🇵🇹 Portugal news, in English, every morning. Free. Subscribe
Sign in Subscribe
guides

Changing Your Registered Address in Portugal

Updating your citizen card, your tax address, social security, and the health service when you move.

Changing Your Registered Address in Portugal

Last verified: September 2026.

Who this is for

  • Foreign residents in Portugal who have moved house and need to tell Finanças, Social Security, the health service, and AIMA.
  • Portuguese citizens and dual nationals with a Citizen Card who have moved within Portugal.

Not for you if: you have not yet got a tax number. Start with Getting a NIF (Tax Number) in Portugal.

Updated September 2026. AIMA now takes address changes through its online contact form and says it updates your record within two working days.

When you move house in Portugal, you must tell the state your new address. There is no single update for everyone. If you have a Portuguese Citizen Card, one online change reaches Finanças, Social Security, the health service, and the electoral roll. If you are a foreign resident without that card, you tell each office yourself: Finanças within 15 days, AIMA within 60 days, plus Social Security and your health centre. Most steps are free, online, and take minutes, plus a wait for a confirmation letter.

Why your registered address matters

Your registered address (morada) is where the state sends tax notices, fines, court letters, and benefit decisions. The law treats a letter sent there as delivered, even if you never see it. A missed tax notice can turn into interest, surcharges, or enforcement.

Your tax address (domicílio fiscal) also decides which tax office handles your affairs. It shows whether you are tax resident in Portugal.

What to update, and by when

WhoOfficeDeadlineCost
Citizen Card holdersCitizen Card (reaches Finanças, Social Security, SNS, electoral roll)60 daysFree online; €3 at a Citizen Card counter
Foreign residents without a Citizen CardFinanças15 days (60 days if you become resident or non-resident)Free
Non-EU residence permit holdersAIMA60 daysFree
Foreign residents without a Citizen CardSocial SecurityNo fixed deadline; do it straight awayFree
Foreign residents without a Citizen CardYour health centreNo deadline; recommendedFree
EU citizens with a registration certificateYour CâmaraNo legal deadlineCheck with your Câmara
Vehicle ownersVehicle registration certificate60 daysFee applies

If you have a Portuguese Citizen Card

This section applies to Portuguese citizens and dual nationals aged 16 or over. Brazilian citizens holding a Citizen Card under the friendship treaty between Portugal and Brazil must apply at a registry (IRN) counter with proof of the new address.

  1. Go to the "Alterar a morada do Cartão de Cidadão" service on gov.pt. You can also use the gov.pt app, the Citizen Line on 300 003 990, or a video call.
  2. Log in with your Digital Mobile Key (Chave Móvel Digital), or with your card, PIN, and a card reader.
  3. Enter your full new address and submit.
  4. Wait for a letter at the new address. It usually arrives within five working days, and takes longer to the Azores, Madeira, or abroad.
  5. Confirm the change with the code in the letter, before the date printed on it. Use the "Confirmar a alteração de morada" service online, or go to a counter.

The change only takes effect when you confirm it. From that date, the new address is used by Finanças, Social Security, the SNS, and the electoral roll. If the letter does not come, call the Citizen Card helpline on 210 990 111.

You can also do this in person. An Espaço Cidadão counter does it free. A registry counter that handles Citizen Cards charges €3.

If you still have an old lifetime identity card (Bilhete de Identidade), you must go to a registry counter. You will get a Citizen Card in its place.

Citizen Card holders cannot change their tax address directly at Finanças. The card change does it for you. Your Portuguese driving licence no longer shows an address, so you do not need to tell IMT either. For card basics, see Renewing Your Citizen Card (Cartão de Cidadão) in Portugal.

If you are a foreign resident: your tax address at Finanças

This applies to anyone with a NIF but no Citizen Card. Tell Finanças within 15 days of moving. If the move makes you resident or non-resident in Portugal, you have 60 days.

If you live in Portugal:

  1. Log in to the Portal das Finanças.
  2. Go to Dados Cadastrais, then Morada, then Entregar Pedido de Alteração.
  3. Enter the new address and submit.
  4. Wait for a letter with a confirmation code at the new address, then enter it on the portal.

You can also book an appointment at a tax office instead.

If you live abroad and keep a Portuguese NIF: use the same portal option to change a foreign address. If you are changing from non-resident to resident, use the e-balcão message service. Choose "Registo Contribuinte", then "Identific", then "Alteração Morada/Singulares".

If you need to prove your address later, download a tax address certificate (certidão de domicílio fiscal) from the portal. It comes in Portuguese and English.

If you hold a residence permit: tell AIMA

This applies to non-EU citizens with a residence permit. The law says you must tell AIMA about a new address within 60 days.

  1. Open the AIMA contact form (Formulário de Contacto) on aima.gov.pt.
  2. Under subject type, choose "Portal das Renovações".
  3. Under subtype, choose "Comunicar/retificar Morada".
  4. Enter your details and the new address, and attach the documents the form asks for, such as proof of address.

AIMA says it updates the record within two working days. Keep the submission receipt. A correct address matters when you renew; see Renewing Your Residence Permit with AIMA in Portugal.

If you are an EU citizen: your registration certificate

This applies to EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens with a registration certificate from the Câmara. Porto's council notes there is no legal obligation or deadline to update the address on it. It is still sensible to do it.

If you stay in the same municipality, update it at that Câmara. If you move to another one, go to the Câmara for your new address. Bring your ID or passport and proof of the new address. For the original process, see Registering as an EU Citizen Resident in Portugal (CRUE).

Social Security and your health centre

These steps are for foreign residents without a Citizen Card.

Social Security:

  1. Log in to Segurança Social Direta with your NISS and password, or your Digital Mobile Key.
  2. Click your name at the top right, then "perfil".
  3. Choose "consultar e atualizar contactos" and change the address.

You can also fill in the change of details form (Mod. MG 2) at a Social Security counter or Espaço Cidadão. Bring your passport or residence permit. If you do not have a NISS yet, see Getting a Social Security Number (NISS) in Portugal.

Health centre: moving does not force you to change health centre. The SNS recommends moving to the centre for your new area. Go to the new centre in person and bring:

  • your residence permit or registration certificate
  • your new permanent address
  • your civil identification number (from your ID or passport)
  • your NIF
  • proof of any health benefits, such as fee exemptions

Hospital treatment you have already started can continue where it is. For how GP assignment works, see Registering with the SNS in Portugal.

Your car and driving licence

If you own a car registered in Portugal: you have 60 days after changing your address to update the vehicle registration certificate (Documento Único Automóvel). This applies whether or not you have a Citizen Card. Apply through Automóvel Online, by post, or at a registry counter.

This one has a fee. The registry service quoted €35, cheaper online, rising to €70 if you miss the deadline. Check the current amount before you apply.

If you have a Portuguese driving licence but no Citizen Card: tell IMT through IMT Online or at an IMT counter.

The private side, and forwarding your post

Tell your bank, because new cards and codes go by post. Also tell your employer, your insurers, and your energy, water, and telecoms providers.

When you change your Citizen Card address, gov.pt offers to update some other bodies at the same time. These include EDP, EPAL, Via Verde, the Automóvel Club de Portugal, and the employment institute (IEFP). You can also do this later through "Alterar a morada em várias entidades públicas e privadas". This service does not change your address at Finanças, Social Security, or the SNS.

If your telecoms or energy provider cannot serve the new address, you may be able to end a fixed-term contract without a penalty.

To forward post from your old address, ask CTT for its mail redirection service (reexpedição). It takes about three working days to start.

If you have a pet, update the pet register (SIAC) within 15 days of the change.

Voting after a move

If you have a Citizen Card: your polling station follows your confirmed address automatically. If you move in the 60 days before an election, you still vote at your old parish for that election.

If you are a foreign resident on the electoral roll: your registration was made at a parish council (junta de freguesia). Check with the council for your new address that your registration follows you. See Registering to Vote in Portugal as a Foreign Resident.

Sources

This guide is written from official Portuguese and EU sources and, for prices and contact details, the providers' own websites.

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

Read next