According to the law, rural land is only considered ownerless if it is not identified in the Balcão Único do Prédio (BUPi), a simplified registration system process that started in 2017 and whose free access has been prolonged and extended to more municipalities. The deadline was extended until December 31, 2025, which means that the State will only be able to start taking possession of land without an owner in 2026.

But there is an exception: land without a known owner that is located in priority areas. In this case, the land in question could change hands this year.

At issue is a recent change to the BUPi legal regime, applied only in exceptional cases, according to a report by Público. Cited by the publication, the Ministry of Justice (MJ) states that a legal standard was introduced “to allow the procedure for buildings without a known owner to begin in priority territorial areas for intervention”, following a public consultation process.

This is an amendment to the BUPi legal regime that was published in Diário da República in October 2023. It allows declaring that a land has no known owner in priority territorial areas of intervention, such as integrated landscape management areas.

“It is expected that in 2024 it will be possible to begin” the procedure for identifying land without an owner, “following public consultations to be carried out”, says the MJ.

Meanwhile, the proposals to stop the division of land will remain fallow, waiting for the new Government – the legislative elections will take place on March 10, 2024.