Fiscal Representative
 

Hi Everybody,

Does anyone know of a reputable, cost effective, fiscal representative in Portugal?

Moved outside of the EU and my understanding is that I now need to designate a fiscal representative since I happen to have a Portuguese NINo number (NIF)...

Not a tax resident in Portugal nor do I have any income/property but don't have any family in the country that I could entrust with those responsibilities.

I went through some older threads in the forum and looked at the companies recommended but their annual fees are now over 300 euros a year which in my case feels like a lot of money.

Looking ideally for something in the 100-200 euro range and if anyone could recommend someone they've had a good experience with I would really appreciate it! I speak Portuguese so language is not a barrier :)

Thanks

Re: Fiscal Representative
 

If you're not tax resident and don't own property in PT, what responsibilities do you think you have requiring of a fiscal representative?

Re: Fiscal Representative
 

We were non residents for nearly ten years and never used a fiscal representative, total waste of money when all they do is pay your bills and as Mac and Mabel have said. it doesn't sound like you need one anyway.

Re: Fiscal Representative
 

Thanks for the replies.

I agree with you that it doesn't seem to make sense for me to appoint one given that I don't have any tax matters to answer to.

With that said, after registering with the consulate following my exit from the EU I received a letter from the tax people (Autoridade Tributaria) informing me that it is the law that all citizens with a NIF living outside of the EU are required to appoint a fiscal representative in Portugal.

I wrote to them and explained my situation ( I wanted to see if I could cancel my NIF or perhaps be excused from that requirement ) but no luck.

So my options right now are to either ignore it (which could potentially lead to, I believe, a 750 EUR fine plus having to appoint a fiscal representative anyways), hire a lawyer in Portugal to look into canceling my NIF ( potentially a long and costly process ) or find a cheap fiscal representative.

I'm exploring all avenues and thought I would ask here to see if anyone knows of a fiscal representative that is cost-effective and hasn't given them any headaches.

Re: Fiscal Representative
 

Have pm-ed you.

Re: Fiscal Representative
 

Thanks Mac and Mabel.

Re: Fiscal Representative
 

Looks like I need at least 4 posts to be able to see the message so here it goes :)

Re: Fiscal Representative
 

Hello,

pm sent.

Kind regards,
Louis

Re: Fiscal Representative
 

So can anyone state definitively whether it is the case that someone owning a house in Portugal BUT not being resident - just visiting for hols less than 6 months total in the year - IS or is not required by law to have a Fiscal Rep ?

If it is not a legal requirement can someone please set out exactly what they do ?

If you own a property and have an NIF does this mean you MUST send in a tax return each year ? If so I think i wd prefer to have a Fiscal Rep. do it for me, but I would much appreciate learning what the legal position is.
Thanks.

Re: Fiscal Representative
 

If you're resident in another EU member state you are not required to appoint a fiscal rep.

If you're not resident in Portugal and you don't have any income arising in Portugal, you do not file a tax return.

If you own a property under the above circumstances then all you need do is pay the annual tax. You can do this yourself from abroad provided you have a PT bank account and online access to your account with Finanças.

Re: Fiscal Representative
 

PM-ed you, riv.

KR

Re: Fiscal Representative
 

Not information you'd like to share with the rest of the forum?

Hmm - I wonder why that is :frown:

Re: Fiscal Representative
 

This is useful ( and a relief ) to know.

By 'pay the tax' - I take it you mean the IMI - equivalent of local council tax ?
Do you know if the Ca^mara will arrange to send the demand to an address in uk ? It's a once a year thing so I suppose if one knows when to expect it it can be a peg on which to hang a visit ( and / or just pay with an international bank transfer ).

Thanks again.

Re: Fiscal Representative
 

ON another site I did read that if you have an NIF you DO have to make a tax return ( even if it's a nil income in Portugal one ).
AND have to have a Fiscal Rep..
Presumably there would be some sense in the Fiscal Rep being the Solicitador/a who acts for the buyer in the purchase of the property ?

Re: Fiscal Representative
 

What was the "other site"?

From what I've read Red Eric is correct and this other site wrong.

Re: Fiscal Representative
 

We have no income in PT and are not residents and have never required a fiscal rep since the legal requirement stopped some years ago. We've never submitted a nil tax return or been requested to do so. and as Red Eric says, just pay our IMI at the local financas

Re: Fiscal Representative
 

Correct :thumbup:

It's not the Câmara that issues the bill - it's the Finanças office.

I'm not sure about what arrangements you can make, if any, for notification by post. RichardHenshall posts a lot of very useful info on managing things from abroad - I'm sure he'll know the answer.

However, you can manage the whole thing paperlessly and without the need for an international money transfer if you have online access to your Finanças account and a PT bank account. I'm pretty certain you can't make an international payment to Finanças from a UK bank account because of the references required to tie the payment back to the invoice.

Re: Fiscal Representative
 

I believe there is still a requirement for a Fiscal Rep for non-EU residents (or nationals - not 100% sure) or where property is owned by a company rather than an individual.

Regardless, the best starting point for remote management is obtaining access to the Portal das Finanças so you can see for yourself what's going on.

If you sign up for electronic notifications through ViaCTT you will get your IMI bills sent to your online ViaCTT mailbox in .pdf format. I've done this and don't get a copy by post at all.

With a Portuguese bank account you can pay online or through the Multibanco ATM network or by direct debit (see here). The direct debit option may be accessible to those with other SEPA euro bank accounts but I've no experience.

You can pay by international bank transfer (see leaflet here) but if any of the vital taxpayer details are not transmitted correctly the payment may not be credited to your correct taxpayer 'account' and I would imagine trying to unravel that long-distance might be challenging.

Re: Fiscal Representative
 

I would still recommend the person you've suggested. She's been brilliant.