OUR EXPERT

Written by

Brenda.L

After completing her higher education, Brenda joined AnchorLess in 2023. She is an expert on relocation issues in Europe.

WHY YOU CAN TRUST ANCHORLESS

+10,000

Expats guided

1500

reviews noted 4.9/5

Get your Portuguese NIF now

5-minute online application

Get your Portuguese NIF

Table of contents

What is a Portuguese NIF?
How do you get a Portuguese NIF?
What do you do once your NIF arrives?
What's new for the NIF in 2026?
How can AnchorLess help you with your NIF?

NIF Portugal

Portuguese Tax ID

10/01/2024

How to Get Your NIF Portugal: A Guide for Expats

If you are planning a move to Portugal, your NIF is the first thing to sort out. The NIF ('Número de Identificação Fiscal'), also called the 'número de contribuinte', is the Portuguese tax identification number, and you need a NIF in Portugal before you can rent, open a bank account, sign a work contract, or set up utilities.

You can apply for a NIF at a Finanças tax office in Portugal for free, or request your NIF online from abroad through a fiscal representative or a service that submits the NIF application for you (like us!).

Anyone can get a NIF number in Portugal, resident or not, regardless of citizenship. Your NIF is a nine-digit taxpayer identification number, it is issued once, and it stays with you for life. You do not need to be living in Portugal to request your NIF, which is why most people apply for a NIF before they arrive.

Below we cover how to apply for a NIF in person or request it online from abroad, whether you need a fiscal representative, how long it takes and what it costs, and what to do once your NIF arrives.

Apply for your Portuguese NIF online in just 5 minutes

An easy, secure way to get your Portuguese NIF, officially processed with the tax office and includes your Finanças password.

Get your Portuguese NIF now

Apply from abroad; no need to be in Portugal

Password for your Finanças account

Delivery via email from 24 hours

What is a Portuguese NIF?

The NIF is the tax identification number used for almost every administrative and financial action in Portugal.

'Número de Identificação Fiscal', 'Número de Contribuinte', 'Contribuinte', and "fiscal number" all refer to the same nine-digit Portuguese tax number, issued by the Portuguese tax authority, known as Finanças.

If a form or a bank asks for your "Portuguese fiscal number" or "taxpayer identification," it means your NIF.

A NIF number in Portugal is not a residence permit and grants no residency rights on its own. It is purely a tax ID, though it is essential for a Portuguese life. Each person and each company is assigned one, and because so many everyday services ask for it, it is the natural first step of a relocation.

Why do you need a NIF?

You need a NIF because almost nothing administrative or financial in Portugal happens without one. If you want to live in Portugal or hold financial assets there, it is a precondition rather than an optional extra.

If you keep questioning 'why do I need a NIF?' it's pretty much for your tax purposes in Portugal, either to live or to ensue any financial activity.

Can foreigners get a NIF in Portugal?

Yes. A NIF for foreigners is routine, resident or not.

Portugal issues its taxpayer identification number to foreign nationals exactly as it does to its own citizens, so being foreign is not a barrier.

Whether you are an EU/EEA citizen or a non-EU foreign national, you can hold a NIF, and you can request it as a non-resident from abroad or get it in person once you are in Portugal.

What changes with your nationality and residence is the route, and whether you need a fiscal representative, not your right to the number itself.

What is a Portugal NIF used for?

The NIF is required to sign a rental contract, buy property, open a bank account, get paid, set up phone, water, electricity, or internet, and carry out most financial transactions.

Because so many later steps sit on top of it, the NIF tends to be the first thing people arrange.

Even as a resident, giving your NIF at the till is useful beyond big purchases. It links the invoice to you, which can feed your annual tax deduction, and it makes it easier for a retailer to find a purchase later if you need to return something or use a warranty. Giving your NIF is not mandatory for a purchase, but it is often worth it.

How long does a NIF last?

A NIF is permanent.

It is a nine-digit number, issued once, and it does not change or expire.

Once you have it, it stays with you for life, so there is no renewal to track and no version that lapses.

Who needs a NIF?

Anyone who lives in Portugal, or who deals with Portugal financially from abroad, will need a NIF.

In practice that covers almost everyone planning to move, do business, buy property, or start a visa process. The main groups are:

Portuguese citizens, who normally receive a NIF with their Citizen Card.
Foreign residents holding a residence permit, a CRUE, or a residence visa.
Temporary residents, including workers, students, and family members.
Short-term visitors who want to rent, buy, or open an account.
Non-residents holding assets or earning income in Portugal from abroad.
Companies.

Minors can hold a NIF too, requested by a parent or legal guardian. And if none of those describe your situation yet but you are preparing a move, you still fall into the group that should apply early, because the NIF sits underneath every later step.

Is a Portugal NIF required for your visa?

The NIF itself is not a visa requirement.

But several things you may need for your application can depend on having one, such as opening a Portuguese bank account, signing a rental contract, or buying property.

That is why people often get their NIF before they apply, even when the visa checklist does not list the NIF itself.

Is a Portugal NIF required for the CRUE?

Yes. If you are an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen registering your residence with a CRUE ('Certificado de Registo de Cidadão da União Europeia'), the NIF is one of the required documents.

The order is NIF first, then CRUE, which you request after your first three months in Portugal. So even though EU citizens do not need a visa, they still need the NIF early, both for the CRUE and for the bank account, lease, and job that come with settling in.

Does getting a NIF make you a tax resident?

No.

Holding a NIF does not, by itself, make you a tax resident in Portugal. The NIF is a tax identifier, and it is available to non-residents precisely so they can deal with Portugal without living there.

You become a tax resident when you meet Portugal's criteria, for example spending more than 183 days in the country in the relevant period, or keeping a home there as your habitual residence.

Once you meet those criteria, you update your tax address with Finanças, normally within 60 days.

The key point is that the 60 days runs from when you actually become resident, not from when you got the NIF, so there is nothing to rush while you are still abroad.

Communicating late does carry a small fine in theory (a 'coima' of 75 to 375 euros for an individual), but it is rarely applied. The real reason to keep the address current is that Finanças sends its notices there, and you count as notified whether or not the letter reaches you.

How do you get a Portuguese NIF?

You can get it either in person or online. It all depends on your location.

A NIF can be issued in person at a Finanças office in Portugal, or online from abroad before you arrive.

Which one fits depends on where you are and your status, and there is also an integrated service for people already living in Portugal, covered further down.

What documents do you need for a NIF?

The documents depend on your nationality, and the split that changes the answer is EU/EEA/Swiss versus everyone else.

For an EU, EEA, or Swiss national, you generally need a valid identification document (passport or national ID card) and a proof of address from your country of residence.
For a non-EU/EEA/Swiss national, you need a valid passport and a proof of address, and, unless you are registering as a resident in Portugal, a fiscal representative in Portugal.

In both cases the proof of address should show your full name as on your ID and be recent; a utility bill or a bank statement usually works. If you apply through a representative or a service, you also sign a power of attorney authorizing them to file the request on your behalf. For a minor without a passport, a birth certificate or other proof of birth can be presented instead.

Check if you need a Portuguese NIF

What's your Passport Issuing Country

Your NIF and Finanças password by email

NIF Delivery from 24 hours

Money-back guarantee

How to get your Portugal NIF in person for free

If you are in Portugal, you can get your NIF for free at a Finanças office.

The tax office issues the number at no charge, and your citizenship determines the exact process.

This route is officially by appointment. You book through the Portal das Finanças under 'Atendimento por Marcação', choosing the flow for a NIF request for people without a Citizen Card, or you call the tax authority's line (+351 217 206 707). You do not need a NIF to book that appointment; the flow is built for people who do not have one yet.

In practice, some offices may still hand out a limited number of walk-in tickets, but this varies office by office, so do not plan around walking in. This route also assumes you are physically in Portugal, which does not help if you are still preparing the move from abroad.

Max

When I arrived in Lisbon, a hired lawyer was taking too long to return a NIF, so as a French national I went straight to my local Finanças. After a couple of hours waiting, the clerk told me I couldn't complete it that day. That start is exactly why we built AnchorLess.

How to get your Portugal NIF online from abroad

You can get your NIF online from outside Portugal, but the request has to be submitted by someone with access to the Portal das Finanças.

For a non-resident that normally means a fiscal representative in Portugal acting under a power of attorney, or a service that does this for you.

Done this way, applying from abroad is quick and easy on your side: you complete an online form, upload your documents, and the request is filed for you through 'e-Balcão'.

Do I need a fiscal representative?

If you are a non-EU third-country national without Portuguese residency, you need a fiscal representative to get your NIF as a non-resident.

This follows your status, not the channel: going in person to a Finanças office does not remove it. You only skip the fiscal representative if you register as a resident (a Portuguese address, which in practice means legal status here) or you are an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen.

Even so, we recommend that EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens still get the NIF through a fiscal representative first, because of the Finanças password.

The password is sent by post, and a mailed letter is easy to lose: even inside Portugal it often does not arrive, or the post returns it without warning, and from abroad the risk is worse.

A representative gives the letter a reliable Portuguese address to land at. Once it arrives, you change the password and switch your notifications to electronic ones, and from there you can remove the representative.

One thing to be clear about: a fiscal representative receives your tax correspondence in Portugal, it does not file your personal income tax. Your IRS return stays your responsibility, and if you want help with it, that is an accountant's ('contabilista') job. What the role does and does not include is covered in full in our guide to fiscal representation in Portugal.

That's mainly why the fiscal representative must be someone you trust, because whoever receives the letter can log in and set a new password before you do. That is a real risk, not a theoretical one. Immigrant forums and communities regularly carry reports of exactly this: a NIF tied to a foreign or wrong address, a password letter that never arrives, and someone left locked out of the portal from abroad until it is sorted out.

A fiscal representative does not file your personal income tax. Filing your annual IRS return is the NIF holder's own responsibility; if you want help with it, that is an accountant's ('contabilista') job, not the representative's. The representative only receives and manages your tax correspondence so you do not miss deadlines.

What is needed to formalize a fiscal representative

To appoint a fiscal representative, you sign a power of attorney authorizing them to act for you before Finanças.

For that document to be accepted in Portugal, it usually has to be notarized in your home country and then legalized with an apostille (or, if your country is not part of the Hague Apostille Convention, through consular legalization). Factor in the notary and apostille steps and their fees, or use a service that packages the whole thing so you do not have to arrange it yourself.

How to remove your fiscal representative

You can remove your fiscal representative once you no longer need a Portuguese address to receive your tax correspondence.

For most people that is when you become resident and register a Portuguese address; an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen can update to an EU address at any time, and if you only used a representative to receive the password, you can drop it once you have switched your notifications to electronic ones.

You request the change of address to a Portuguese one (or an EU one, if you are an EU national) through 'e-Balcão' or at your local Finanças office, and you ask for the representative to be removed in the same request.

Getting your NIF from abroad with AnchorLess

AnchorLess requests your Portuguese NIF remotely, from anywhere, so you do not need to be in Portugal.

You provide a valid ID, a proof of address, and a signed power of attorney for the NIF, and the request is submitted to Finanças on your behalf.

The number comes back by email together with your Finanças password (following some weeks later), and AnchorLess acts as your fiscal representative in Portugal while you have not yet moved, so you have a compliant point of contact from day one.

how-to-get-your-nif-portugal-as-foreigner

Apply for your Portuguese NIF online in just 5 minutes

An easy, secure way to get your Portuguese NIF, officially processed with the tax office and includes your Finanças password.

Get your Portuguese NIF now

Apply from abroad; no need to be in Portugal

Password for your Finanças account

Delivery via email from 24 hours

Find your nearest tax office 'Finanças' office here!

Getting your NIF alongside your NISS if you're legally living in Portugal

If you are already in Portugal, you can request a NIF, NISS (social security number), and your 'número de utente' (health number) in a single appointment.

The service is for foreigners with an address in Portugal who do not hold a Citizen Card, and it is built on data-sharing between AIMA (Portugal's immigration agency), the tax authority, Social Security, and the health service.

It is open to specific groups, including people who have applied for or already hold a residence permit, and EU citizens, and it currently runs at 12 'Espaços Cidadão'.

It needs a Portuguese address and a qualifying legal status, so it does not replace the value of getting your NIF before you arrive, but for someone already on the ground it can settle three identifiers at once.

How long does a NIF take?

How long it takes depends on the route, but the actual processing is quick; the waiting is mostly about access.

In person at Finanças, once you are seen you typically receive your NIF the same day, on the spot. The slow part is getting the appointment, since booking or the queue can add days or weeks to the front of the process.

Requesting your NIF online is usually a matter of a few business days, and a good remote service can be faster, sometimes returning the number within 72 hours of receiving a complete set of documents.

These timelines depend on your paperwork being correct the first time, so the sooner you file with everything in order, the sooner the rest of your relocation can move.

How much does a Portuguese NIF cost?

At Finanças, the NIF itself is free.

If you use a representative or a service, you pay for that service rather than for the number, and the price varies by provider.

But be wary of providers charging 200 to 300 euros with hidden fees, and of cheap listings offering fake NIFs. This is a document that underpins your finances in Portugal, so choose a provider that is verifiable and reviewed by real users.

Be vigilant when looking for a NIF provider online. There are several scams available that will sell fake NIFs for a lower price or request higher amounts to finish the transaction. Make sure your choice is reliable and approved by other users.

Apply for your Portuguese NIF online in just 5 minutes

An easy, secure way to get your Portuguese NIF, officially processed with the tax office and includes your Finanças password.

Get your Portuguese NIF now

Apply from abroad; no need to be in Portugal

Password for your Finanças account

Delivery via email from 24 hours

What do you do once your NIF arrives?

Getting the number is the start, not the end.

Once your NIF and Finanças password arrive, keep both safe: together they are your access to the Portal das Finanças, where you manage your tax profile.

Your NIF number and document

Once the number is yours, here is what the document actually is and where to find the number day to day.

What does a Portuguese NIF look like, and where do you find the number?

Your NIF is a nine-digit number, and you rarely need the paper it came on. Opening a bank account is the main moment the document itself comes up; everywhere else you just say or type the number.

The paper NIF document

The NIF arrives as a plain white sheet of paper, with no seal or stamp, and the nine-digit number sits at the top left, in the first box, before your name. However you requested it, the document looks the same.

E-Fatura app and using your NIF

Available years ago, the old printable NIF card is no longer issued, but the E-Fatura app fills the gap.

Its 'O meu NIF' screen shows your NIF as a QR code. A cashier can scan when issuing an invoice, and the same app scans the QR code on a receipt, so you can register an invoice even when it was issued without your NIF at the till.

What is the Finanças password, and what does it do?

The Finanças password is your login to the Portal das Finanças, the government tax portal.

You use it to manage your details, submit your IRS information, and classify invoices for deductions.

The first time you access the portal with your NIF, you request the password, and it is sent by official letter to the address on file, which for a non-resident is the fiscal representative's address. Plan for around two weeks or more, since Portuguese post is the real bottleneck.

Since late 2024 the mailed password is single-use, so you must change it at your first login. Even so, the address must belong to someone you trust, because whoever receives the letter can log in before you do.

This is a real risk: immigrant forums and communities regularly carry reports of a NIF tied to a foreign or wrong address, a password letter that never arrives, and someone left locked out of the portal from abroad. Requesting and changing the password has its own walkthrough in our Finanças password guide.

Exemple of the letter that you will received with your Financas password

What if you don't know whether you have or had a NIF?

The NIF is a number, not a card, so if you are unsure whether you ever got one, or you have simply lost the number, the fix is to look it up, not to reissue anything.

The same portal you use for the password is where you can check it, and this comes up most for people who dealt with Portugal once before, or who received different documents and are no longer sure which number is theirs.

How to look up your NIF number

You can consult the number in your reserved area on the Portal das Finanças or gov.pt, and if you obtained it through the integrated service, your numbers are also in the gov.pt reserved area, the gov.pt app, or a participating 'Espaço Cidadão'.

Logging in to the Portal das Finanças only confirms you can access the account; it does not prove the number on its own, since a failed login can just mean a wrong password or an unfinished registration.

If you cannot recover it yourself

If the government channels do not get you there, or you would rather not deal with the tax authority yourself, a lawyer, an accountant, or a specialized service can retrieve the number for you.

Update your NIF address and set up notifications

When you actually move and become a resident, you update your fiscal address to a Portuguese one through 'e-Balcão' on the Portal das Finanças or at a Finanças office.

At the same time, switch your notifications to electronic ones, by email through the portal, so nothing important is left to the post.

For an EU national this is something you do during your first access to Finanças.

As we mentioned, we highly recommend getting a fiscal representative with a PT address to receive the password letter. After your first login, you can switch the notifications for online only, remove the fiscal representation and update your address to your original EU address.

For a non-EU national this is currently the hardest post-arrival step. Finanças asks for a passport plus a residence or AIMA document, and a lease on its own is usually not enough; the old 'manifestação de interesse' route no longer applies to new cases, since it ended in mid-2024.

Reports in immigrant communities describe people being turned away in person even with a visa, a work contract, and a lease, because the clerk wanted AIMA documentation. Portugal being Portugal, the outcome varies by office, by clerk, and even by the time of day, so one person's smooth experience is not a rule you can count on. What to bring and how to handle the change is covered in our guide to changing your NIF address.

Apply for your Portuguese NIF online in just 5 minutes

An easy, secure way to get your Portuguese NIF, officially processed with the tax office and includes your Finanças password.

Get your Portuguese NIF now

Apply from abroad; no need to be in Portugal

Password for your Finanças account

Delivery via email from 24 hours

What's new for the NIF in 2026?

The number and the rules have not changed; but one route for the process has.

The NIF is still a permanent nine-digit number, and existing numbers stay valid.

What is new is an integrated service that issues the NIF together with the NISS and the 'número de utente' for foreigners already legally residing in Portugal, built on data-sharing between AIMA, the tax authority, Social Security, and the health service.

It was updated in mid-2026 and currently runs at 12 'Espaços Cidadão'.

How can AnchorLess help you with your NIF?

If you would rather simplify the NIF Portugal process, instead of finding a local fiscal representative, arrange a notarized and apostilled power of attorney, and deal with Finanças yourself, this is the part our service handles everything for you.

AnchorLess requests your Portuguese NIF remotely, from anywhere, so you do not need to be in Portugal.

You provide a valid ID, a proof of address, and a signed power of attorney for the NIF, and the request is filed with Finanças on your behalf.

The number is returned by email with your Finanças access password following later, which is the part many DIY applicants struggle with, and AnchorLess also acts as your fiscal representative in Portugal while you have not yet moved.

You can, of course, do all of this yourself at a Finanças office for free if you are already in Portugal, or privately through your own representative.

The trade-off is the trip, the appointment, the notary, and doing it in Portuguese.

Sorting your NIF before the rest of your move

The NIF is the foundation the rest of your move sits on: a permanent nine-digit number, free at a Finanças office if you are in the country, and available from abroad through a representative or a service. It does not make you a tax resident on its own, and it stays with you for life.

Getting the number is rarely the hard part; knowing which route fits your status is. From abroad, a non-EU national should plan on a fiscal representative, mostly to receive the Finanças password safely, and everyone should expect the address update to come later, once they arrive. Sorting the NIF early takes one more thing off the pile, so you can focus on the rest of your move to Portugal.

Can children have a NIF Portugal as well?

How to change the NIF address Portugal?

How to check if your NIF Portugal number is valid?

Is NIF the same as Fiscal Number in Portugal?

Can I get my NIF Portugal online?

Still have questions?

Can't find the answer you're looking for? Contact our team of experts!

Share this article

Join a community of 10,000+ expats

Get the weekly tips, success stories, and step-by-step guides we share with our members to make their move a success.

I love AnchorLess! They have been fantastic for my move to Portugal with the NIF, checking account, lawyer and tax consultation. I will be happy with when this process is over, but at least the journey has been smoother with them.

Lisa D

From South Africa

Guilherme was the best! I had so many questions and moving parts and he was responsive, always professional, and went above and beyond to help me with everything! He is a PRO!!!!

Debra Savage

From The United States

Our readers also viewed

Portuguese

Citizenship

06/07/2026

How to Get Portuguese Citizenship Through a Parent (2026)

If a parent was Portuguese when you were born, you likely qualify already. See who's eligible for ci...

Brenda

Content Manager

Moving to Portugal with Pets

Moving with Pets Portugal

28/02/2025

Moving to Portugal with Pets in 2026: What You Need

Bringing your pet to Portugal? Learn the 2026 rules for microchips, rabies vaccines, health certific...

Brenda

Content Manager

More than a blog, an ecosystem

Webinars Hub

Join our free webinars and get concrete answers to your most pressing relocation questions.

Community

Connect with thousands of current and future expats. You're not alone on this journey.

Partners

Insurance, housing: we've hand-picked and vetted the best services, so you don't have to.

Start your new life in Europe

Turn relocation stress into success with AnchorLess.

Relocating to Europe made simple.

Start to relocate now

Talk to us for free

4.9/5 Excellent

AnchorLess is not a bank, accountant, tax advisor, investment advisor, or law firm, nor are we a government or official government website. We act as an intermediary, helping connect you with accredited professionals and streamlining administrative processes for your relocation in Europe.