RichardHenshall

I could be wrong but it's possible that it is your residency status (non-resident vs resident) as recorded at the Finanças at the time of purchase that will be used to determine whether you are buying as a resident or not.

Pilou

I really don't know. When I would change my fiscal number from non-resident into resident at financas, will they send immediately the password? Or is this another department within financas?

RichardHenshall

They will only send the password when you choose to register for online access. You can leave that until you're ready and you will do that online, so you don't need to go back and queue again!

Pilou

Thanks!!

Loafing Along

I would apply for NHR status only in January 2018 . If you apply in December you will be registered for 2017 . One month's wait and you save a year.

liveaboard

That didn't work for us; we were resident at the time of house purchase, but our lawyer ticked the wrong box and we were charged the higher rate.

Lawyer just assumed we weren't resident; we just assumed she knew we were.

As I recall the issue is not actually your country of residence, but whether the house will be a second home, and that's assumed the case for non residents.


We were unable to reclaim the extra tax paid.

RichardHenshall

It can't possibly be your first home if you're non-resident and vice versa - they're mutually exclusive. If you're resident, it could be either.

Pilou

We are resident as of today. We will apply for RNH and this will be applicable as of 25 November 2017. When we loose 1 year, no problem for us.
We cannot be resident in 2017 and apply for RNH as of 2018.

In fact the RNH won't be a real benefit for us after +/- 5 years anyway. Our income type will only be our old age pension and that will be taxed in the Netherlands. The Netherlands is maybe the first country that 'punnish' people who want to benefit from the RNH.

Red Eric

Not punishment. Foresight. They wrote the possibility of many people benefitting from it into their dual taxation treaty with Portugal, which was celebrated long before the PT NHR regime came into being

The Finns are the first to amend thair tax treaty subsequently. Funny lot the Finns - they're into all sorts of odd punishments.

Pilou

Sweden wants to change this too and Macron wants to make an end on the exodus. In France the RNH is regularly explained in the french news. Have you been to Lagos. When I walk there, I think I am back in France.

Red Eric

There'll be discussions and concensus of some sort at EU level about what is acceptable in terms of predatory schemes such as these, which is exactly what should happen in my opinion. Portugal isn't the only country offering sweeteners on tax and it'll get a chance to air its own grievances against some of those countries doing some loud complaining that way, as opposed to if they simply amended the regime unilaterally, as appeared to be being mooted a few months ago.

liveaboard

That's the logic used, but makes no sense; it's obviously not your home before you buy it, but as you move in, you could be coming from across the street or across the continent.

Of course for it to be your primary residence, you have to be registered there; but that only happens after completion of purchasing the property.

Like the OP, we jumped through hoops to get registered as residents of Portugal before purchase, and then had to change address after purchase.

Although we never got the difference of the transfer tax back, somehow we got 8 years exemption from property tax.

Pilou

Our lawyer informed us that we might get 7 or 8 years exemption of IMI too. She will give us the details later.

nogard

No; it is three years! Sack your lawyer!

Red Eric

Or indefinitely, if you fulfil the necessary criteria.