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Checklist

Just arrived

NIF, bank account, address, residency date, and the first deadlines.

A Portuguese home, a path of records and an organised aubergine folio.

Work through these in order. Most of them take days, some take weeks, and two of them set dates you cannot change later.

Identity and registration

  • Get a NIF. In person at a tax office, or from abroad through a representative. NIF guide
  • If your address is outside the EU or EEA, appoint a fiscal representative or activate electronic notifications. Fiscal representation
  • Request your Portal das Finanças password. It arrives by post, so do this early. Portal access
  • Open a Portuguese bank account. Banks ask for the NIF first.
  • Once you have a Portuguese address, update it with Finanças. The NIF address is the residency record. Why the address matters

Residency

  • Know which test makes you resident: 183 days, or a habitual home. Tax residency
  • Note your residency start date. Your first year is a split year and the date sets what you declare. Partial-year residency
  • Check whether you qualify for IFICI. The election has a March 31 deadline in the year after you become resident. IFICI
  • If you held NHR before it closed, confirm what still applies. Existing NHR holders

Income setup

  • Freelancing: open activity with Finanças before you issue an invoice. Recibos verdes
  • Freelancing: decide simplified regime or organized accounting. Simplified vs organized
  • Working remotely for a foreign employer: agree withholding and social security (A1) before your first payslip as a resident. Remote work
  • Receiving a pension: check the treaty treatment for your pension type. Pensions · UK pensions
  • US citizen: you still file a US return and FBAR. Dual filing · FBAR and FATCA

Habits that save money

  • Give your NIF on every receipt. It is how deductions reach your return. e-Fatura
  • Keep foreign broker, pension and bank statements from your residency date onward. Anexo J
  • Put the calendar in your diary: e-Fatura validation in February, filing April to June. 2026 deadlines

This checklist is general information, not personalised tax advice. Your facts change the answer. Confirm your position with a qualified professional before acting on it.