A NIF (Número de Identificação Fiscal, or número de contribuinte) is your nine-digit Portuguese tax number. It’s one of the first things to take care of when you move here.
Most D7 and D8 applicants get theirs early, because you need a NIF to open a bank account and sign a lease—two of the main requirements for a visa here.
If you live outside the EU/EEA (in the US, UK or Canada, say), the easiest way is online. A service in Portugal applies for you as your legal representative, and you get your NIF in about a week.
You can also get one free, in person, at a Finanças tax office—more on that below ↓.
The short version
- What a NIF is: Portugal’s nine-digit tax number. You need it to open a bank account, rent a home, buy property or set up utilities.
- Getting one from abroad: a service in Portugal applies online for you. It costs from €64 and takes about a week.
- Getting one in Portugal: book an appointment at Finanças or a Loja do Cidadão. It’s free, and you usually leave with your number the same day.
- Documents: your passport and proof of address, such as a bank statement or utility bill.
- Fiscal representative: not needed just to get a NIF. You need one only if you live outside the EU/EEA and buy property or a car here. Who needs one ↓
- Tax residency: a NIF doesn’t make you a Portuguese tax resident. Spending more than 183 days here, or having your main home here, does. More ↓
Here’s who I’d go with, so you don’t have to read the whole page:
Cheapest of my picks
🏆 Visas.pt: €64
It’s €64 through my link, versus €95 direct—the cheapest I found when I compared them in August 2026. Allow about seven days, or pay €50 extra for the 2-day rush.
There’s no fiscal representation, but most people who’ll rent when they arrive don’t need it.
Fastest standard, with fiscal rep
🥈 Novomove: €69
My second pick is only €5 more (€69 with code PORTUGALIST), faster at 3–7 days, and includes fiscal representation, with every Finanças letter scanned and emailed within 24 hours.
Go with this one if there’s a chance you’ll buy a house or car before you move.
Provider logos, “Get NIF” buttons and links marked with an asterisk (*) are affiliate links. Portugalist earns a commission if you sign up through them, and the prices shown are the discounted ones you get through my links and codes. How I compared them ↓
Find your best option
Not Sure Which One? Let Portugalist Pick for You
Answer two or three quick questions and you’ll see the route I’d take, free or paid. No email needed.
My pick for you
Novomove: €69, with fiscal representation
If you buy a property or car while you live outside the EU/EEA, you need a fiscal representative. Novomove includes 12 months of it, delivers in 3–7 days, and costs €69 with code PORTUGALIST.
My pick for you
Visas.pt: €64, in about a week
You don’t need fiscal representation if you’ll rent first, so go with the cheapest service. Visas.pt is €64 through my link, versus €95 direct.
My pick for you
Visas.pt with the 2-day rush: €114
Visas.pt is €64 through my link, plus €50 for the 2-day rush. Anchorless also offers a 1–2 day premium rush if you’d like fiscal representation included.
My pick for you
Visas.pt: €64, no representative needed
EU/EEA residents never need a fiscal representative, so the cheapest online service does the job. Visas.pt is €64 through my link and takes about a week.
My pick for you
Finanças: free, usually the same day
Book an appointment at a Finanças office or a Loja do Cidadão and bring your passport and proof of address. If you’d rather skip the appointment, Visas.pt does it online for €64.
Where Do You Want to Start?
🔎
Just show me the NIF services
Sort six services by price or speed, and filter by fiscal rep or rush delivery.
🏛️
Show me the free route
Getting a NIF in person at Finanças, and who can do it.
📖
The full guide
Which route fits you, fiscal representatives, documents, and when to change your address.
The short version
Which NIF Route Should You Use?
Which route to use depends on where you live and what you need the NIF for. From outside the EU/EEA, most people apply online through a service; if you’re already in Portugal, Finanças is free.
| Your situation | Do you need a NIF? | Best route |
|---|---|---|
| Visiting Portugal on vacation | No | Say consumidor final when a cashier asks for it |
| Scouting before you move | It helps | Get it online before you go, so you can rent or open a bank account while you’re here |
| Applying for a D7 or D8 | Yes, and early | Online, before you open your bank account |
| Opening a bank account or renting long-term | Yes | Online from abroad, or Finanças if you’re here |
| Buying property or a car | Yes | A service that includes fiscal representation, if you live outside the EU/EEA |
| Working or getting paid here | Yes | Get your NIF first, then your NISS |
| EU/EEA resident | If any of the above apply | Finanças, free, no representative |
Applying for a D7 or D8 From the US, UK or Canada?
This is the order most people do it in, and you can do step 1 without leaving home:
Get your NIF
Online, from home. About a week.
Open a bank account
The bank asks for your NIF first.
Arrange accommodation
A lease needs your NIF too.
Apply for your visa
Keep the foreign address on your NIF for now.
Opening a bank account online → · Accommodation for the D7 → · The D7 checklist →
Watch: How to Get a NIF
Compare prices
Best Online NIF Services Compared: Price, Speed and Fiscal Rep
The cheapest online NIF service I found is Visas.pt, at €64. The fastest standard delivery with fiscal representation is Novomove: 3–7 days, for €69.
I looked at fifteen-odd services, and these six were the best. Sort and filter them to match what you need.
Provider logos, “Get NIF” buttons and links marked with an asterisk (*) are affiliate links. Portugalist earns a commission if you sign up through them, and the prices shown are the discounted ones you get through my links and codes. How I compared them is further down this section.
| Provider | Price | Delivery | Fiscal rep | Renewal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | €64 with my link €95 direct · you save €31 | ~7 days 2-day rush for €50 extra | Not included | — | Get NIF |
 | €69 with code PORTUGALIST€79 direct · you save €10 | 3–7 days | 12 months included | €79/yr | Get NIF |
 | €89 with my link €99 direct · you save €10 | 3–10 days 1–2 day premium rush | 6 months standard, 1 year via my link | ~€149/yr | Get NIF |
 | €99 with code PORTUGALIST€109 direct · you save €10 | ~10 days | 12 months included | €99/yr | Get NIF |
 | ~€122 with code PORTUGALIST€132 direct · you save ~€10 | ~7 days | 12 months included | ~€139/yr | Get NIF |
 | €142.50 with code PORTUGALIST€150 direct · you save €7.50 | ~2 weeks | — | — | Get NIF |
Delivery times are provider-advertised. Bordr is priced in dollars, so the euro figure changes slightly with the exchange rate.
💡
You’re buying speed, not a better number
Finanças issues the same NIF whichever service handles it. You’re paying for speed, fiscal representation if you need it, and a company that’s actually reliable.
Reliability matters most with ongoing fiscal representation. When Finanças writes to you, you have a limited window to respond, and a missed deadline can mean a fine. A representative who forwards letters quickly is worth more than a cheap one.
How I Compared Them
A word on trust, since it’s what people worry about most: all of these have strong Trustpilot scores. e-Residence has the most reviews, and Visas.pt the fewest.
They’ve also been tried and tested by Portugalist readers for months—that’s why they’re listed. I left the others out because they haven’t been.
You can also get a NIF through just about any Portuguese immigration lawyer. But there are so many of them, and they aren’t necessarily any cheaper or faster than the services above, so I haven’t included them.
How I compared them
What I Checked for Each Service
💶 Price with my link or code, and the direct price (August 2026)
⏱️ Advertised delivery time, and any rush option
📬 Whether fiscal representation is included, and the renewal price
🔑 Whether the Portal das Finanças password is included
⭐ Trustpilot scores, and months of use by Portugalist readers
📊 Coming next: delivery times reported by readers
A closer look
The Six NIF Services, Reviewed
Cheapest of my picks
Visas.pt: €64
The one I’d choose if I didn’t need fiscal representation: it’s the cheapest, and it does the job. It’s not as fast as Novomove, so allow about a week.
It has fewer Trustpilot reviews than most of the others, but Portugalist readers have used it for months without trouble.
Best all-rounder
Novomove: €69
Who I’d pick if I needed fiscal representation and wanted my NIF fast: 3–7 days, the quickest standard turnaround here.
The first year, with 12 months of fiscal representation, is €69 with the discount code. Renewal is €79.
Rush option
Anchorless: €89
Advertises 3–10 days but generally delivers in around three, and they’ll do a 1–2 day premium rush if you’re up against the clock.
Most reviews
e-Residence: €99
Has by far the most reviews, so if that reassures you, it’s a fair pick.
When I tested it in August 2026, it charged an extra €20 for the Portal das Finanças password. Everyone else included that, so the pricing felt a little opaque.
Known for service
Bordr: ~€122
One of the first to offer this remotely, and still has a reputation for excellent customer service, though the services that followed are cheaper and often faster.
Good for bank accounts
StartAbroad: €142.50
Pricier and slower (about two weeks), so it’s here for completeness—a solid option if you’re using it as part of a wider relocation package. They’re very competitive on the bank account, though, so worth a look for that.
Reader reports
Did Your NIF Arrive When They Said It Would?
The delivery times above are what the providers advertise. I want to show you what Portugalist readers actually got, so if you’ve got your NIF through one of these services, tell me how it went. It takes a minute.
⏱️
Days, not promises
How many days each service actually took, next to what it advertises.
✅
On time or late
The share of readers whose NIF arrived within the advertised time.
🙂
Would they use it again
How happy readers were, and any problems they ran into.
Report your NIF
Which Service Did You Use, and How Did It Go?
Until the report form is ready, email me at info@portugalist.com with three things: which service you used, the date you sent your documents, and the date your NIF arrived.
Who needs it
Do I Need a Fiscal Representative for a Portuguese NIF?
Short answer
Not just to get a NIF. You only need one if you have a fiscal tie to Portugal—like buying property or a car—while you live outside the EU/EEA.
Most people moving from the US, UK or Canada rent first and buy once they’re living here, so they usually don’t need one.
But if you might buy before you move, and you live outside the EU/EEA, go with a service that includes fiscal representation, like Novomove*.
Two different jobs get called “representative,” and mixing them up is where most of the confusion comes from. It also explains how a service like Visas.pt gets you a NIF while offering no ongoing representation:
✍️ Legal representative
- Authorized to submit your remote application (via e-Balcão).
- A one-time job, included in every service above.
📬 Fiscal representative
- Your ongoing point of contact with the Tax Authority after you have the number.
- A yearly subscription, and only some people need it.
What a Fiscal Representative Does
A fiscal representative is someone living in Portugal who acts as your point of contact with Finanças.
Finanças will send letters to anyone in Portugal, or elsewhere in the EU/EEA, but no further. If it needs to reach you, it needs the address of someone here.
Your fiscal representative can be someone you know, like a friend or family member. But most people moving to Portugal don’t know anyone here, so they typically use a lawyer or an online relocation service. (There’s more in my guide to NIF tax representatives.)
The Tax Authority’s fiscal representation FAQ (checked August 24, 2026) says residents of the EU/EEA, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein never need one.
Residents of other countries who have a Portuguese tax tie must appoint a representative or switch on electronic notifications within 15 days. The fine for doing neither runs from €75 to €7,500.
The legal basis is Article 19 of the Lei Geral Tributária (General Tax Law), as amended by Decreto-Lei 44/2022.
At a glance
Fiscal Rep: Yes or No?
✖ Just getting a NIF: no
✖ Renting first on a D7 or D8: no
✖ EU/EEA resident: no
✔ Buying property before you move: yes
✔ Buying a car before you move: yes
⏳ Deadline once you have a tax tie: 15 days
✓ You probably don’t need one
- If you’re moving to Portugal on a visa like the D7 and you won’t buy before you move.
- If you live in the EU/EEA.
✗ You do need one
- If you’re buying a property in Portugal and you live outside the EU/EEA. This applies even if you plan to move later, because you’ll be a non-EU/EEA resident while buying and while you first own the property.
- If you’re buying a car while you live outside the EU/EEA.
💡
Electronic notifications, and the self-employed exception
The alternative to a representative is switching on electronic notifications, so Finanças can reach you online instead of by letter. Self-employed people liable for Portuguese VAT still need an actual representative.
If you do take fiscal representation, you can remove it once you move here. Just remember to, or it’ll auto-renew for another year.
🇬🇧
UK residents, and anyone with two passports
The UK is outside the EU/EEA, so if you live in Britain, follow the non-EU/EEA route on this page.
Your passport and where you live are separate questions. Fiscal representation depends on where you live; whether you need a visa depends on your nationality. An Irish citizen living in London follows the non-EU/EEA route for the NIF but doesn’t need a D7.
The Tax Authority’s leaflet on assigning a NIF to non-resident foreign citizens (PDF, in Portuguese) sets out the official version.
The free route
How to Get a NIF at Finanças
If you’re already in Portugal, check this route before you pay anyone. You can request a NIF for free at a Finanças (tax office) or a Loja do Cidadão, and you usually walk out with it the same day.
EU/EEA residents don’t need a representative of any kind to do this. For everyone else, the Tax Authority’s own NIF FAQ (in Portuguese) only mentions a representative for applications submitted online through e-Balcão.
Book ahead: you can book online without a Citizen Card or a login, or by phone on +351 217 206 707. See the Tax Authority’s NIF page.
The government also has a step-by-step guide for foreign applicants, in English, Portuguese, Arabic, Hindi and Mandarin.
Cost at Finanças
€0
Appointment
Book ahead
Typical wait
Same day
If You’re an EU/EEA Citizen
If you’re an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen, you don’t need a visa like the D7 (passive income visa) or D8 (digital nomad visa) to move here.
You can move, get your NIF at Finanças for free, open a bank account, and register for your EU citizen registration certificate (CRUE).
Move here
EU/EEA and Swiss citizens don’t need a D7 or D8 visa.
Get your NIF at Finanças
Free, and usually the same day.
Open a bank account
Your NIF is the first thing the bank asks for.
Register for your CRUE
Your EU citizen registration certificate.
So, if I were an EU/EEA resident—and especially if I were also an EU/EEA citizen—I’d just wait and get my NIF in Portugal.
The checklist
What Documents Do You Need for a NIF?
To get a NIF, you need your passport and proof of address. EU/EEA citizens can use a national ID card instead of a passport, and a service applying for you also needs a power of attorney.
🇪🇺 EU/EEA resident
- Passport or national ID card
- Proof of address
🌎 Rest of the world
- Passport (a national ID card isn’t accepted)
- Proof of address
- If you apply in person yourself and your nationality needs a visa to enter the Schengen area: the entry visa in your passport (US, UK and Canadian passports don’t need one)
- If a service applies for you: a power of attorney for its legal representative (see this July 2025 report on the new online process, in Portuguese)
💡
What counts as proof of address?
Most people use a bank statement or utility bill, but a life insurance document or a government letter works too.
Everyone needs their own NIF, by the way—you can’t share one the way a couple shares a bank account. So if you’re moving as a couple, that’s two applications, and two sets of documents.
The official list is on gov.pt’s NIF application page (in Portuguese).
It also confirms three things: you need a NIF to open a bank account, sign a contract or buy property; Portuguese Citizen Card holders get one automatically; and a non-resident foreigner needs a representative to submit the application.
Timing
Don’t Change Your NIF Address Just Because You’ve Arrived
Before your AIMA appointment?
Usually not, based on current practice. You simply show a NIF.
Getting your visa, arriving in Portugal and becoming a Portuguese tax resident are related, but they aren’t the same event—and your NIF address should follow the last one, not the first.
When I spoke to the immigration lawyer Sandra Gomes Pinto, she’d handled around 40 AIMA appointments in three months. Not one required a Portuguese address on the NIF.
That’s current practice rather than a written rule, but it’s a good read on how things work in 2026.
Day to day
Using Your NIF in Portugal
Once you’re here you’ll use your NIF constantly—at the supermarket, pharmacy, café, gas station, everywhere really.
🧾
Give it on every receipt
Putting your NIF on a receipt lets you deduct certain expenses on your Portuguese income tax: food, car maintenance, hair salons and more, each with its own annual allowance.
It felt faintly dystopian at first. Then I remembered my loyalty card, my credit card and Google Maps already know exactly where I’ve been. You get used to it.
🗣️
Memorize it in Portuguese
A tip worth more than it sounds. When the cashier asks “Contribuinte?”, you’ll want to answer fast.
Translating nove, sete, quatro one digit at a time holds up the line. Learn to rattle it off in Portuguese, like a phone number, and everyone’s life gets easier.
🏦
Next: your bank account
With your NIF in hand, the next step for most D7 and D8 applicants is a Portuguese bank account.
Three Numbers, Three Jobs
🧾 NIF: tax
- You need it first, for almost everything.
- Issued by Finanças.
🩺 NISS and número de utente
- NISS: social security, for working or claiming benefits.
- Número de utente: the public health service.
- You’ll usually need your NIF to apply for both.
Common questions
NIF FAQs
What is a NIF number?
A NIF (Número de Identificação Fiscal) is your nine-digit Portuguese tax number, also called the número de contribuinte. It’s issued by the Portuguese tax authority (Finanças).
You need it for almost everything here: opening a bank account, signing a lease, setting up utilities, getting paid. It’s the first thing I’d take care of.
Can I get a Portuguese NIF from the US, UK or Canada?
Yes. You don’t need to fly to Portugal just to get a NIF: a service in Portugal can submit the application for you as your legal representative, and sends you the number. The services I compare take from three days to about two weeks. Compare them ↓
Does getting a NIF make me a Portuguese tax resident?
No. A NIF is just a number. What makes you a tax resident is spending more than 183 days in Portugal and/or having your main home here—more on that ↑. You can hold a NIF with a foreign address for as long as you live abroad.
Is a NIF the same as a tax ID or a Social Security number?
A NIF is a tax ID—Portugal’s taxpayer identification number. If a US form asks for your “Portuguese tax ID,” that’s your NIF.
It is not a social security number. That’s a separate number, the NISS, which you only need to work or claim benefits here. Back home your SSN does both jobs; in Portugal they’re two numbers from two offices.
What does a Portuguese NIF number look like?
Your NIF is nine digits—no letters, no dashes. For individuals it usually starts with a 1, 2 or 3; a company’s number (the NIPC) starts with a 5.
Memorize it in Portuguese, not English. You’ll be asked for it constantly, and reciting nove, sete, quatro… one digit at a time holds up the line.
How do I find or check my NIF number?
Your NIF is on the A4 sheet Finanças gave you when you registered, on any letter from the tax office, and in your Portal das Finanças account. Portuguese citizens also have it on their Cartão de Cidadão.
If you can’t find any of those, Finanças—or the service that got it for you—can retrieve it. It’s a permanent number, so it hasn’t expired or changed.
Do tourists need a NIF in Portugal?
No—you don’t need a NIF just to visit. Cashiers will sometimes ask (“Contribuinte?”) so they can put it on the receipt; say consumidor final and skip it.
You only need a NIF for something official: opening a bank account, buying property, signing a lease, or anything tax-related.
How long does it take to get a NIF?
In person at a Finanças office, you usually walk out with it the same day. Through an online service, it takes from three days to about two weeks, depending on the service and how quickly you send your documents.
Two of the services I compare offer a one- to two-day rush if you’re in a hurry.
What’s the difference between a NIF and a NISS?
Your NIF is your tax number, and you need it first, for almost everything. Your NISS (Número de Identificação da Segurança Social) is your social security number, which you need once you work, pay social security or claim benefits.
A third number, the número de utente, is for the public health service. You’ll usually need your NIF to apply for both.
Can I get a NIF for a company?
Companies get their own version, the NIPC (Número de Identificação de Pessoa Coletiva): nine digits, but for a business. It also doubles as the company’s Portuguese VAT number.
Sole traders and freelancers don’t need a separate one; they use their personal NIF.
Thinking about Moving to Portugal?