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NISS vs NIF vs Utente: the three numbers explained

By Mariana Santos · 5 min read

Portuguese citizens receive their numbers together on the citizen card. Foreign residents collect them one by one, from three different bodies, and mixing them up is the most common source of confusion in the first months of a move.

The NIF: your tax number

The NIF, Numero de Identificacao Fiscal, has 9 digits and is issued by the Autoridade Tributaria, known as Financas. You need it for banking, contracts, renting, buying property and every tax matter. It comes first: almost everything else asks for it, including the NISS application and opening a self-employed activity. Our sister service, GetYourNIF.pt, obtains NIFs for people moving to Portugal.

The NISS: your social security number

The NISS has 11 digits and is issued by the Instituto da Seguranca Social. It covers work and social protection: hiring, contributions, benefits and pensions. You need it when you start work or self-employment in Portugal, and it doubles as your username for the Seguranca Social Direta portal.

The numero de utente: your health number

The utente number has 9 digits and belongs to the National Health Service, the SNS. It is assigned when you register at a health facility, usually your local centro de saude, and it is used for GP registration, appointments and prescriptions. A NISS does not give you an utente number and an utente number does not give you a NISS.

The order that works

Get the NIF first, from abroad if you wish. Get the NISS when your work route is real, with a contract or an opened activity. Register at your health centre once you are living at your Portuguese address to receive your utente number. Follow that order and each application supports the next.

Related guides

• What is a NISS and who needs one
• How to get a NISS as a self-employed worker (recibos verdes)
• NISS for employees: the contract catch-22 and how employers file