If you are Brazilian and planning anything in Portugal — a move, a property, a visa, a bank account — the NIF (número de identificação fiscal) is almost always the first step, and you can get it without leaving Brazil. It is the nine-digit tax identification number issued by the Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira), and it plays a role in Portugal very similar to the Brazilian CPF: it identifies you in every official and commercial transaction. Anyone can hold one — resident or non-resident — and the whole application can be done online from Brazil.
Why Brazilians need a fiscal representative
Because Brazil is outside the EU and the EEA, Portuguese law requires a non-resident Brazilian to appoint a fiscal representative in Portugal to hold a NIF. The representative is a local point of contact, registered with the Tax Authority, who receives official correspondence on your behalf — important because the Tax Authority writes by post to a Portuguese address, not by email to Brazil. This is the single reason a Brazilian cannot simply register the NIF alone from home: the law needs a Portuguese address on file. NIF Express provides that representation as part of the service.
Is the NIF free? What exactly do you pay for?
The NIF itself is issued free of charge by the Portuguese State — the Tax Authority does not charge to attribute a number to an individual. What you pay for is the work of obtaining it remotely: the power of attorney, the filing at Finanças, and the mandatory fiscal representation for a non-resident. With NIF Express the price of €49.99 covers the application and your first mandatory year of fiscal representation, with no hidden costs.
What you can do with your NIF
For a Brazilian, the NIF unlocks essentially everything: opening a Portuguese bank account, signing a rental contract or buying property, setting up utilities and a phone, and building the file for a residence visa. If your plan is a D7 or a digital-nomad visa, the NIF is one of the first documents the process expects. Getting it early, while you are still in Brazil, means the rest of your relocation is not waiting on it.
How the remote process works
The process is fully online and does not require a visit to a Portuguese consulate. You provide a copy of your passport (or Brazilian ID) and proof of your address in Brazil, sign a power of attorney authorising a representative to act for you, and your NIF is registered directly with the Tax Authority. With NIF Express your number is typically ready in 3–7 working days, handled entirely remotely, with the power of attorney signed by a lawyer registered with the Portuguese Bar Association. The Tax Authority access password follows separately by registered post to your representative about a week later.
Do you keep the same NIF after you move?
Yes. The NIF is permanent and never expires, so the number you obtain from Brazil is the same one you will use after you land, register a Portuguese address, and eventually cease to need a representative. Once you become resident in Portugal and register a local tax address, the non-resident representation requirement falls away — but the number stays with you for life.
Start your application today, or read more about who we are.