Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Except where prohibited by law, institutions may charge fees associated with banking products and services, if that possibility is provided for in the account agreement.

Fees relating to current accounts — for example, for account management and maintenance and related to the use of payment instruments — are freely set by each credit institution, within the limits and under the conditions established by law.

Charging fees to close current accounts of consumers (private customers) and micro-enterprises is prohibited. For other types of customer, fees for closing an account may only be charged if less than six months have elapsed since it was opened. These fees should be limited to the respective costs incurred.

Nonetheless, institutions must not charge:

• fees for photocopies of documents relating to the customer and for reissues of bank statements or other documents;
• fees for the change of ownership of current accounts in the case of:
  • divorce, legal separation, termination of partnership or death of one of the spouses;
  • removal of legal representatives by virtue of the represented having reached the age of majority;
  • inclusion or removal of holders of current accounts when one of the holders is a minor, under an adult guardianship measure or insolvent and the holders to be included or removed are their legal representatives;
  • removal of deceased holders;
  • change of representatives and other persons with powers to debit and credit current accounts held by condominium managers, private institutions of social solidarity or legal persons with public utility status.

Institutions are also required to comply with the following limits on the collection of fees:

• the fee for depositing coins must not exceed 2% of the amount deposited;
• the fee for issuing the certificate of inheritance due to the death of a current account holder must not exceed 10% of the Social Support Index (IAS), i.e. €53.71, according to the value of the IAS in 2026;
• fees for sending funds to electronic money accounts must not exceed the amount of fees due for transfers charged by the institution.

Institutions may also make charges corresponding to other costs borne by the institutions and payable to third parties. Institutions may pass on these charges to customers if they are related, for example, to taxes or payments to registry offices and notaries.

Credit institutions are required to publicise the maximum amount of fees and to indicate the main charges in their price lists, also available on this website (Services > Consult price lists).

The fees comparator of the Bank Customer Website can be used to compare the fees charged by the institutions relating to payment account services (Services > Fees comparator).

Credit institutions and other payment service providers must make available at any time and to any person a fee information document specifying the fees charged for a range of the most representative services.

In addition to this document, the institutions and other payment service providers must provide customers who are consumers, in January of each year, with a free statement of fees, listing all the fees paid on the payment account during the preceding calendar year.

In the case of other customers (namely enterprises), credit institutions should also send, in January of each year, a free receipted invoice, listing all the fees charged during the preceding calendar year for services associated with the current account.

The death of a deposit account holder must be communicated promptly to the credit institution where the account is held.

The heirs may have access to such account provided that they prove their status as heirs to the credit institution. The credit institution should inform them of the documents they must provide (for example, death certificates and certificates of inheritance).

Institutions are not allowed to charge fees exceeding 10% of the Social Support Index (IAS), i.e. €53.71 according to the value of the IAS in 2026, to issue a certificate of inheritance due to the death of a current account holder.

For the provision of basic bank accounts, credit institutions may not charge fees, expenses or other charges which, on a yearly basis and as a whole, account for more than 1% of the value of the social support index (IAS), i.e. €5.37 euros according to the value of IAS in 2026.

Customers can consult the information on the cost of basic bank accounts in the leaflet of fee and expenses of the credit institutions’ price list, also available on this website (Services > Consult price lists).

The State guarantee scheme applies to credit agreements for the purchase of own and permanent residence (excluding credit agreements for the construction or renovation of own and permanent residence and property financial leasing agreements).

These credit agreements must fulfil all of the following conditions:

• the purpose of the loan must be the purchase of the borrowers’ first own and permanent residence;
• the property's transaction value (i.e. the purchase price or, if lower, the appraisal value at the time the new agreement is entered into) cannot exceed €450,000.00; 
• the agreement must be secured by a mortgage;
• the agreement must be concluded by 31 December 2026.

If these conditions are met, the scheme also applies to credit agreements (i) where the credit is granted by an employer to their employees as a benefit linked to their employment, free of interest or with an annual percentage rate of charge (APRC) lower than those prevailing on the market and not offered to the general public; and (ii) concluded under the framework for granting subsidised housing credit for the disabled, approved by Law No 64/2014 of 26 August 2014.

Persons with a degree of incapacity equal to or greater than 60%, confirmed by medical certificate of multipurpose disability, provided that they are over the age of 18, can apply for a home loan under the subsidised housing credit scheme for persons with disabilities.

Loans granted under this scheme may have the following purposes:

• Acquisition, extension, construction or renovation of permanent housing (including the acquisition of an individual garage or parking space in a collective garage);

• Acquisition of land for the construction of property intended for permanent owner-occupied housing (including the construction of an individual garage);

• Renovation of common parts of buildings designed to comply with technical standards for accessibility to residential buildings.

Access to this scheme is still dependent on compliance with several requirements:

• The loan amount cannot exceed EUR 238,273.23 (in 2026, updated annually according to the consumer price index);

• The maximum term of the loan cannot exceed 50 years;

• The amount of the loan cannot exceed 90% of the appraisal value of the house, or the cost of ordinary, extraordinary or improvement works (loan-to-value);

• The loan cannot be used to purchase property owned by ascendants or descendants of the person concerned;

• No member of the household may hold another loan under a subsidised loan scheme;

• A mortgage on the financed property must be constituted, and it cannot be sold for a minimum period of five years.

However, the conclusion of contracts under this scheme always depends on the agreement of the credit institution.

Yes. If you have acquired a degree of disability equal to or greater than 60% after the conclusion of a home loan agreement, and the purpose of such agreement is to purchase, expand, construct, renovate a permanent residential property or purchase land for the construction of property for that purpose, the home loan is necessarily migrated to the subsidised credit scheme for people with disabilities.

In order to migrate to the subsidised credit scheme for people with disabilities, you must fulfil the other access conditions and submit an application to the credit institution to request the change.

The change from the general scheme to the subsidised credit scheme for disabled persons is only allowed up to a maximum amount of EUR 238,273.23 (in 2026, updated annually on the basis of the consumer price index) and provided that the ratio between the outstanding capital and the value of the property does not exceed 90% (loan-to-value ratio).

In addition, the term of the loan covered by this scheme will take into account the number of years elapsed from the previous loan and the sum of the terms of the two loans cannot be more than 50 years.

Yes. Except where prohibited by law, institutions may charge fees associated with banking products and services, if that possibility is provided for in the account agreement.

Fees relating to current accounts — for example, for account management and maintenance and related to the use of payment instruments — are freely set by each credit institution, within the limits and under the conditions established by law.

Charging fees to close current accounts of consumers (private customers) and micro-enterprises is prohibited. For other types of customer, fees for closing an account may only be charged if less than six months have elapsed since it was opened. These fees should be limited to the respective costs incurred.

Nonetheless, institutions must not charge:

• fees for photocopies of documents relating to the customer and for reissues of bank statements or other documents;
• fees for the change of ownership of current accounts in the case of:
  • divorce, legal separation, termination of partnership or death of one of the spouses;
  • removal of legal representatives by virtue of the represented having reached the age of majority;
  • inclusion or removal of holders of current accounts when one of the holders is a minor, under an adult guardianship measure or insolvent and the holders to be included or removed are their legal representatives;
  • removal of deceased holders;
  • change of representatives and other persons with powers to debit and credit current accounts held by condominium managers, private institutions of social solidarity or legal persons with public utility status.

Institutions are also required to comply with the following limits on the collection of fees:

• the fee for depositing coins must not exceed 2% of the amount deposited;
• the fee for issuing the certificate of inheritance due to the death of a current account holder must not exceed 10% of the Social Support Index (IAS), i.e. €53.71, according to the value of the IAS in 2026;
• fees for sending funds to electronic money accounts must not exceed the amount of fees due for transfers charged by the institution.

Institutions may also make charges corresponding to other costs borne by the institutions and payable to third parties. Institutions may pass on these charges to customers if they are related, for example, to taxes or payments to registry offices and notaries.

Credit institutions are required to publicise the maximum amount of fees and to indicate the main charges in their price lists, also available on this website (Services > Consult price lists).

The fees comparator of the Bank Customer Website can be used to compare the fees charged by the institutions relating to payment account services (Services > Fees comparator).

Credit institutions and other payment service providers must make available at any time and to any person a fee information document specifying the fees charged for a range of the most representative services.

In addition to this document, the institutions and other payment service providers must provide customers who are consumers, in January of each year, with a free statement of fees, listing all the fees paid on the payment account during the preceding calendar year.

In the case of other customers (namely enterprises), credit institutions should also send, in January of each year, a free receipted invoice, listing all the fees charged during the preceding calendar year for services associated with the current account.

The death of a deposit account holder must be communicated promptly to the credit institution where the account is held.

The heirs may have access to such account provided that they prove their status as heirs to the credit institution. The credit institution should inform them of the documents they must provide (for example, death certificates and certificates of inheritance).

Institutions are not allowed to charge fees exceeding 10% of the Social Support Index (IAS), i.e. €53.71 according to the value of the IAS in 2026, to issue a certificate of inheritance due to the death of a current account holder.

For the provision of basic bank accounts, credit institutions may not charge fees, expenses or other charges which, on a yearly basis and as a whole, account for more than 1% of the value of the social support index (IAS), i.e. €5.37 euros according to the value of IAS in 2026.

Customers can consult the information on the cost of basic bank accounts in the leaflet of fee and expenses of the credit institutions’ price list, also available on this website (Services > Consult price lists).

The State guarantee scheme applies to credit agreements for the purchase of own and permanent residence (excluding credit agreements for the construction or renovation of own and permanent residence and property financial leasing agreements).

These credit agreements must fulfil all of the following conditions:

• the purpose of the loan must be the purchase of the borrowers’ first own and permanent residence;
• the property's transaction value (i.e. the purchase price or, if lower, the appraisal value at the time the new agreement is entered into) cannot exceed €450,000.00; 
• the agreement must be secured by a mortgage;
• the agreement must be concluded by 31 December 2026.

If these conditions are met, the scheme also applies to credit agreements (i) where the credit is granted by an employer to their employees as a benefit linked to their employment, free of interest or with an annual percentage rate of charge (APRC) lower than those prevailing on the market and not offered to the general public; and (ii) concluded under the framework for granting subsidised housing credit for the disabled, approved by Law No 64/2014 of 26 August 2014.

Persons with a degree of incapacity equal to or greater than 60%, confirmed by medical certificate of multipurpose disability, provided that they are over the age of 18, can apply for a home loan under the subsidised housing credit scheme for persons with disabilities.

Loans granted under this scheme may have the following purposes:

• Acquisition, extension, construction or renovation of permanent housing (including the acquisition of an individual garage or parking space in a collective garage);

• Acquisition of land for the construction of property intended for permanent owner-occupied housing (including the construction of an individual garage);

• Renovation of common parts of buildings designed to comply with technical standards for accessibility to residential buildings.

Access to this scheme is still dependent on compliance with several requirements:

• The loan amount cannot exceed EUR 238,273.23 (in 2026, updated annually according to the consumer price index);

• The maximum term of the loan cannot exceed 50 years;

• The amount of the loan cannot exceed 90% of the appraisal value of the house, or the cost of ordinary, extraordinary or improvement works (loan-to-value);

• The loan cannot be used to purchase property owned by ascendants or descendants of the person concerned;

• No member of the household may hold another loan under a subsidised loan scheme;

• A mortgage on the financed property must be constituted, and it cannot be sold for a minimum period of five years.

However, the conclusion of contracts under this scheme always depends on the agreement of the credit institution.

Yes. If you have acquired a degree of disability equal to or greater than 60% after the conclusion of a home loan agreement, and the purpose of such agreement is to purchase, expand, construct, renovate a permanent residential property or purchase land for the construction of property for that purpose, the home loan is necessarily migrated to the subsidised credit scheme for people with disabilities.

In order to migrate to the subsidised credit scheme for people with disabilities, you must fulfil the other access conditions and submit an application to the credit institution to request the change.

The change from the general scheme to the subsidised credit scheme for disabled persons is only allowed up to a maximum amount of EUR 238,273.23 (in 2026, updated annually on the basis of the consumer price index) and provided that the ratio between the outstanding capital and the value of the property does not exceed 90% (loan-to-value ratio).

In addition, the term of the loan covered by this scheme will take into account the number of years elapsed from the previous loan and the sum of the terms of the two loans cannot be more than 50 years.