Update of Fiscal Address

Whenever you change your residence, you must notify the Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira (Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority) of your new address within 60 days, under penalty of a fine ranging from 75€ to 375€.

How to proceed: Online via the portal ePortugal (Portuguese Government Citizen Portal), requires Cartão de Cidadão (Citizen Card) or Chave Móvel Digital (Digital Mobile Key), free of charge. The update automatically feeds through to the Finanças (Portuguese Tax Services), Segurança Social (Portuguese Social Security) and Serviço Nacional de Saúde – SNS (Portuguese National Health Service). You will receive a confirmation letter at your new address; the change is only effective once you have confirmed the code.

Foreign residents without Cartão de Cidadão may use the Portal das Finanças (Tax Services Portal) or attend in person at any atendimento das Finanças (Tax Services Office).

Cartão de Cidadão, Driving Licence and Vehicle Registration

Updating your address on the Cartão de Cidadão (Citizen Card) triggers an automatic update across multiple State databases. If you hold a Portuguese driving licence and a Cartão de Cidadão, you do not need to notify the Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes Terrestres – IMT (Institute for Mobility and Transport) separately, as the change propagates automatically (the licence card does not bear your address).
Exceptions: Without a valid Cartão de Cidadão, you must inform the IMT (Institute for Mobility and Transport) via the online portal or at a local balcão do IMT (IMT Service Counter).
For the Documento Único Automóvel – DUA (Single Vehicle Document), you must notify within 60 days, either online through the Portal Automóvel (Vehicle Portal) or in person at a Conservatória do Registo Automóvel (Automobile Registry Office).

Updating Contracts & Notifying Service Providers

You must review and update all supply contracts, Água (Water), Eletricidade (Electricity), Gás (Gas) and Telecomunicações (Telecommunications), well before your move. Contact each fornecedor (supplier) to confirm service availability at your new address. If not available, you may need to terminate existing contracts; check for any penalties if under a fixed-term agreement.

Additionally, inform your seguradora (insurance company) and instituição bancária (banking institution) of your new address, providing a comprovativo de morada (proof of address, e.g. confirmation letter from Finanças). This ensures uninterrupted delivery of cards, PINs and policy documents. Don’t forget to notify your entidade patronal (employer) for payroll and occupational insurance purposes.

Mail Redirection & School Transfer

To avoid missing important mail, arrange the reexpedição de correspondência (mail forwarding service) with CTT (Portuguese Postal Service) at least three working days before moving. This temporarily redirects mail from your old address to the new one.

For families with school-age children, a mid-term move is handled as an in-year transferência (transfer); if over the summer, it follows the standard matrícula (enrolment) period.

Healthcare Registration

After your move, you may choose to transfer your NHS registration to a nearer Unidade de Saúde Familiar (Family Health Unit) or Centro de Saúde (Health Centre). Registration is done in person; bring your Cartão de Cidadão and comprovativo de morada (proof of address).

Property-Related Taxes & Local Permits

In certain cases, homebuyers may apply for exemption from Imposto Municipal sobre Imóveis – IMI (Municipal Property Tax) or Imposto Municipal sobre Transmissões Onerosas de Imóveis – IMT (Municipal Property Transfer Tax), subject to specific criteria (property value, primary residence, renovation or rental purposes). Applications are made to the Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira (Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority) and, where applicable, to the Câmara Municipal (Municipal Council).

In regulated parking zones you must obtain a dístico de morador (resident parking permit) from your Câmara Municipal (Municipal Council)—this also applies to lugares reservados para pessoas com deficiência (parking spaces reserved for persons with disabilities).

Electoral Registration

Once your new address is confirmed on the Cartão de Cidadão (Citizen Card), you are automatically re-registered on the recenseamento eleitoral (electoral register) for your new freguesia (civil parish). If the change occurs within 60 days before an election, your registration remains suspended until polling day, and you will vote in your former freguesia.
Pet Registration

Notify the Sistema de Informação de Animais de Companhia – SIAC (Companion Animal Information System) within 15 days of your move by submitting an update form. A new Documento de Identificação dos Animais de Companhia – DIAC (Companion Animal Identification Document) will be issued, either on paper or digitally.

Changing your address may seem like just another task on an already long list during a moving process. However, failure to comply with legal and contractual requirements can have consequences, such as fines, service interruptions, or lost mail.

Trust QUALI Real Estate's experience to guide you through every stage of your move, turning this moment into a positive milestone in your life.

Adapted from Expresso
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