NIF: A Short Guide on Receiving It

Do you plan to get NIF soon? Well, in this case, it is important to familiarize yourself with valuable resources that will provide you with overall info about the process. So, the article suggested below is right what you need. Read it, and you will feel much more confident about the steps you have to take in order to get NIF painlessly and quickly.

Define the Matter First

You probably know what NIF is but let’s stop at this point and take a closer look anyway. In short, NIF is an individual taxpayer number that consists of nine digits. It turns out to be really necessary for everyday life if you reside in Portugal. Therefore, you’d better not delay ordering it.

By the way, NIF has to be enclosed when you deal with such stuff as:

• Open a business;
• Plan to visit a doctor;
• Pay for the stuff while buying it online;
• Create an account in one of the Portuguese banks, and so on.

As you see, there are a lot of cases when NIF is a must to have. So, let’s see what you shall do to get it.

Applying for NIF: the Basics

Note that the procedure is going to differ for the residents and non-residents. If you belong to the second group of people, then, you will be able to receive a temporary NIF first. It is normally done with the help of a financial representative or a lawyer. Within some time, it might be replaced with a permanent one.

And, if you are a resident, you may visit a local tax office or make a request to get NIF online. As you can guess, the second option is about to be faster and less troublesome (there are a lot of options to complete this; by the way, you can use such a variant as cooperation with nifportugal.pt). 

It is up to you to decide what variant you will stick to. However, it also depends on how quickly you would like to obtain your NIF. If time is your major concern, then, you’d better stick to the online option.

What about the documents that have to be provided in order to get your NIF? There are not many of them so you have nothing to worry about. Take a look at the list given below to learn more.

1. Proof of ID. A photo ID turns out to be relevant if you do everything using the assistance of a lawyer or financial representative (do not forget that the scanned copy has to look okay; otherwise, your application may be declined and you will have to wait too long before you receive your NIF). In case you are not a citizen of the EU, Switzerland, or EEA, get your passport ready. By the way, a birth certificate is also going to be okay if you do not have a passport for a certain reason.
2. Evidence of residency. A confirmation of this can look different, and it is up to you to make a decision regarding what it will be. It may be a utility bill, the contract of your rent, and so on. If you are applying for NIF and currently reside abroad, do not forget to sign the document by an attorney (and, it should necessarily be translated into Portuguese too).

This is it! All of this means that you will be able to apply for NIF without any hardships and receive it successfully. Just take care of the quality of the docs in advance, and you will be fine.

How Much Will You Have to Pay for NIF?

Actually, if you make a decision to stick to the variant when you visit a local tax office, you will not have to pay anything. The process of receiving a NIF is free of charge. Nevertheless, if you intend to get a tax card, the fee will be about 7 euros (do not forget to check this info as long as the figure may change).

What if you decide to get NIF online? It has already been mentioned that such an option is really convenient but note that you will be charged more in this case. However, this sum of money is worth it, and it should be paid in order to feel convenient. Well, everything depends on what site you will deal with and who you are about to collaborate with. But expect to pay 70 euros on average. And, for this, you may anticipate receiving your NIF within a week which is considered to be fast.

What if You Do Not Get NIF?

The request to get NIF may be declined only in case there is some trouble with the documents. Let’s see what it means.

First of all, the problem can take place if you forgot to enclose or bring some of the documents. Second, the issue may occur in case your copy of the ID does not look well. It should be clearly visible so that the authorities were able to read all the info that is relevant and important to them.

So, everything is simple here. If you have fine documents, you will not face any problems when receiving your NIF no matter which of the options you select.

How Soon Do You Have to Request NIF?

No one can really force you to get NIF as soon as possible. Nevertheless, you should take care to obtain NIF as long as your general convenience of living in Portugal depends on this.

For instance, if you want to get a job in this country, you have to remember that you must have NIF in order to accept the offer from the employer. Besides, you have already taken a look at multiple situations suggested in this article that highlight the importance of having NIF.

That is why it is advisable not to postpone getting NIF and do this asap. Good luck!