Steps towards setting up as a Freelancer for the NHR scheme in Portugal (An EU citizen)

Hi,

I am planning to relocate to Portugal from Ireland as I prefer to pay taxes in Portugal to avail of the flat rate of 20% tax rate. I have an EU passport and I am an IT Test Consultant (one of the NHR desirable occupations) currently contracting to an Irish company. They have no problem with me relocating and working remotely and I am hoping to sign their extension contract of employment as a Portuguese freelancer / sole trader. I am currently setup in Ireland as a director of an umbrella company but will change legal entities for the contract extension.

I have researched the NHR extensively however, I am wondering what are the ideal steps / sequence of steps to achieve my goal. Your help and advise is greatly appreciated.

  1. Get a NIF
  2. Get a SIM card (for MBway)
  3. Open a Portuguese Bank Account (non resident bank account) in person.
  4. Organise a rental property for at least 6 months (Over 183 days). Move.
  5. Set up and register as a Freelancer in the local tax office & enable the issuing of invoices.
  6. Sign my contract extension as a Portuguese entity, work and start invoicing.
  7. Register as a resident - SEF Residence Registration in local Town Hall: After 3 months and within 30 days of being in the country (can this be done sooner if I have a 6 month rental agreement for example? Do I need to do this as an EU national?)
  8. Submit NHR status application and get approval.
  9. Register for VAT?
  10. Submit annual tax return taking into account the 20% tax.

Is this the right sequence of steps that I need to take into account? Am I missing anything? Thanks in advance.

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