Must-Have Certificates for Real Estate Transactions

Before buying or selling a property, you’ll want to obtain certain certificates related to the property and the other party. While some certificates will be required by the notary to transfer title, others are common for purposes of due diligence. No matter the reason, below are three certificates you won’t want to miss.

Certidão de Matrícula

The matrícula is a certificate that describes the property, including the address, size, and current and past owners. It can also reference rights under third-party agreements, as well as liens and other transfer restrictions on the property. Each property has just one matrícula. For properties built before 1973 or properties that were never registered in a matrícula, you can look for a transcrição instead.

Certidão de Dados Cadastrais

The Certidão de Dados Cadastrais is the certificate where you’ll see information about the property according to the municipality’s database. For example, it shows the appraised value (valor venal), the property tax number (IPTU), and the authorized size. While this certificate is generally not required for real estate transactions, it can help identify existing debts or irregularities with the property, as well as the amount of the property transfer tax (ITBI).

Certidão de Casamento

The Certidão de Casamento is the marriage certificate. While it may seem irrelevant for real estate transactions, notaries will require a copy because it shows a person’s marital property regime. For certain marital property regimes, the spouse of the buyer and the seller will also need to participate in the transaction.