At the beginning of 2025, foreigners purchased 2,098 homes in Portugal, representing approximately 5.1% of the total number of transactions. This is "the lowest percentage since the second quarter of 2021," according to the National Statistics Institute (INE). This reduction is explained by the end of golden visas, as well as the end of the regime for non-habitual residents and its replacement by a more restrictive one.

However, the most recent data from idealista reveals that demand for homes for sale in Portugal from abroad remained significant in several areas of the country in the second quarter of 2025. Madeira Island (42%), Faro (36%), São Miguel Island (34%), and Viana do Castelo (30%) were the Portuguese districts and islands with the most visits to listings for homes for sale from a foreign country during this period.

Lisbon, Évora, Setúbal, and Porto appear at the bottom of the list, with international visits to homes for sale representing less than 15% of the total demand in each district, according to the same data. Here, the search for housing is primarily conducted from Portugal.

Where are foreign buyers from?

This analysis of the real estate market also reveals which countries these visits to homes for sale originate from in each region. The top spots are occupied by European countries such as France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, and Spain. In addition, demand from the USA also stands out, ranking in the top three in several parts of the country.

France is the country with the highest share of international visits to homes, driven by foreign interest in buying homes in eight national districts: Viana do Castelo, Bragança, Vila Real, Guarda, Leiria, Braga, Aveiro, and Porto. The United Kingdom also ranks first in six territories: Faro, Castelo Branco, Beja, Santarém, Setúbal, and Évora.

On Madeira Island, the territory with the highest demand for homes for sale from abroad, visitors come from Germany (18%), the United Kingdom (17%), and the United States (10%). In Faro, the countries with the greatest influence on foreign demand are the United Kingdom (17%), France (12%), and Germany (12%), according to the same data. On São Miguel Island, the United States stands out with the highest percentage of visits to homes for sale (34%), followed by Canada (25%) and Germany (9%).

The greatest curiosity or desire to buy a home in Lisbon comes from those searching from the United States (14%), followed by the United Kingdom (13%) and Spain (8%). In Porto, international visitors originate primarily from France (15%), the United States (12%), and Brazil (9%).