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Getting a NIF (Tax Number) in Portugal

Researched and written with AI tools from official sources. How we make our guides

How to get a Portuguese tax number for free, in person or from abroad, the documents to bring, and why you do not need a fiscal representative to get it.

The Portugal Brief 13 min read

Getting a NIF (Tax Number) in Portugal

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

  • You are moving to Portugal, from inside or outside the EU, and need a tax number (NIF).
  • You live abroad and need a Portuguese tax number to buy a home, open a bank account, or work here.
  • Someone has told you that you must pay a fiscal representative before you can get a NIF.

Not for you if: you already have a NIF and your next step is a bank account. Read Opening a Bank Account in Portugal instead.

A NIF (número de identificação fiscal) is your Portuguese tax number. It has nine digits and stays yours for life. Banks, landlords, energy companies, and shops will all ask for it. Asking the tax office for one is free.

If you are in Portugal, you book an appointment at a tax office (Serviço de Finanças) or citizen shop (Loja do Cidadão) and usually leave with the number. From abroad, someone in Portugal with a power of attorney files the request online for you. You do not need a fiscal representative to get a NIF.

What the NIF is for

The NIF identifies you to the tax authority (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira, or AT, usually called Finanças). In practice it works as a general ID number. You need it to:

  • open a Portuguese bank account;
  • sign a rental contract or buy a home;
  • set up electricity, water, gas, internet, and a phone contract;
  • register a car;
  • get your social security and health service numbers;
  • take a job or work self-employed;
  • file your yearly income tax (IRS) return;
  • go to your AIMA residence appointment, where the NIF is asked for.

A NIF does not make you a tax resident. It does not give you any right to live in Portugal either. Residence is a separate process, with AIMA for non-EU citizens and the town hall (Câmara Municipal) for EU citizens.

You can hold only one NIF. If someone has already got one for you, do not apply again.

Who needs one

You need a NIF if you have any formal dealings with the Portuguese state or Portuguese businesses. That includes:

  • anyone moving to Portugal, whatever their nationality;
  • people living abroad who buy property, rent out a home, open a bank account, or work here;
  • children, when a parent needs the number for school, health care, or a bank account in the child's name.

Portuguese citizens get the NIF automatically with their Citizen Card (Cartão de Cidadão). Everyone else must ask for it. You can ask at any time.

Resident or non-resident: decide first

Finanças records you as resident or non-resident when it issues the number. This choice matters, so get it right on the day.

The tax authority counts you as resident if at least one of these applies:

  • you live in Portugal for more than 183 days in a year, in one stretch or several;
  • you have a permanent home here, rented long term or owned, that you seem to intend to live in;
  • your main work or income is in Portugal;
  • dependent family members, such as children or a spouse, live here.

If you are still living abroad, preparing a move, or buying a holiday home, apply as a non-resident with your foreign address. You can change to resident later. If you already live here, apply as a resident with your Portuguese address. Being resident means you must file an IRS return here, so make sure a hotel or short-let address does not end up on the form by mistake.

Read the printed sheet before you leave the counter. Check the address, the resident or non-resident status, and the spelling of your name.

The documents you need

Bring originals. Foreign-language documents need a certified translation.

EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen, living in Portugal (resident):

  • passport or national ID card;
  • your EU citizen registration certificate (certificado de registo de cidadão da UE) from the town hall.

EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen, not yet living here (non-resident):

  • passport or national ID card;
  • proof of your address abroad, if it is not on your ID.

Non-EU citizen, living in Portugal (resident):

  • passport or ID document;
  • one of these: your residence permit card, proof of your AIMA appointment, or proof that you have applied for international protection.

Non-EU citizen, not yet living here (non-resident):

  • passport, with a valid entry visa if your nationality needs one for Portugal;
  • proof of your address abroad, if it is not on your passport.

If someone applies for you:

  • a copy of your passport (certified, if they apply in person);
  • proof of your address abroad;
  • their own ID;
  • a power of attorney (procuração) giving them the power to ask for your NIF.

The signature on the power of attorney must be certified, unless you give it to a lawyer (advogado) or solicitor (solicitador) named as such.

For a child without a passport: a birth certificate, plus proof of address.

Two points on residence papers. If you are an EU citizen, you only have to register at the town hall after three months in Portugal, within the following 30 days. If you need a NIF before then, apply as a non-resident and change your status later; see Registering as an EU Citizen Resident in Portugal (CRUE). If you are a non-EU citizen, you do not have to wait for your residence card. Proof of your AIMA appointment is enough for a resident NIF.

Your options at a glance

RouteBest forCost at FinançasHow long
In person at a tax office or Loja do CidadãoAnyone in PortugalFreeUsually the same day
Combined counter at an Espaço Cidadão (NIF, social security, and health numbers)New residents with a Portuguese addressFreeNo official time published
Online through the e-balcão, filed by someone with a power of attorneyPeople abroadFree; the person filing may chargeNo official time published

Route 1: in person at Finanças or a Loja do Cidadão

This is the route for most people already in Portugal. Any tax office can issue a NIF, and so can the Finanças desk in a Loja do Cidadão.

You need an appointment. Since 1 July 2025 you can book one without a Portal das Finanças login, in two ways:

  • online, through the Contactos page of the Portal das Finanças;
  • by phone, on the tax helpline (Centro de Atendimento Telefónico) at +351 217 206 707, on working days from 09:00 to 19:00.

When you book, give your name, phone number, email, and the number of your ID document.

Step by step

  1. Decide whether you are applying as resident or non-resident, and gather the documents for your situation.
  2. Book your appointment online or by phone.
  3. At the counter, hand over your documents. The clerk enters your details and prints a sheet with your NIF and your tax address (morada fiscal).
  4. Check the sheet before you leave: address, status, and name.
  5. Ask for your Portal das Finanças password. It is posted to your tax address, on average within five working days.
  6. Keep the printed sheet. It is your proof of the number until you can print one from the Portal.

Route 2: the combined counter at an Espaço Cidadão

Since 3 June 2025, twelve Espaços Cidadão take a single request for three numbers: the NIF, the social security number (NISS), and the national health service user number. They are in Braga, Cascais (two), Lisboa (two), Loures, Oeiras, Porto (two), Setúbal, Lagos, and Olhão.

You can use it if you have a Portuguese address, have no Citizen Card, and one of these applies:

  • you have applied for or hold a residence permit;
  • you are an EU citizen;
  • you have applied for international protection, or have refugee or protection status.

You can apply yourself, through a legal representative, or, for a child, through a parent or guardian. No official processing time is published. If you need the NIF this week to sign a lease, use Route 1 for the NIF and ask for the other numbers afterwards.

Route 3: from abroad, through the e-balcão

If you are not in Portugal, someone can file the request online for you through the e-balcão, the online help desk on the Portal das Finanças. You cannot file it yourself, because you have no login yet.

The person filing needs their own Portal das Finanças access and a power of attorney from you. It can be a lawyer, a solicitor, an accountant, or a friend or relative who lives in Portugal. Lawyers and solicitors set their own fees.

Step by step

  1. Choose the person who will file for you.
  2. Sign a power of attorney giving them the power to ask for your NIF. If they are not a lawyer or solicitor, your signature must be certified. Ask them what form they need, because a document signed abroad may also need an apostille.
  3. Send them a clear copy of your passport and recent proof of your address abroad.
  4. They log in, open the e-balcão, and choose Registo Contribuinte, then Identific, then Atrib/Alter NIF-Singulares.
  5. They attach your passport copy, your proof of address, their own ID, and the power of attorney.
  6. Finanças processes the request and sends the NIF to them. No official processing time is published.

The person filing for you is your legal representative for this one task. That is not the same thing as a fiscal representative. One person can do both jobs, but nothing forces you to combine them.

You do not need a fiscal representative to get a NIF

A fiscal representative (representante fiscal) is a person or company in Portugal who receives your tax post and deals with Finanças for you. The tax authority's own instructions say you do not have to appoint one when you get a NIF as a non-resident. Many people still pay for one they do not need.

Here is the rule as the tax authority applies it today.

You live in Portugal. You do not need one.

You live in the EU, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein. You never need one, whatever you own or earn in Portugal. It is optional.

You live anywhere else, including the UK, Switzerland, the US, Canada, Brazil, or Australia. Getting the NIF alone creates no duty. The duty starts once you have a tax relationship with Portugal, for example when you:

  • buy property here;
  • register a car here;
  • sign a contract for a job in Portugal;
  • start a self-employed activity here.

From then, you have 15 days to do one of two things:

  • appoint a fiscal representative; or
  • switch on electronic tax notifications, on the Portal das Finanças or through ViaCTT, the post office's electronic mailbox.

The electronic option is free and is enough on its own. The one exception is a self-employed activity that charges VAT (IVA). In that case you always need a representative, appointed before the activity starts.

If you must act and do neither, the fine is €75 to €7,500. You also lose the right to complain or appeal to Finanças until you fix it.

To switch on electronic notifications, log in to the Portal das Finanças. Go to Cidadãos, then Serviços, then A minha área, then Notificações e Citações, then Gerir Canais, then Canais de Notificação, and choose Ativar. Do this before you sign a deed or a contract. Then check your inbox regularly, because a notice counts as delivered even if you never open it.

The full rules, including how to appoint a representative if you need one, are in Appointing a Fiscal Representative in Portugal.

What it costs

ItemCost
NIF at Finanças, any routeFree
Portal das Finanças passwordFree
Chave Móvel Digital (digital mobile key)Free
Electronic tax notificationsFree
EU citizen registration certificate at the town hall€18 in person or €15 online, for adults
Lawyer or solicitor filing for youTheir own fee, set by them
Fine for missing a required representative or electronic notifications€75 to €7,500

Some services sell a NIF bundled with a year of fiscal representation. If you live in the EU or EEA, or if you only need the number for now, you can decline the representation. Ask for a written price before you sign anything.

After you have the NIF: the first week

Activate the Portal das Finanças. Your password arrives by post at your tax address. Log in at portaldasfinancas.gov.pt and set a permanent password. Without the Portal you cannot see notices, change your address, or file IRS.

Get a Chave Móvel Digital. This free login works for the Portal das Finanças, Segurança Social Direta, SNS 24, and other public services. Foreign citizens can activate it at a public service counter with a passport or residence card. With most documents other than a passport, you also need your NIF. You need your own mobile phone number.

Add your bank account. On the Portal, add the IBAN you want tax refunds paid into.

Give your NIF when you pay. Ask for your number on the invoice ("com contribuinte, por favor"). Invoices with your NIF count towards your IRS deductions. General family expenses earn a deduction of 35%, up to €250 per taxpayer per year (45% and €335 for single parents). See Filing Your IRS Tax Return in Portugal.

Get your other numbers. You need the NIF before you can get a social security number or register with the health service. See Getting an SNS Número de Utente.

Keeping your record up to date

Finanças sends notices to the address on file. A notice sent to an old address can still start a deadline. If you have no Citizen Card, you must report changes yourself.

You move house, but your resident or non-resident status stays the same. Report it within 15 days. On the Portal, go to Cidadãos, then Serviços, then Dados Cadastrais, then Morada, then Entregar Pedido de Alteração. You can also book an appointment at a tax office.

You become resident, or stop being resident. Report it within 60 days. A simple address change on the Portal cannot change your status. Use the e-balcão (Registo Contribuinte, then Identific, then Alteração Morada/Singulares) or book an appointment. If you move to a country outside the EU and EEA, the 15-day choice between a representative and electronic notifications starts on the day you change your address.

You hold a Citizen Card. Change your address through the card service, and Finanças picks it up.

If you plan to apply for the IFICI tax regime, get the NIF first, then change to resident status, then register on the Portal by 15 January of the year after you became resident. See Qualifying for the IFICI Tax Regime That Replaced NHR.

Common problems

Wrong status on the record. A non-resident recorded as resident may face an IRS filing duty they did not expect. Check the sheet before you leave the counter.

Buying property or a car before switching on notifications. If you live outside the EU and EEA, your 15 days start on the day of the deed or the registration. Switch on electronic notifications first.

The password never arrives. It goes to the tax address on file, which may be an old address or your representative's. Fix the address first, then ask for a new password.

Two NIFs. You may hold only one number. If a service already got one for you, do not apply again in person.

Lost the number. Log in to the Portal and print proof of your NIF, or ask at any tax office with your passport.

Different answers at different offices. Bring more proof than you think you need. A proof of address from a public body is safer than a bank statement.

This guide is general information, not tax or legal advice. Rules change; check the official source before you act.

Sources

This guide is written from official sources and, where relevant, organisations' own websites.

Last verified October 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.

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