Administrative and Document Services
Support with tax number (NIF) and social security number (NISS) applications, certificates, changes and updates to personal data, procedures before the Tax Authority and Social Security, powers of attorney, formal requests, legalisation and apostille of documents and other administrative procedures.
What is included
- NIF application: Portuguese tax number
- Appointment of a tax representative
- NISS application: social security number
- Registration and access to the Tax and Social Security portals
- Change of address and update of personal data
- Tax and Social Security clearance certificates
- Formal requests and submissions to public bodies
- Powers of attorney
- Legalisation and apostille of documents
- Coordination with certified translation
- Start of activity and initial reporting obligations
- Booking and attending appointments
Every situation is assessed individually. These services are provided within the remit of a Trainee Lawyer, under the supervision of Dr. João Nogueira Marques, Lawyer.
What helps prepare for your consultation
- The document or personal detail you want to obtain, correct or submit, and the intended recipient.
- Documents, application references and communications from public bodies you already hold.
- The issuing country and intended country of use when translation, legalisation or an apostille is involved.
- Valid identification and, where relevant, proof of authority to act on someone’s behalf.
- Earlier versions of the document or record concerned, including any that contain the error to be corrected.
- The deadline or commitment that depends on this document, where there is one.
What we review with you
We identify the purpose of the request and the responsible body before organising the documents. We review existing details and any relevant questions about representation, translation or formalities. Support can include preparing requests, updating records and arranging appointments. We separate what you can request directly from what requires representation or attending in person, to avoid repeated requests to the wrong body. We also confirm the format in which the recipient accepts the document, since that shapes the preparation.
Official information
Common questions before a consultation
How do I know which body to approach?
That is the first thing the consultation clarifies, because the responsible body depends on the purpose of the request rather than on the name of the document. Establishing it first avoids repeated requests to the wrong body and the time lost that way.
There is an error in my details. How is it corrected?
It starts with identifying where the error arose and which record holds it, because the correction is requested from whoever keeps that record. Having the earlier versions of the document, including those containing the error, is what makes the discrepancy demonstrable.
Can I request the document without attending in person?
Many steps can be handled remotely, but not all: some require attendance or representation. In the consultation we separate what you can request directly from what needs one of those, so the sequence is realistic.
Can someone deal with it on my behalf?
They can, provided the authority to act is evidenced in a form the receiving body accepts. That is why we ask, where relevant, for proof of that authority, and confirm what the body requires before the request is prepared.
The document is for use in another country. Does that change anything?
It does, and it is a point to settle at the outset. The issuing country and the country of use both matter, because they determine whether translation, legalisation or an apostille is involved, and the order in which those steps should be taken.
I have a deadline to meet. Does that change the preparation?
It changes the priorities, which is why we ask you to state the deadline or commitment that depends on this document. It allows the essential items to be organised first and anything dependent on third parties to be identified early, without that amounting to a guarantee.
In which format should the document be submitted?
That depends on who receives it, and it is something we confirm before preparing anything. A document that is correct in substance can still be refused for not matching the format the recipient accepts, so checking avoids repeating the whole process.
Can the matter be handled remotely?
Yes. Appointments are held by video call or telephone, in Portuguese, English or Spanish, with documents sent in advance. In-person consultations in Porto remain available for anyone who prefers to deal with the matter face to face.
Editorial responsibility: Carvalhos Advocacia. General information; confirm the current position for your case before acting.