Glossary

Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo, the agency that handles residence for foreign citizens in Portugal. It started work on 29 October 2023, when SEF was abolished.

See guide: AIMA and the residence permit

Permission to live in Portugal. You apply at AIMA, usually after entering the country on a residence visa, and it gives you the título de residência (residence title).

See guide: AIMA and the residence permit

The Portuguese identity card. For a Brazilian citizen with the Equality Statute the card is optional and states their Brazilian nationality.

See guide: Equality Statute for Brazilians

One way to sign in to public services online, which makes almost all of them easier to reach. You can activate it with a passport, a Porto Seguro Treaty Citizen Card or a residence permit (with a Portuguese NIF). It works, for example, for the SNS 24 app and for signing documents digitally.

See guide: NIF, the Portuguese tax number

Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa, the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries. Its Mobility Agreement, in force in Portugal since 2022, makes residence easier for citizens of Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe and Timor-Leste.

See guide: CPLP residence permit

The area of the Portal das Finanças where you open requests online. A legal representative, holding a power of attorney, can use it to apply for someone else’s NIF.

See guide: NIF, the Portuguese tax number

The Estatuto de Igualdade de Direitos e Deveres, from the Treaty of Porto Seguro between Portugal and Brazil. It gives a Brazilian citizen living in Portugal rights and duties very close to a Portuguese citizen’s, but it is not Portuguese nationality.

See guide: Equality Statute for Brazilians

Portugal’s income tax. A tax resident pays IRS on income earned anywhere in the world and files the return between 1 April and 30 June.

See guide: Taxes and IRS for immigrants

A public service desk where, just as at a tax office, you can apply for a NIF. Water contracts are also often set up online or at a Citizen Shop.

See guide: NIF, the Portuguese tax number

Número de Identificação Fiscal, Portugal’s 9-digit taxpayer number. In practice you are asked for it to rent a home, open a bank account, sign an employment contract and pay taxes.

See guide: NIF, the Portuguese tax number

Número de Identificação da Segurança Social, your social security number. You must have it to work, whether employed or self-employed.

See guide: NISS and Social Security

Your identifier in the SNS. With it you are registered at a health centre and can have a family doctor.

See guide: The SNS and your health user number

Lets a foreign citizen with a residence permit in Portugal bring over (or regularise) close family members, such as a spouse and minor children.

See guide: Family reunification

The former non-habitual resident regime (RNH) is closed to new applicants. It was replaced by IFICI (Incentivo Fiscal à Investigação Científica e Inovação), for specific qualified activities, with a special IRS rate.

See guide: Taxes and IRS for immigrants

Serviço Nacional de Saúde, Portugal’s National Health Service: the public health system.

See guide: The SNS and your health user number

The card that proves your residence permit. AIMA sends it by registered post to the address on the application. When you travel, always carry a valid travel document.

See guide: AIMA and the residence permit

The visa for anyone who wants to live in Portugal, valid for 4 months with two entries. It lets you enter and apply for a residence permit at AIMA. There are several types depending on the purpose (work, study, retirement or own income, remote work, family). Some consulates use codes such as D7, but they are not uniform between posts.

See guide: Visas for Portugal: types and requirements