Portuguese residency - current situation - advice needed

[Sailfree]

There is an EU driving licence exchange scheme.

We both tried retaining our UK driving licence by handing it in for exchange in Nov 19 and then applying for UK one to be reissued.

A few months later Portuguese authorities sent me a letter saying to exchange my licence I must hand in the latest UK one! Just had a phone call ref wifes application - same answer but 1yr later. Not always a fast service!!

WRT insurance it appears some Portuguse insurance Companies will after Brexit only insure a Portuguese car to an owner holding a Portuguese Licence.

Possibly this is to stop visitors driving the car over the permitted period of 90 days and hence invalidating their UK licence for use in Portugal - just guessing!

 

[webcraft]

So . . .

We went back to the Citizen Shop (where we got our Residency documents last week) to try to get an NIF, but were told we had to go to the Financas office across the road. It was appointments only with someone who spoke no English fiercely guarding the door.

I could make no sense of the website, and passed the problem on to my Portuguese DIL. She discovered that you could not make an appointment to get an NIF without first entering your NIF.

Fortunately she was able to email someone and we now both have appointments for next week.

Fingers crossed.

- W

 

[Beneteau381]

So . . .

We went back to the Citizen Shop (where we got our Residency documents last week) to try to get an NIF, but were told we had to go to the Financas office across the road. It was appointments only with someone who spoke no English fiercely guarding the door.

I could make no sense of the website, and passed the problem on to my Portuguese DIL. She discovered that you could not make an appointment to get an NIF without first entering your NIF.

Fortunately she was able to email someone and we now both have appointments for next week.

Fingers crossed.

- W

I love Portugal!

 

[greeny]

So . . .

We went back to the Citizen Shop (where we got our Residency documents last week) to try to get an NIF, but were told we had to go to the Financas office across the road. It was appointments only with someone who spoke no English fiercely guarding the door.

I could make no sense of the website, and passed the problem on to my Portuguese DIL. She discovered that you could not make an appointment to get an NIF without first entering your NIF.

Fortunately she was able to email someone and we now both have appointments for next week.

Fingers crossed.

- W

Just hang on in there. It's worth it in the end. (I think. - I'll confirm that once I get there).

 

[webcraft]

.
Theoretically we should use our Portuguese address as we are residents, but we are going to just offer passports and proof of UK address (bank statements etc) as if we were doing this before getting residencia. (In case they decide not to accept the marina address and another can of worms opens).

If it goes pear-shaped we will keep our residencia as a last card to play.

Am I getting the hang of this yet??


- W

 

[nortada]

.
Theoretically we should use our Portuguese address as we are residents, but we are going to just offer passports and proof of UK address (bank statements etc) as if we were doing this before getting residencia. (In case they decide not to accept the marina address and another can of worms opens).

If it goes pear-shaped we will keep our residencia as a last card to play.

Am I getting the hang of this yet??


- W

Probably not. ?

Most of us play for a draw.

 

[Graham376]

.
Theoretically we should use our Portuguese address as we are residents, but we are going to just offer passports and proof of UK address (bank statements etc) as if we were doing this before getting residencia. (In case they decide not to accept the marina address and another can of worms opens).

If it goes pear-shaped we will keep our residencia as a last card to play.

Am I getting the hang of this yet??


- W

No you're not getting the hang of it. To get your NIF, you need to be resident in Portugal so showing them UK address and passports would be useless. Until you move somewhere else and register presence with a new Camara, the marina will be your official address.

P.S. What's happening with the new engine?

 

[nortada]

No you're not getting the hang of it. To get your NIF, you need to be resident in Portugal so showing them UK address and passports would be useless. Until you move somewhere else and register presence with a new Camara, the marina will be your official address.

P.S. What's happening with the new engine?

We got our fiscal numbers (NIFs) 12 years before we got residency - never used them so not sure why we ever got themJust seemed a good idea at the time - potentially a dangerous premise, we have not repeated.?

Think I would be a bit careful taking my residency issued by one camara as evidence to another municipality. You run the risk of being required to register a change of address.

As Sailfree has explained, not the easiest thing to do - even when you are completely kosher and many of us boaties are far too close the edge for that.

Question, why do you want a fiscal numberMany visitors and residents survive for years without a fiscal number.

In this new Age of Enlightenment and the wish to collect all of the bits of paper, there is a risk that we forget the rules of survival in Portugal.

Rule 1. Keep your head down and volunteer as little as possible; thereby leaving the maximum room for manoeuvre.
Rule 2. Plan ahead. Always have a Plan B, to get out of jail, if cornered.
Rule 3. If confronted with a novel situation (like crossing a Schengen Border post 31/12/20), make sure you are not at the front of the queue.
Rule 4. Avoid mixing Portuguese and U.K. documentation (especially when driving). You are either a resident or visitor - not both.
Rule 5. If possible, always elicit the help of a powerful Portuguese friend. The local mayor or chief of the GNR is a good starting point or in the case of a boatie, capitanari, maritime police, local SEF or marina owner
Rule 6. However bad yours is, always start the conversation in Portuguese, using a few stock Portuguese expressions. Lack
of time available will mean you soon revert to English but you will have impressed your interrogators with your willingness to use their national language.

Other worthies on here may be able to offer a few more tips but this is a reasonable skill set to start with.

 

[webcraft]

No you're not getting the hang of it. To get your NIF, you need to be resident in Portugal so showing them UK address and passports would be useless. Until you move somewhere else and register presence with a new Camara, the marina will be your official address.

P.S. What's happening with the new engine?

All the advice I have read says you do not need to be resident in Portugal to get an NIF, just passport and proof of address in a European country

https://www.idealista.pt/en/news/le...6/22/114-how-get-your-nif-number-portugal?amp


Applying For A Portuguese NIF (Tax Number) | Practice Portuguese

... But I guess we could just produce our Residency certificates and the current month's marina contract.

I am just trying to avoid getting knocked back, so whichever route is the safest...

- W

 

[webcraft]

Nortada, reason for wanting an NIF is to get a health service number in the future.

We were going to wait until we got to the Algarve and change our Residencia address. But the NIF number does not have to be linked to a Portuguese address if you do it through an EU address.

- W

 

[capnsensible]

It's the same in Spain......

 

[webcraft]

So do we apply for our NIF as Portuguese residents or as UK citizens?

I guess if we were accepted for redidencia on the basis of a one month marina contract the Finanças office is going to find it difficult to knock us back.

But will take proof of UK residence as well, just in case.

- W

 

[greeny]

So do we apply for our NIF as Portuguese residents or as UK citizens?

I guess if we were accepted for redidencia on the basis of a one month marina contract the Finanças office is going to find it difficult to knock us back.

But will take proof of UK residence as well, just in case.

- W

I had my nif number for 14 years before I became resident and I know dozens and dozens of others who did as well. Not a prerequisite in the past so unless things have changed.............................but who knows, Graham may have had recent experience different to mine. One way or other you'll get it I'm sure. I've never heard of anyone (Brit) being refused it recently.
At one time (when I got mine) everyone needed a guarantor but that changed for EU citizens several years ago. Now its only outside EU- ers that need a guarantor.

By the way, out of interest, how's the engine going?

 

[nortada]

Nortada, reason for wanting an NIF is to get a health service number in the future.

We were going to wait until we got to the Algarve and change our Residencia address. But the NIF number does not have to be linked to a Portuguese address if you do it through an EU address.

- W

Correct, if you can get through the door of a friendly fiscal office (Lagos), with your passport, job done.

 

[Graham376]

I had my nif number for 14 years before I became resident and I know dozens and dozens of others who did as well. Not a prerequisite in the past so unless things have changed.............................but who knows, Graham may have had recent experience different to mine. One way or other you'll get it I'm sure. I've never heard of anyone (Brit) being refused it recently.
At one time (when I got mine) everyone needed a guarantor but that changed for EU citizens several years ago. Now its only outside EU- ers that need a guarantor.
By the way, out of interest, how's the engine going?

It's so many years since I obtained original residence and NIF, I can't remember in what order things were done. Someone recently commented that when they went to Finances for a NIF, they wanted to see residence docs.for proof of address in Camara. As with everything else, it may depend where you are and whether the official climbed out of bed on the good or bad side.

 

[webcraft]

Yeah, well, now thinking of showing residency certificate and marina bill...

Whatever gets it all done in one place.


- W

 

[Beneteau381]

Yeah, well, now thinking of showing residency certificate and marina bill...

Whatever gets it all done in one place.


- W

Because we did it before we went across the road half an hour later to get the residency we have our uk address on the nif, I sent you a pic. Myself, I would use the uk address if I was doing it again. Simply because that is a constant.

 

[RAI]

In Spain, the NIF is a NIE for foreigners. Source, police station specialising in ID stuff. They told us it is one ID number for life, whereas passport numbers change on renewal. We got ours based on an ID card (me) and a passport (SWMBO). In Spain, you have to document a reason for needing an NIE. That could be awkward, but we paid a lawyer to help us and she wrote a letter saying we would need it, flirted with the fuzz and job done after a trip to a bank and back to get proof that we had paid the fee. The bill from the marina was thought important too. Total 200 euros, half a day's work.
Just saying....

 

[Graham376]

Because we did it before we went across the road half an hour later to get the residency we have our uk address on the nif, I sent you a pic. Myself, I would use the uk address if I was doing it again. Simply because that is a constant.

It may be a constant now but at the end of your 5 year temporary residence, you will need to apply for permanent if deciding to stay and they will be looking for settled status, property docs or lease, utility bills etc. Having a UK address for tax system won't help to persuade them you live there.

 

[Sailfree]

No you're not getting the hang of it. To get your NIF, you need to be resident in Portugal so showing them UK address and passports would be useless. Until you move somewhere else and register presence with a new Camara, the marina will be your official address.

P.S. What's happening with the new engine?

Dont think you are correct.

When we were buying our apartment in Nazare we had to first have a NIF before purchase. Nazare Finacas issued both me and wife with NIF documents with our UK address. There are plenty of people that are residents of UK yet buy property and cards here for the period they satay here and hence need a NIF to achieve this.