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Getting a Social Security Number (NISS) in Portugal

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

How foreign residents get a Portuguese social security number: the online request, the documents, the employer route, and setting up your online account.

The Portugal Brief 7 min read

Getting a Social Security Number (NISS) in Portugal

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

  • You are a foreign citizen, from the EU or outside it, and need a Portuguese social security number.
  • You are starting a job, going self-employed, or claiming a benefit in Portugal.
  • You have a number and want to set up your Segurança Social Direta online account.

Not for you if: you want to know what social security pays and what you contribute. Read Understanding Social Security in Portugal instead.

Your NISS (Número de Identificação da Segurança Social) is your number with Portugal's social security system, Segurança Social. You need it to work, pay contributions, and claim benefits. If you have a Portuguese Citizen Card, you already have one. If you are a foreign citizen, you request it online on the Segurança Social website, or your employer requests it for you after you sign a work contract. Neither gov.pt nor the Social Security guide lists any fee. No official processing time is published, so apply as soon as you have the documents.

Who needs a NISS

You need a NISS if you have a link to the Portuguese social security system. The Social Security Institute gives these examples:

  • You have a work contract with an employer in Portugal.
  • You are self-employed (trabalhador independente).
  • You are a member of a company's statutory board, such as a managing director.
  • You join voluntary social insurance (seguro social voluntário).
  • You need a benefit paid by Segurança Social.
  • Another public body needs your NISS before it can help you. A school enrolling a child is one example.

Portuguese citizens and companies get the number automatically. So do people who hold a Citizen Card. Everyone else asks for it.

Three ways to get one

1. You request it online. This is the main route for foreign citizens. The Social Security Institute says the request is made only online, through a form on seg-social.pt. You need an email address and scanned documents.

2. Your employer requests it. An employer that is hiring you can file the request on your behalf. First it must sign a work contract with you and report the job in Segurança Social Direta. The request only creates the number. Your employer must then tell Segurança Social that you have started work.

3. You request all three numbers at once. Some foreign residents can ask for a NISS, a tax number (NIF), and a health service user number in one visit. This is done at 12 Espaços Cidadão (citizen service counters), listed on the gov.pt service page. You qualify if you live in Portugal, have no Portuguese Citizen Card, and one of these applies:

  • You have applied for, or hold, a residence permit.
  • You are a citizen of an EU country.
  • You have applied for international protection, or you are a refugee or protection holder.

The combined request is free. You log in with the Chave Móvel Digital (the state's digital login) or the European eIDAS login. If you have no Chave Móvel Digital, you can activate it at the counter with your passport. If you do not qualify, request each number separately. For the tax number, see Getting a NIF (Tax Number) in Portugal.

If you request online and also at a counter, you still get only one NISS.

Documents you need

Scan everything before you start. The form accepts PNG, JPG, and PDF files of up to 3 MB each. Upload the front and back of a card as separate files. The photo and all four edges must be visible, with no glare.

Identity document, valid on the day you apply:

  • If you are from outside the EU, EEA, and Switzerland: your passport or your residence permit.
  • If you are from the EU, EEA, or Switzerland: your national ID card, passport, or residence card.
  • If you have international protection and no other document: the AIMA receipt or permit that applies to you.

Proof of the reason you need a NISS (one of these):

  • A work contract, translated into Portuguese.
  • Your start of self-employment (início de atividade) with the tax office, plus your receipts or invoices.
  • A permanent company certificate from the registry service (IRN), if you sit on a company board.
  • A contract with a foreign employer, if you are a remote worker on a digital nomad visa.
  • A document confirming you can join voluntary social insurance.
  • A declaration from another public body saying it needs your NISS.

If you are from outside the EU, EEA, and Switzerland, also one of these:

  • Your residence permit, temporary or permanent.
  • A residence visa or work visa, including the job seeker and digital nomad visas.
  • A temporary stay visa for seasonal work.
  • Proof that you have applied for a residence permit, or for a CPLP visa or permit.

EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens do not need a residence document for this request. If you have an EU registration certificate or residence card, upload it anyway.

If someone applies for you, add their valid ID and either a power of attorney or the authorisation form for third parties (PA 12) with a copy of your ID.

How to apply online, step by step

  1. Open the form. On seg-social.pt, go to Help (Ajuda), then NISS, then the request for a NISS (Atribuição de Número de Identificação de Segurança Social).
  2. Confirm your email. Read the general information and accept the declarations. Enter your email address and type in the code sent to it.
  3. Choose your reason. Pick work for an employer, self-employment, a Segurança Social benefit, support from another body, or "other". Upload the matching proof. If you work for an employer, add the employer's NISS. If you are self-employed, add your NIF.
  4. Fill in your identity details. Name, date of birth, sex, marital status, your parents' names, nationality, place of birth, and your ID document details.
  5. Add your address and mobile number.
  6. Check the summary and submit. The screen shows a request ID and the next steps. Keep the ID.

If you want to join voluntary social insurance, choose "other" as your reason.

Getting your number

Your number is not sent to you automatically. You collect it online.

  1. Go to Help (Ajuda), then NISS, then check your request (Consulta do pedido de NISS).
  2. Enter your request ID, the email address you used, and your date of birth.
  3. Choose "get NISS proof" (Obter comprovativo do NISS) and complete the biometric check.
  4. Download the proof.

If the biometric check fails, you can collect the proof through a video appointment. Book it by phone or at a Segurança Social office.

How long it takes. Segurança Social publishes no processing time for this request. The status page shows where your request stands.

Special cases

Your visa needs a NISS before AIMA can grant you a permit. This can happen with job seeker, student, and seasonal work visas. If you cannot show a permit, a permit application, or proof that you already work, upload your ID and a declaration from AIMA explaining why you need the number.

You live in another EU country and cross the border to work. If you go home every day, or at least once a week, you do not need a residence document. Upload your ID and proof of your job or self-employment.

A child needs a NISS for a benefit. Upload a signed statement explaining the reason and the benefit. Add the ID of the person applying and of the parents or guardians, and their proof of residence permit application. If someone other than a parent has custody, add the document that proves it.

Setting up Segurança Social Direta

Segurança Social Direta is your online account. You use it to see your contributions, change your details, and apply for benefits. You can open it once you have your NISS.

If you have a Citizen Card or a Chave Móvel Digital, log in with it. Access is immediate.

If you have neither, create a password:

  1. On seg-social.pt, open Segurança Social Direta and choose to register (Efetuar Registo).
  2. Accept the terms and choose a personal (Cidadão) account.
  3. Enter your NISS and date of birth.
  4. Choose how to receive a verification code: email or SMS. These options only appear if Segurança Social already has your contacts.
  5. If it has no contacts for you, the code comes by letter to the address it holds. This usually takes up to 8 working days.
  6. Enter the code in Segurança Social Direta and set your password.

Before you register, make sure Segurança Social has your current address, in case the code is posted. You can change it in person at a Segurança Social office, or by letter to your district centre with form MG 2. Once logged in, update your email and mobile number so future codes reach you instantly.

What to do with your NISS

Getting help

The Segurança Social line (Linha Segurança Social) answers on 210 545 400 or 300 502 502, working days from 09:00 to 18:00. To book an in-person appointment, call 210 548 888 or 300 088 888.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change often; 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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