Hi all! Need to get Portuguese NIF #s for the whole family as a NON RESIDENTS (currently). Planning on being in PT in August and see at the moment due to Covid-19, that you should make an appointment for the NIF # at a financas or a loja da cidadao. Unfortunately, no one can get through on the telephone number provided. Getting mixed info as well. Some people say you can get a NIF # as a non PT resident as long as you have an EU address which we have. Others say you need to be a resident first. Anyone know for sure which answer is correct and if we really need to make this illusive appointment or if we can just wait outside an office to get in when they open? We do know that we can hire a “representative” to get these #s however, for something that is FREE, these organizations will charge €450+! Yeah, no thanks!
Any help or advice anyone can offer would be appreciated.
Thanks and stay safe everyone!
- I’m not sure what the status is regarding the need for scheduling appointments, plus that may anyway change by August.
- You are right that you don’t need a tax representative if you’re an EU resident (bring proof of address, plus official proof of residency if non-EU citizen).
- It’s not quite right to say that tax representatives charge for something that’s free. The price you mentioned is for assuming the legal responsibility of being your tax representative, which is not without risks or work. That being said, it’s not a service you need as an EU resident.
- And yes, you can definitely get a NIF without being resident of Portugal. No doubt. If you become a resident of Portugal later, you’ll have to go to Finanças again to “convert” it to a resident NIF—but you keep the same number.
Thanks for the reply. Good to get confirmation that we can proceed without issue as EU citizens in getting this #. This is exactly what we thought. Of course the charge of €450 is justified as it is done by people rendering a legal service but seeing as one can do this themself in person and there is no charge for the actual #, paying that fee is unnecessary (in our case). Hopefully the appointment requirements will be lifted by August. Thanks!
Hi.
We got our NIF back in January or February this year. As it was before the virus hit, we had no problem at all, just walked into the Finas office, showed passport and driving licence ( as proof of our (non Portuguese) address
sorry, hit return too soon. To continue:-
It wasn’t free, but cost €10.50 if I remember correctly which is a lot better than €450.
Staff very helpful, very simple procedure and have obtained residency subsequently. As I understand it, the correct order of applying is:- 1: NIF. (about €10.50) 2: Residency. (about €15). 3: Portuguese NHS. (free). All very simple and straightforward - no legal assistance used. Hope this helps.
Sorry, but don’t know because of Covid-19 if an appointment is necessary. Cheers.
Thanks a lot for the info. Yes, this seems about right for the majority of info that I read. Your experience appears to be really straightforward and simple-hope that’s the case as I usually read that it’s a lot more complicated or bureaucratic for most. Fingers crossed it’s a smooth process and we are hoping in the end, come August, that appointments are no longer required. One more question if I may, was obtaining PT residency and NHS status also easy? Thanks again!
Yes, both residency and health cover VERY straightforward- just took in the required documents (some of which weren’t even looked at) and the process was totally painless.
Like you, I have read some horror stories of other peoples experiences. I think it depends on whereabouts in Portugal you are going to.
Best of luck.
If I can be of any help let me know.
Cheers Martin
Hi again Martin,
I’ve got to ask, where did you handle all these procedures? I will drive to wherever is easiest to get this done if it can be done so simply. I understand that residency request can only happen once you have a PT address (working on that) and needs to be handled in the area you live in but now with the Brexit transition period coming to an end, some Covid-19 restrictions in place and the fact that we are only going to be in the country 3 times from now until the end of the year, we’d like to get it all accomplished as quickly and as painlessly as possible.
Cheers!
Marnie
Hi Marnie
We’re presently based in the western Algarve.
Where are you planning to live?
I’d be happy to give you more info but I’m not sure if private contact is permitted on this forum.
Any advice Thomas??
Currently in Lisbon. Been trying to get NIF appointment here at office 4. Still not walk ins.
As mentioned, getting to speak to someone for an appointment on national financas number is impossible. Called unico balcao in Portimao, my next destination, and they gave me the Number for Portimao financas. Finally someone picked up there but only Portuguese. I’d be willing to visit other Algarve town for an appointment if only i could make one.
Where in western Algarve should i hit, if not Portimao , to make it easier? Thanks
We got all ours completed in Lagos. Lovely people 
Can you tell us what documents are actually required or maybe a link that has the list ?
thanks 
Here’s my email from Financas-
Um cidadĂŁo estrangeiro residente em paĂs terceiro (isto Ă©, nĂŁo pertencente Ă UniĂŁo Europeia ou aos seguintes paĂses do Espaço EconĂłmico Europeu: Noruega, Islândia e Liechtenstein) que queira efectuar inscrição como contribuinte em Portugal deve apresentar junto de qualquer serviço de finanças/loja do cidadĂŁo, documento de identificação ou Passaporte apresentar documento com a morada no paĂs de origem e deverá nomear um representante que obrigatoriamente tem de ser residente em Portugal (deverá juntar documento a aceitar a nomeação como representante, devidamente assinado e junta cĂłpia da identificação).
Um cidadĂŁo estrangeiro residente em paĂs pertencente Ă UniĂŁo Europeia ou aos seguintes paĂses do Espaço EconĂłmico Europeu: Noruega, Islândia e Liechtenstein, deverá apresentar documento de identificação ou passaporte assim como documento com a morada no paĂs de origem.
Informo que face às restrições impostas pelo Covid 19, deverá preferencialmente efectuar o pedido através do sistema informático do e-balcão no portal das finanças, em alternativa utilizar este endereço de e-mail ou, caso esteja obrigado a nomear representante, o e-mail do serviço de finanças do seu representante.
Deverá anexar, devidamente digitalizados, os documentos acima identificados.
Getting a walk in now is impossible in my experience in Lisbon, Lagos, Portimao, Tavira. You are required to email an office of your choice with scans of passport and address evidence such as bank statement with address on or something similarly official. A guy at Lagos financas overruled his friendly colleague who i asked saying tnat EU citizens need a fiscal rep to vouch for them. This is incorrect, and Portimao office (who i registered with) supplied an email to this effect after an initial enquiry i made. Extra-EU need a fiscal rep. I got my NIf from Portimao within 24 hrs, via PDF in email. Just today, 7 dsys later the paper version arrived at my italian address. Pretty good service. I used googl translate to compose a message but i understand they can speak English.
You can email sf1112@at.gov.pt.
I think its Lagos or Portimão office. It doesn’t matter where you get NIF.
Thanks for the info but it’s the same webpage I keep reverting back to. The on-line info seems to be only in Portuguese and when translated, it appears the first thing you need to input in order to access the portal to make an appointment is a NIF#! How can I make an appointment to get a NIF# if I can’t access the portal without one? Maybe I’m just reading it all wrong or simply stupid?! Going to be in PT in August-can you enter any financas office anywhere in PT (for example, a quiet little town somewhere remote)) as long as you have all the necessary documents with you? Or are there only certain financas offices you can go to for these #s? This is only my first step in making this move and already I’m up against a brick wall!
Sent email to Loule office yesterday thanks to Johnnywalkerwisdom’s email info & got a response today from which I gather is saying you can request the NIF on-line but that it must be done through a tax representative which makes sense as if you try to log in to the portal it asks for either a NIF # or a VAT # neither of which I have. Question is, does it cost €450-500 to have this tax representative do this? HELP!
Here is a copy of the response (in English)
Sir, In response to the email below, I would like to inform you that in this period of contingency and exceptional and temporary measures to respond to the epidemiological situation caused by the coronavirus SARS -CoV -2 and the disease COVID -19, requests for changes in the registration with the tax identification number (TIN), namely the assignment of the tax representative, they are made on the finance portal through the e-counter, upon request made by this way, accompanied by the necessary digitized documentation, namely, the representative’s identification document and of the digitized representative and certified copies, power of attorney written in legal terms giving powers to the representative, as well as a request, which in addition to the signature of the interested party, must contain the designation and acceptance of the tax representative (with tax domicile in Portuguese territory). Best regards. The Head of Finance, [moderator edit: contact details removed] Visit us at www.portaldasfinancas.gov.pt Tributary and customs authority
Same problem here. does anyone have an answer?
This is the reply I received upon my first enquiry, mentions a legal rep etc if you’re non-EU citizen.
Exmo.(a) Senhor(a)
Serve o presente para acusar a recepção do e-mail enviado a este Serviço de Finanças, em 2020-07-14.
Um cidadĂŁo estrangeiro residente em paĂs terceiro (isto Ă©, nĂŁo pertencente Ă UniĂŁo Europeia ou aos seguintes paĂses do Espaço EconĂłmico Europeu: Noruega, Islândia e Liechtenstein) que queira efectuar inscrição como contribuinte em Portugal deve apresentar junto de qualquer serviço de finanças/loja do cidadĂŁo, documento de identificação ou Passaporte apresentar documento com a morada no paĂs de origem e deverá nomear um representante que obrigatoriamente tem de ser residente em Portugal (deverá juntar documento a aceitar a nomeação como representante, devidamente assinado e junta cĂłpia da identificação).
Um cidadĂŁo estrangeiro residente em paĂs pertencente Ă UniĂŁo Europeia ou aos seguintes paĂses do Espaço EconĂłmico Europeu: Noruega, Islândia e Liechtenstein, deverá apresentar documento de identificação ou passaporte assim como documento com a morada no paĂs de origem.
Informo que face às restrições impostas pelo Covid 19, deverá preferencialmente efectuar o pedido através do sistema informático do e-balcão no portal das finanças, em alternativa utilizar este endereço de e-mail ou, caso esteja obrigado a nomear representante, o e-mail do serviço de finanças do seu representante.
Deverá anexar, devidamente digitalizados, os documentos acima identificados.
Maybe this is the translated version above.
I was going to use email provided by johnniewalkerwisdom and even emailed them myself to verify it could be done before sending copies of important documents to some random email address & it can be done from their response. We just got back from a week in PT however & wanted to first try our luck at getting the NIF#s in person in a remote location without an appointment and it worked! We used the Aljezur office. We supplied the gentleman with all the documents and within 15 mins we were handed our NIF#s. If you can’t do this in person, anyone in PT already with a NIF# can usually be your legal representative, this does not need to be a solicitor. If you know no one like us & can’t get there to do this in person. try the email procedure. Good luck!
Hi, I recently returned from 5 weeks in PT investigating where I might like to retire to. One of my objectives was to get a non-residents NIF. I also had the same issue, the call centre IVR just cuts you off, the e-services link where a PT citizen can login and apply for a NIF returns an authorisation error. You can’t make an appointment, and if you turn up at a financas nobody will see you (I went to two different offices). I, and a PT citizen have raised a complaint with Financas, but two weeks on nobody has responded. The whole application process is completely broken right now, and with COVID-19 infections on the increase I don’t expect it to get any better for the forseeable.
If anyone has successfully gained a NIF since the beginning of Sept 2020 please do let me know how and where. Thank you.