AR) to the tenant. This is the mandatory legal step that many landlords skip, and skipping it invalidates everything that comes after.
Registered letter with AR, at a CTT branch
In person at a branch of CTT, the Portuguese postal service. Includes postage + AR.
Registered letter with AR, online
Generated and sent through CTT without leaving home. Includes drafting the letter.
For a non-payment case, you typically need 2 to 3 letters (formal demand, termination, pre-action). Total cost: 10–30€.
Start with the mandatory step: the registered letter
A letter generated with your details, in Portuguese, and sent through CTT with acknowledgment of receipt. 14.99€ and done in 5 minutes, with no queues and no trips to the post office.
Send a registered letter, 14.99€2. Costs of the BAS process
The BAS (Balcão do Arrendatário e do Senhorio, Portugal's landlord and tenant desk) is the administrative eviction route, also known as the special eviction procedure ("procedimento especial de despejo"). It is faster and cheaper than court, especially when the tenant does not contest.
BAS filing fee
Fee paid to the State to open the process.
Notification of the tenant by the BAS
Cost of the official notification of the tenant by the court.
Solicitador (optional but recommended)
A Portuguese legal agent who prepares and files the BAS form correctly.
Lawyer (if the tenant contests)
If the tenant files an opposition, the case moves to court and requires a lawyer.
3. Costs of a court action
If the BAS is not enough or the case is complex, the process goes to court. Costs rise significantly:
Court fee ("taxa de justiça")
Depends on the value of the claim (rent arrears + future months).
Lawyer fees
Mandatory for a court action. The amount varies with complexity.
4. BAS vs. court, which one to choose?
BAS, the landlord and tenant desk Recommended
Court action
5. The cost nobody mentions: the lost rent
Beyond fees and lawyers, the real cost of an eviction includes the rent you do not receive while the process runs. With a 4-month BAS process and a rent of 700€, you are looking at 2,800€ in lost rent, not counting what was already in arrears.
That is why acting early is essential. The sooner you send the registered demand letter, the sooner the legal clock starts running, and the smaller your total loss.
6. How to keep costs down
- Act early. At the first sign of non-payment, send the registered letter. Do not wait 3 or 4 months.
- Document everything. Keep every proof of posting, every AR, bank statements, all communications with the tenant.
- Use the BAS. In straightforward non-payment cases, the BAS is far cheaper than court.
- Try to negotiate. Sometimes a voluntary move-out agreement (with or without compensation) is faster and cheaper than any legal process.
Handle the rent arrears online
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