Skip to main content

Tax number or ID number — which came first for you?

Ana Lima ⭐ Helpful member
13 Sept 2026, 20:38

In Portugal the tax number came first for me, before the residence permit, the bank and even the rental contract. Almost every office asked for it. But friends in other countries tell me their ID or residence number came first, and the tax number came later, or wasn't even a separate thing.

Which came first for you, and which one ended up being the key that opened everything else?

3 replies

Isabella Santos 🏆 Community expert
14 Sept 2026, 21:41

Same as you in Portugal: the tax number first, through a representative before I even arrived, and it opened the bank and the rental. Everything else followed from it. If anyone is planning a move to Portugal, get that number sorted before anything else, because almost every door asks for it.

Ana Lima ⭐ Helpful member
15 Sept 2026, 09:17

Isabella, getting it through a representative before arriving is what I wish I'd done instead of queuing for it in my first week.

Jimmy 🏆 Community expert Admin Premium
17 Sept 2026, 21:56

This varies a lot between countries: in some, the tax number is the first key, in others the residence or personal ID number does the job for everything. The Documents and Tax sections of each country guide show which comes first and what it unlocks, for example the Tax section for Portugal.