The NIP is a new project of that will allow properties in Portugal to be identified by a single identification number, the Property Identification Number. At the beginning it will apply only for rural properties but will be valid also for urban properties in the future.
Each property is currently identified through a property description number, from the Land Registry Office, and through the matrix article, from the Tax Authority. However, depending on the legal situation, the property can still be identified by additional numbers. Examples are leased properties, identification at the Directorate-General for the Territory or at the City Council.
This changes will facilitate the access by the competent authorities to essential information about the property, and accelerating the process at the moment of sell. These is great news for real estate agents.
What is the NIP (Número de Identificação do Prédio)?
The NIP is part of the BUPi - Balcão Único do Prédio, a project that began in 2017, after the numerous damages caused by forest fires. This is a sequential numerical identifier, assigned to each property, and is intended for processing and property information whenever the correspondence between the property description and the matrix registration of the Tax Authority is confirmed. The NIP is no more than the property description number, it can include one or more matrix items, and it associates, in addition to the georeferenced graphic representation, any other data or elements that allow a better characterization of the property.
This is a pilot project to reform the property registry in Portugal. Its objective is to identify properties through a unique NIP - Property Identification Number, and to allow the aggregation of all property information in a single system. This is an initiative that arises within the scope of BUPi - Balcão Único do Prédio, a digital platform that allows owners of rustic lands to update the registration of the properties they own. BUPi was launched in 2017, but only in 2021 it gained new strength with the arrival of funds from the PRR - Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Thanks to BUPi, 141 of the 153 municipalities identified by the Government as not having a register of rustic buildings, joined the project. 250,000 territorial identifications were carried out, according to Público Journal. As a result, about 44% of the territory of the adhering municipalities is fully mapped. The objective is that by 2023 the owners and limits of all properties in 90% of the territory of these municipalities will be known.
Start of NIP
The start of the project is scheduled for the second half of 2022, starting in a first phase with only rustic properties, and later moving on to urban properties. The NIP will start as a pilot project in the so-called AIGP - Áreas Integradas de Gestão da Paisagem, which are areas more vulnerable to the risk of fire. In 2023, it is planned to extend the NIP to other areas.
How NIP will work
The NIP will work as a single property record, as if it were the property's citizen card, and it will be possible to access in real time all information related to the property. Initially, it will focus in Proença-a-Nova, Figueiró dos Vinhos, Pedrógão Grande, Penela, Góis, and Sertã, municipalities in the Pinhal Interior area that joined the BUPi project shortly after the 2017 fires.
The idea is that the NIP starts to be launched in other regions of the country until it reaches the entire national territory. The success of this project depends on the initiative of the property owners, that said, that they register their rustic lands themselves.
Inform potential property owner
The introduction of the NIP, with the creation of a single property identification number, will facilitate the creation of an open and updated database in real time. This tool will help to improve land use planning and make decisions faster regarding public policies.
According to forecasts, it is expected that in 2025 there will be a significant number of properties with NIP. Once again, we reinforce that the success of this project depends on the registration of properties in BUPi by the owners. Inform your selling customers, owners of rustic properties. Beside showing you are a well-informed professional, helping sellers having rural properties properly registered will speed up the sales process. Differentiate yourself from competitors.
More About ListGlobally
Helping real estate agents to succeed as an international real estate agent is our business and we work closely with agents and their clients from every corner of the globe.
ListGlobally is the world’s largest network of property portals, but we are much more than that. We are a selling tool, we are a differentiator, and we offer the opportunity for you to be at the forefront of international real estate. If you would like more information, please submit a contact form and our team will be in touch with you to carry on the conversation.
