“The address on my lease is different to that on my utility bills (water, electricity, and gas). I’m worried that this is going to cause an issue when I need proof of address for my AIMA appointment.” – Portugalist reader
Getting the right paperwork is important in Portugal, and having proof of address is obviously very important. But it’s obviously concerning when you rent an apartment or house and each different piece of paper has a slightly (or almost completely) different address.
According to utilities expert Fernando Mendes, “this is quite normal in Portugal (albeit annoying). Sometimes this is down to the name of a road changing: perhaps the road was initially called Rua Principal, but it later changed to a different name. The electricity company might use the old street name whereas another office, like the council or tax office might use the new name.”
However, despite its normality, it does present a concern for those that are trying to get all of their paperwork in order. One solution Fernando Mendes suggests is to look into getting a mobile phone contract (and perhaps home internet).
While utility companies will normally only use the address that they have in their database, mobile phone companies are more flexible so you can make sure that the address on your contract matches the address on your lease.
It’s also, as mentioned, a common issue in Portugal, so hopefully the person at AIMA, the local câmara municipal, or wherever else will be understanding.