Hi,
Is the NIF required for those other than the main applicant (spouse / parent)? My attorney is saying that for the GV application its needed and/or part of getting the declaration of no debts(?) for the application.
This seems inconsistent with what I’ve heard elsewhere, so would like to see if anyone has insight?
Thanks!
Chris
I’ve had biometrics, awaiting final approval, and only I as main applicant have a NIF
Pretty sure there’s an existing topic about this already.
In our case, our advisors got both me as main applicant and my spouse NIFs before applying for our GV. At least that part of this process is easy.
Indeed:
The system needs to start assigning negative reputation points for posting duplicate threads. 
Our lawyers felt it was necessary for my spouse to have a NIF, possibly because we are planning to move to Portugal eventually. They did not feel a NIF was necessary for my parent (dependent). We decided to get one for them, so they could use it in Portugal to “prove” they were in Portugal for the 7 days/year requirement.(On our last trip, our passports were not stamped on entry to Schengen in Frankfurt since we had our residency cards, so one less “proof” option.) Also, our Portuguese class needed a NIF.
Thanks - did you not require for declaration of no debts for dependents? How did you handle that part?
why did they advise having both?
i read through the other thread but didnt find the clarification - also thread seemed stale. but of course happy to merge if that is the protocol & note for future. new to the site here
NIF are cheap and easy to get, I’d suggest just getting one even if technically unnecessary. They’re useful all over Portugal
I don’t think it was required for family members. I’ve a vague feeling from memory that it’s mentioned in the SEF/AIMA manual but in practice never required. But check.
EDIT: I’ve had a quick look at Dec Reg 84/2007: the requirement for declaration of no debts is listed for applicants at 65-D para 14, but doesn’t feature in the requirements for family reunification.
Gosh, that was so long ago I don’t even remember.
I suppose back when we applied we had this fantasy that we’d be approved and have GVs within 6-9 months, at which point you need to start proving your time spent in Portugal - and registering purchases against your NIFs is one good bit of proof.
In summary, the NIF may not be technically required for the GV dependants, but in practice it makes a ton of things easier to handle both within the GV process and just generally for anything else in Portugal, besides it is so cheap and easy to obtain. You’d basically pay some 70 euros one-off per person and that’s it. Plenty of options to get it remotely listed here on Nomadgate.