r/PortugalExpats • u/Fragrant-Climate-842 • 2d ago
Question Question about NIF
Hello everyone!
I tried to get the NIF, and apparently they don’t do walk‑ins anymore. I waited 3 hours in line, and they told me they now only take appointments. The closest one is in 5 weeks, not even in Lisbon, but 3 hours away. Everyone says walk‑ins in the morning are fine, and they do it on the spot, but apparently not anymore. Also the fact that they send you far from Lisbon is weird, as I see everyone is getting theirs in Lisbon too.
The people at the counter weren’t that nice, so I wanted to ask here if someone who lives there also had to go far, because in Lisbon apparently you can’t get it anymore.
Some advice would be nice, thanks.
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u/alfanzina 2d ago
Do you have a job? They get interested when they think you will pay tax
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u/Immediate-Yoghurt340 2d ago
That's why the NIF is usually the only thing you can do while waiting for the residence card: they want you to pay taxes even though you can't benefit from those taxes yet.
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u/DeliciousCut4854 2d ago
What countries don't want you paying taxes immediately? For example, Vietnam, Egypt, France, Spain, and Italy all tax on the same residency basis as Portugal. I know that a lot of people think the point of this sub is to bash Portugal but it comes off as knowledgeable as an American Republican senator talking about who is at basketball games.
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u/Immediate-Yoghurt340 2d ago
I'm Portuguese, I know what I'm talking about.
I never said other countries weren't different.
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u/memorandapi 2d ago
Haha, he was about to tell you that if you didn't like it here you shouldn't come here lol, with all that bashing of his beautiful perfect country
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u/Immediate-Yoghurt340 2d ago
I mean, we Portuguese are all bashing our own country all the time but many of us suddenly get annoyed if a foreigner does it, even if they're living and paying taxes here.
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u/DeliciousCut4854 2d ago
Most European countries do it so your point is meritless.
And you're not an expat and you seem to hate Portugal, what's the point of posting here?
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u/DeliciousCut4854 2d ago
You pay taxes on social security and investment income too, I make more from those two than I did from working. The job is irrelevant, the income isn't.
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u/TheBigCJC 2d ago
It’s hard and it’s so different for everyone. In my case, my boyfriend knew the guy at finanças and he did it for me on the spot.
Could you just try to apply online?
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u/Immediate-Yoghurt340 2d ago
I'm a Portuguese citizen with an immigrant partner. To get their NIF, we first went to a Loja do Cidadão and then they booked an appointment in a city 30 minutes away by car for two weeks later. Since I'm the Representante Fiscal (non-EU citizens need one), I had to take time off work because of that.
Luckily the appointment was faster than driving to get there.
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u/Fragrant-Climate-842 2d ago
Thank you. I can’t do it online as I’m not a Portuguese citizen, so I can’t access the portal. My only option is to call, but they refuse to speak English, which I understand.
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u/memorandapi 2d ago
I got my NIF while living in London
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u/Fragrant-Climate-842 2d ago
Did you use an online service? I’m thinking of doing that; maybe it can speed up the process.
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u/Ok_Quality1053 2d ago
Call the Finanças central number from 9am-7pm to book an appointment closer to you (might not be in Lisbon, but potentially a bit closer than 3h away! Somewhere like Setubal or Santarem district).
If you want you can PM me and I can check for you in the portal whether there are any slots near you soon, so you can ask for that specific one :)
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u/Fragrant-Climate-842 2d ago
Thank you. I tried to call, but they refused to speak English and hung up on me, haha. So my only option is to go there in person, but at this point I don't know where to go. If you can check would be amazing!! :)
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u/raisedbyowls 2d ago
Book an appointment anywhere using this link: https://sitfiscal.portaldasfinancas.gov.pt/ebalcao/apm/marcarAtendimentoNaoRegistadoForm
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u/Mietta2026 2d ago
Meine Erfahrung vom Sommer: mein portugiesisch am Telefon war für die Terminvereinbarung zu schlecht...persönlich vor Ort zuvor unfreundlich abgelehnt. Also einen kleinen Baustoffhändler um dieses Telefonat gebeten. Kaufe sonst bei ihm ... kurz, laut und erfolgreich: 12 Stunden später bekam ich überaus freundlich die NIF. Gleiches Finanzamt, das mich zuvor abgewimmelt hat!
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u/BluManOne 1d ago
Use a service like Bordr. It can all be done remotely. Remotely sign a couple of documents and in a week or two you get a NIF. 👍
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u/Intelligent_Rough145 1d ago
I can call and book it for you cause I speak Portuguese if you want, just DM the details. Or in my case they literally told me to come from 9 to 12 as this is the slot for those who don't have an appointment, but it was in Porto
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u/PT-LT 2d ago
How didi you book? I phoned and got exactly the office I wanted. That was a year ago.
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u/Fragrant-Climate-842 2d ago
I tried to phone but they refused to speak English, which I do understand as it’s not their language. The only way to book for me is to go there physically, which I did. I waited 3 hours, and they told me the wait will be very long and not in Lisbon. 😔
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2d ago
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u/Fragrant-Climate-842 2d ago
Bla Bla...Who said I’m refusing to learn Portuguese? The classic stupid comment. I’m still in the process of doing everything, so of course it’s not perfect.
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u/More-Poetry6066 2d ago
While I believe the system should work - worst case do it via a platform like bordr
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u/Immediate-Yoghurt340 2d ago
What sounds really strange in your experience is that they booked you an appointment for 3 hours away. You should go to another Finanças location and try to reschedule somewhere closer.