Has anyone had problems getting a NIF from NIFOnline? 20 business days later and no NIF! They even refuse to divulge when and where they submitted my application. Nomad Gate should remove their discount link.
I recommend you send them a polite reminder and wait a few more business days, instead of panicking 
They normally deliver as per their SLA or just a few days later.
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They are slower than advertised, that’s all. As long as you’ve done everything correctly (uploaded all docs), they usually take 4-5 weeks but don’t be surprised if it’s 6. Their customer service is poor so no point in trying to contact them- (they won’t reply) but get used to it as “This Is Portugal” and customers are not valued.
Thanks for the information. Bodr and e-residence seem to be much better. Being patient is the luxury of not having contractual deadlines to meet that have grave financial consequences.
In all fairness, you chose to procure your NIF via the cheapest online service provider, and with an additional discount from Nomadgate. You must have been aware that they do not guarantee their SLA, but rather provide an estimation. In my own experience, they either met or were just a few days late on their SLA.
If you wanted a guaranteed NIF service, then you should have hired a lawyer, tied them to a guaranteed SLA (which I doubt anyone would agree to), and pay around EUR1k for delivery.
Hope this gives you some perspective.
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Exactly, “better” depends on your priorities. In your case a faster service would have been better but for many other people, cheaper is better. All I was saying is get used to that trade off in Portugal.
I used NIFonline a few months ago in transferring my tax representative to them from my attorneys. I do not know how long the process normally takes, but it happened within the time period they described.
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All fair comments. Thank you. To NIFOnline’s credit, they have been very responsive and assure me they are doing their best.
Thanks for all the feedback in this thread guys. I’ve updated our NIF article so the timeline reflects the latests reports you’ve shared.
Note that NIF Online will increase their prices from October 1, 2022. The new prices are €99 for “standard” delivery in 20 days and €159 for “express” delivery in 10 days.
With the pricing change I think in most cases you’ll be better off going with e-residence.com as they charge €99 for 10 days, €149 for 5 days, and €299 for 3 days. They also claim that 91% of NIFs are delivered in 3 days or less, however I’d be interested in hearing actual customer reports here in the community.
Both services still offer a discount to Nomad Gate readers (with the code nomadgate).
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I am so frustrated with NIF. Worst mistake to use them. I applied on august 11th and was verbally told that it would take 3 days. I am on a deadline for my move to Portugal and have had to change the date twice due to NIF. No one should recommend them.
It seems futile and meaningless to even provide a turn-around time/estimation or an expedited delivery (as many companies do for an added cost) if the process as they say, all depends on the municipal office’s processing time and they will not stand behind their service. I obtained my NIF from a municipal office in August 2022 in just an hour and a half without an appointment and at no cost. If it is that easy to obtain, why do some companies take so long? Many FB comments/reviews indicate that BORDR and e-residence are so far ahead of some other companies in processing time, not to mention any names here. To tommigunn’s suggestion, I think it much better to spend $1k and go to Portugal rather than hire a lawyer or be held hostage by an online service for an undeclared, unknown period of time. (It is highly advisable to make an appointment at the municipal office to ensure you obtain the NIF before your return flight.) My wife’s NIF online was a situation like yours, Michelle. I would inform them by email of the financial damages you are/may suffer. They are responsive.
It took about 25 days for me to get mine back. Just wait a bit longer, I’m sure you will get it. It just seems to be going slowly.
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Mine took 21 business days from the date they accepted my power of attorney form to the emailing of my NIF. I started the process at the end of August and got it at the end of September.
They raised no issues with my documents, and responded to all my questions pretty quickly, typically in a day. While they mentioned up front that they take up to 20 business days, I suppose that if I knew they were actually going to take the maximum time, I might have done it through my lawyer instead, despite the extra effort of getting physical papers apostilled and sent to Portugal.
Thank you for the information. I agree that they were very responsive and did eventually come through in the Nick of time just before my closing deadline and after some extensive appeals of urgency. Like you, had I known it would have taken the full twenty business days or more, I would have sought other options. All of the online services state there are no guarantees even though they have expedited services at an additional fee. Some guarantee a return of the added fee for expedited services if not delivered within the specified timeframe. Best to think twice about the online services unless you have a couple of months to patiently wait.
Hi Gene — was that with their standard processing or any of their upgraded packages?
Good morning. The four days from e-residence was with standard processing at a cost of 93 euros to get the NIF for my wife. Previously, I obtained my NIF from NIFOnline for a cost of 73 euros. From NIFOnline it took 10 business days to submit the application and an additional 21 business days to receive the NIF. In both instances, I requested the Nomadgate discount… Thank you for providing this excellent resource! UK
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