Changing address on residency card

I’m finally moving to Portugal, and the first things I need to do are change my registered address on my NIF (apparently easy) and my residency card (involving SEF, therefore I expect a nightmare).

Can someone advise me the procedure to officially change my address on my residency card (TĂ­tulo de ResidĂŞncia) without the costly involvement of my lawyer? Is it possible to simply walk into a SEF office to apply? I would appreciate a link to any information page about this procedure. InglĂŞs ou PortuguĂŞs, ambos estĂŁo bem.

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Wow. Things just get worse and worse for me. My renewal isn’t until May 2024, but I need the change of address immediately, or so I’m told.

I wonder if anyone here has been through what I’m about to go through. My residency card of course has my lawyer’s address. I’m moving to Portugal permanently next month. My property there will be my actual and official address. I’m shipping my household goods, and am gathering all the paperwork to be exempt from import duties: Certificado de Bagagem, changing my NIF to my apartment address, will register at the Freguesia the moment I arrive, and so on and so forth, dozens of documents. But the receiving agent who is handling the paperwork insists that if the address on my residency card doesn’t match the rest, the whole thing collapses like a house of cards and I pay an enormous import duty, or they hold my shipment, at great expense, until I present a corrected residency card.

I wonder how true this is, since all the other documentation will prove without a doubt that I’m a bonafide resident. I wonder if he’s exaggerating.

Meanwhile, a guy on a Facebook forum told me that to get the appointment for the change of address is the same hell as getting any other appointment at SEF, and once he was finally granted one, it was for five months later, then of course another 4 to 6 weeks to receive the new card. All told, it was a lengthy ordeal.

My lawyer isn’t answering my emails, and they have never been aggressive about pushing for appointments, or anything else, from SEF. I wish someone could advise me regarding the whole process of sending a household to Portugal and whether they are really so unreasonable when it comes to the matter of the residency card address.

Finally, I wonder if anyone has tried simply walking in to a SEF office to ask for such an appointment.

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I used to live in Portugal on a different residence card. I tried to make an appointment in person for an address change; it was in fact impossible. It is pretty much as horrible as you expect it to be. Eventually I paid a lawyer to handle the process for me after giving up on doing it myself. I have no experience whether what are told for shipping is true, but God have mercy on your soul.

Hi Lourenço. For the NIF, it can be at the Loja da Citadão or at the ATA-P portal www.portaldasfinancas.gov.pt, see a detailed how to at: https://blog.bordr.com/how-to-update-your-address-on-the-financas-website/. I know from experience that this can be done whether you are in or out of the country.
For the change of address on the Residency card, regretfully, your expectations are correct. SEF advice is at: Article 63, paragraphs 12 and 13 – Renewing a Residence Title for data amendment – The Official Website of Portuguese Immigration. See bullet 3 under Notes. Other advice on this is at: https://www.angloinfo.com/how-to/portugal/housing/moving-house and their advice is to contact SEF [Portuguese Immigration Authorities] to have the card reissued with the new address and to keep track of all communications (attempted or realised). I have seen some posters say they get a response via email, so it might be worth a charming email request in Portuguese?
If I recall well, you have done this before! :slightly_smiling_face:

You may also want to check: https://www.internations.org/portugal-expats/guide/relocating

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Thanks for the links. How typical of SEF to provide a link to the residence card renewal/amendment form, but the PDF file is corrupted and therefore can’t function. Is there a hidden message in this fact? I managed to repair the file with some special software. If anyone wants a copy, let me know.

After conversations with my lawyer and the receiving agent’s immigration specialist, I find myself in this situation:

  1. If I don’t report my change of address to SEF within 60 days, I am breaking the law.
  2. The only way to report a change of address is by direct appointment.
  3. Appointments are impossible. The system “has collapsed” (immigration specialist’s words) and “even in normal times treats applications for change of address with even lower priority than golden visa applications” (my lawyer’s wry words). So, chances of updating my card address are zero.
  4. I am advised to write a letter to SEF to at least be able to demonstrate that I have attempted to abide by the law, send it by registered post, and provide a copy of this to Customs.

Someday, maybe a dozen years from now, I hope to look back at this whole Golden Visa fiasco and situations like this with some humour.

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Just wanted to share that I am also in the process of importing my stuff into Portugal and have just been asked to change my NIF address.
When it comes to the address on the GV card - well, I do not have the card yet :slight_smile:
I am hoping that I will be able to complete the process on the strength of my GV pre-approval.
I will post here on the progress.

However that brings me to another question - would the change of my NIF address and cancellation of my PT tax rep automatically lead to AT recognizing me as a PT tax resident from the change of address date?

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I’m not sure what AT refers to, but the whole point is that you become officially tax resident in Portugal on the date of changing your NIF address and cancelling your tax representative, You should also apply for NHR status.

If you change your NIF address to a Portugal address then yes it makes you tax resident and the fiscal representative is removed.

Thanks, AT stands for Autoridade Tributaria…

You may want to check whether you can do this change of address online now that the renewal process is online.