Buying Property in the Algarve: How to Check an Estate Agent’s Licence

1,179 licensed estate agencies are registered in the Algarve. How to check an agent’s AMI licence in two minutes, with numbers per municipality.

5 min read · Updated 21 September 2026

In Portugal, only a company holding a licence from IMPIC, the public regulator for construction and real estate, may act as an estate agent. The licence has a number, the AMI, and by law (Lei n.º 15/2013) it has to appear in contracts, publications and advertising. Before you sign anything with an agent, look that number up.

How many licensed agencies there are

The public register listed 11,953 current licence holders in Portugal on 21 September 2026. 1,179 of them are registered in the district of Faro, which is the Algarve. Most sit where the market is busiest:

Counted by the registered address of each licence holder. An agency can work across the whole region, so treat this as where agencies are based, not where they sell.

How to check an agent in two minutes

1. Ask for the AMI number. It should be on the website, the advert and the business card.
2. Look it up in the IMPIC register, or search by town in Atlântico, which lists the same public register by district.
3. Check that the company name on the register matches the company on your contract.
4. If the number is missing or the names do not match, ask why before you continue.

A licence says the company is allowed to broker property. It says nothing about the quality of its service or the property itself, so a lawyer’s check of the title and the contract is still worth it. For the wider budget, see our cost of living guide.

Sources: Lei n.º 15/2013 of 8 February; IMPIC public register of AMI licence holders, read 21 September 2026. Figures change weekly.

Back to blogNewsletterNew guides, property listings and practical Algarve tips — in English and German.