Getting a Certificate of No Debts (Certidão de Não Dívida)

Last verified: September 2026.

Who this is for

• Residents, Portuguese or foreign, asked to prove they owe nothing to Finanças or Social Security.
• Non-EU residents renewing a residence permit or applying for permanent residence.
• Self-employed people and business owners applying for grants, licences, or public contracts.

Not for you if: you think a tax bill is wrong and want to challenge it. Read Contesting a Tax Assessment in Portugal instead.

Updated September 2026. The tax certificate is now valid for four months, not three.

A "certificate of no debts" is really two documents. The tax authority (Finanças) issues a tax debt certificate (certidão de dívida e não dívida). Social Security issues a contribution status declaration (declaração de situação contributiva). Each proves you are up to date, or shows what you owe. You can download both free online in a few minutes, and each is valid for four months. When dealing with a public body, you can often skip the paper and let it check your status online.

Who asks for it

You may need one or both when you:

• Renew a residence permit or apply for permanent residence. See Renewing Your Residence Permit with AIMA in Portugal.
• Apply for a public grant, subsidy, or business support scheme.
• Bid for a public contract.
• Apply for some licences and permits.

The body asking should say which one it needs. If it just says "certidão de não dívida", it usually means both.

What "in good standing" means

Both certificates say whether your situation is "regularised" (regularizada). That does not always mean you owe nothing. You count as in good standing if any of these is true:

• You owe no tax or contributions, and no interest on them.
• You have an approved instalment plan and you are keeping to it.
• You are challenging the debt and have given a guarantee (garantia), such as a bank guarantee.
• Collection of the debt is suspended with a guarantee in place.

If you are not in good standing, the certificate shows the exact amount you owe.

Getting the tax certificate online

You need your NIF and a way to log in to the Portal das Finanças: your password, your Citizen Card, or the Chave Móvel Digital. See Activating the Chave Móvel Digital in Portugal for the last option.

1. Log in to the Portal das Finanças.
2. Type "Certidão de dívida" in the search box.
3. Under "Pedir Certidão" (request certificate), click "Aceder".
4. Choose the type "Dívida e Não Dívida".
5. Click "Confirmar", then "Certidão".
6. Save the PDF.

It is free and ready at once. It is valid for four months.

Each certificate has a validation code. Instead of sending the PDF, you can give someone your NIF and the code. They check it on the Portal das Finanças under the document validation option.

Getting the Social Security declaration online

Log in to Segurança Social Direta with the Chave Móvel Digital, your Citizen Card, or your Social Security number (NISS) and password.

1. Go to "Pagamentos e dívidas" (payments and debts), then "Situação contributiva" (contribution status).
2. Click "Obter nova declaração" (get a new declaration).
3. Click "Ver declaração" (view declaration) and save the PDF.

If your contributions are in order, it appears at once. If your case goes for review, it can take up to 10 days. The declaration is valid for four months.

It carries a verification code too. Others can check it online with your NISS and the code.

The shortcut: let a public body check for itself

A public body can often check your status directly, so you do not hand over paper. You give consent online, and it looks you up. Consent works only for public bodies: ministries, public institutes, public companies, and councils. A private landlord or employer still needs the PDF.

On Social Security:

1. In Segurança Social Direta, open "Situação contributiva", then "Declaração da situação contributiva".
2. Click the option to give or change consent to public bodies.
3. Click "Dar novo consentimento" (give new consent).
4. Enter the public body's NISS, NIF, or company number, and the start and end dates.
5. Confirm.

The body only sees one word: regularised, not regularised, or under review. The result it sees is valid for six months. Your consent lasts until the end date you chose or until you cancel it. In the same area you can see which bodies have checked you.

On Finanças: the Portal das Finanças has a matching option to authorise a public body, by its tax number, to check your tax status. Ask the body for its NIF. For example, IAPMEI asks StartUP Visa applicants to authorise it this way.

If you cannot do it online

Tax certificate: go to a tax office (Serviço de Finanças). You can book an appointment. Ask whether a counter certificate has a fee, since only the online one is stated to be free. The tax helpline is 217 206 707, working days 9:00 to 19:00.

Social Security declaration: fill in form RC 3042 and either:

• Hand it in at a Social Security office or an Espaço Cidadão that offers the service.
• Post it to the Social Security district centre where you live.

Bring or copy your ID (Citizen Card or passport), your NISS, and your NIF. The declaration is ready within 10 working days, at the counter or by post.

If you have never worked in Portugal and need the declaration for school or another reason, ask at a Social Security counter. The online route may not produce it. The Social Security helpline is 210 545 400 or 300 502 502, working days 9:00 to 18:00.

If a certificate shows a debt

1. Check the amount. The certificate lists what you owe.
2. If you already paid, wait. Social Security says payments can take up to 72 hours to show. Then request the certificate again.
3. If the debt is real, pay it in the Portal das Finanças or Segurança Social Direta, or ask for an instalment plan. An approved plan you keep to puts you back in good standing.
4. If you disagree, challenge it. For tax, see the contesting guide linked above. For Social Security, complain to your district centre with proof of payment. To be in good standing while you contest, you may need to give a guarantee.

Old debts may have expired. See When a Debt Expires in Portugal.

Tips

• Get both, close to the date you need them. Four months passes quickly.
• Offer consent first to public bodies. It saves a step, and paper expiry stops mattering.
• Keep your address current with Finanças and Social Security, so letters about debts reach you.
• File your IRS return and pay contributions on time. The certificates only mirror your record.

Sources

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

• Portal das Finanças, Certificate of debt and no debt: https://info.portaldasfinancas.gov.pt/pt/apoio_ao_contribuinte/Dividas_e_coimas/Dividas/Certidao_de_divida_e_nao_divida/Paginas/default.aspx (what "regularised" means, amount shown if in debt)
• Tax and Customs Authority, leaflet on certificates and proofs (February 2026): https://info.portaldasfinancas.gov.pt/pt/apoio_contribuinte/Folhetos_informativos/Documents/certidoes_comprovativos.pdf (online certificates free, four-month validity, steps, validation code, helpline)
• Code of Tax Procedure and Process (CPPT), consolidated text, Diário da República: https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/legislacao-consolidada/decreto-lei/1999-34577575 (four-month validity, definition of regularised status)
• gov.pt, Request a contribution status declaration from Social Security (updated 10 September 2026): https://www.gov.pt/servicos/situacao-contributiva-perante-a-seguranca-social-declaracao (online, counter, and postal routes, form RC 3042, 10-day times, four-month validity, people who never worked)
• gov.pt, Authorise public bodies to check your Social Security contribution status (updated 1 June 2026): https://www.gov.pt/servicos/situacao-contributiva-perante-a-seguranca-social-autorizacao-para-consulta-de-terceiros (which bodies, what they see, six-month validity, steps, free)
• Social Security Institute, Practical guide to the contribution status declaration (January 2025): https://www.seg-social.pt/storage1/files/2004--DeclaracaoSituacaoContributivaPessoaColetivaPessoaSingular-Rztjyk6V7DnwZSxNInOmKQ.pdf (meaning of regularised, verification code, 72-hour payment delay, complaints, helplines)
• Social Security, form RC 3042: https://www.seg-social.pt/storage1/files/RC-3042-DGSS-ICsCnZe-Fx_I_zZn0bmprA.pdf (paper request)
• Decreto-Lei 114/2007, Diário da República: https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/decreto-lei/114-2007-519402 (consent instead of certificates with public bodies)

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