How to Read the IMPIC Lookup Result: A Field-by-Field Guide

The IMPIC website at impic.pt lets anyone check the qualification of a Portuguese construction company for free. The problem is that the results page is technical, with sector-specific terminology, and most property owners look at it without being able to interpret half of what is shown. This guide breaks down each field of the result, explains what it means, and points out the warning signs worth looking for.

What appears when you run the lookup

After you enter the NIF or the company name, IMPIC returns a record with several blocks of information. The exact layout changes over time (the site is updated periodically), but in broad terms what you find is this:

• Company identification: NIF, registered name, head office.
• Qualification title: number, type (alvará or certificate), issue date, validity.
• Status: active, suspended, expired, revoked, cancelled, among others.
• Class or value limit: maximum authorized project capacity.
• Categories and subcategories: types of work allowed.
• Technical director: name of the technical lead, not always visible on the public lookup.

Let's go through each of these fields and understand what they say, and more importantly, what they don't.

Identification: NIF and registered name

The NIF (tax identification number) is the company's unique key. This is how you make sure the lookup actually corresponds to the company you intend, not another with a similar name. Be careful with similar names, especially in groups with multiple related companies. "X Construções Lda", "X Construções Unipessoal Lda", and "X Construção Civil Lda" can have completely different qualifications. Always confirm by NIF.

The registered name is the company's legal name. It may not match the trade name the company uses in the market. This is not necessarily a problem, but if the divergence is large, it is worth asking for clarification.

Title type: alvará or certificate

The lookup tells you whether the company holds an alvará, a certificate, or another type of qualification title. The distinction matters because it defines the scope of what the company can contract:

• Alvará: main contractor, projects of meaningful value, with classes 1 to 9.
• Certificate: smaller works, specialised trades, or subcontracting.

If you are hiring for a project of some value and the lookup returns "certificate", that is an early signal to investigate. It does not mean the company is problematic, but it can mean it is not authorized for the type of project you have in hand. For a deeper dive, see the difference between alvará and certificate.

Status: the most important field

The status of the title is, without a doubt, the first thing to look at. The most common statuses are:

• Active: the company is qualified to perform works within the title's scope. This is the normal state.
• Suspended: IMPIC has temporarily suspended the qualification, usually due to irregularities such as missing mandatory insurance, tax debts, or administrative non-compliance. The company cannot legally perform works while the suspension is in force.
• Expired: the title lost its validity, generally for failure to renew or to keep the maintenance requirements such as minimum share capital, insurance, or financial indicators. It can be reversed if the company regularises the situation.
• Revoked: a more serious situation. IMPIC permanently withdrew the qualification, normally after repeated infractions, convictions, or serious disciplinary events.
• Cancelled: the title was formally terminated, often at the company's own initiative, in cases of activity cessation, merger, or closure.

Any status other than "active" should bring the process to a halt. If the status is "suspended" or "expired", ask the company for documented explanation and a regularisation timeline. If it is "revoked" or "cancelled", the project simply cannot move forward with that company.

Validity and dates

The title usually has a validity date. This date is not static, it can be renewed periodically as long as the company keeps meeting the requirements. What matters is to confirm that validity covers the entire expected duration of the project, and ideally a bit beyond. A company whose alvará expires in 30 days and which has not yet started the renewal process is a sign worth investigating.

Class or value limit

For the alvará, this is one of the most consequential fields. The class (1 to 9) sets the maximum project value the company is authorized to take on. The specific limits per class are published by IMPIC and updated periodically, but the logic is progressive: class 1 covers small projects in the tens of thousands of euros, and class 9 covers large multi-million euro contracts.

The most common mistake is to fail to confirm that the project value fits within the company's class. If the budget is 500,000 euros and the company only holds class 2 alvará, very likely insufficient, the contract sits on shaky legal ground. If problems arise, the company can invoke the lack of qualification to deflect responsibility on parts of the contract, leaving the property owner in a very difficult position.

Categories and subcategories

Categories define the type of work authorized. There are five major blocks: buildings, roads and infrastructure, hydraulic works, electrical and mechanical installations, and other works. Within each category, subcategories detail the specific specialisations.

The important point: holding a class 5 alvará does not mean the company can do any work up to that value. It means the company can do work up to that value in the categories and subcategories for which it is qualified. A company with class 5 alvará only in the buildings category is not authorized to perform electrical or roadworks, even within the value cap.

Before hiring, run the reverse exercise. Look at your project, break it down into the categories involved (structure, installations, finishes, specialisations), and confirm the company has a matching subcategory for each one. If any is missing, that part will need to be subcontracted to another qualified company.

Warning signs in the lookup

Beyond verifying that the title is active and covers the project, a few patterns deserve attention:

• Short or recent renewals. Companies that renew the alvará for short periods may be operating at the edge of the requirements.
• History of suspensions. If the lookup shows previous suspensions, even if already lifted, the company has had administrative problems.
• Class too high for a small company. It can be legitimate, but it is worth cross-referencing with the company's actual size, such as share capital, headcount, and turnover, to see if there is a mismatch.
• Very broad categories. Companies trying to be qualified for everything (buildings, roads, hydraulics, and installations all at once) without the technical depth to back it up are usually less specialised.

What the lookup does not show

This is where most property owners fall short. The IMPIC lookup shows only what relates to the qualification. It does not cross-reference with:

• Court proceedings, including insolvencies, executions, or civil cases registered on CITIUS.
• Tax authority and Social Security debtor lists.
• ACT (Authority for Working Conditions) sanctions.
• Director and shareholder history, including links to previously failed companies, a sign of "phoenix" companies.
• Annual filings and commercial obligations compliance.
• Edital citations and other ghost-company indicators.

A company can have an active class 6 alvará, a declared head office, and at the same time have insolvency proceedings filed in court, debts to Social Security, and directors who already drove three companies into failure. None of that shows up on the IMPIC lookup.

How to cross-reference everything in one go

That is exactly the problem ObraXRAY was built to solve. When you look up a company by NIF, we cross-reference IMPIC data with 8 other official databases and run more than 20 automated checks. The result is a consolidated report, with a 0 to 100 risk score, concrete recommendations, and a clear flag of warning signs.

The free search shows 6 of 13 risk categories, with a visual indicator (green, yellow, red), enough to see whether the company has insolvencies, debts, or court proceedings. The full report (€19.99) unlocks the exact score, all categories, the directors' history, and the detail of the proceedings.

Check a contractor for free on ObraXRAY

Read also

• How to Check if a Contractor Has an IMPIC License
• Alvará vs IMPIC Certificate: What's the Difference
• What to Check Before Hiring a Contractor
• How to Verify a Construction Company in Portugal
• How to Avoid Construction Fraud in Portugal

Note: this article is informational and the IMPIC lookup interface may change over time. If you have doubts about the meaning of a specific field, contact IMPIC directly or consult a specialised lawyer.