mafra_mafia

Me too please! Thanks in advance.

Loafing Along

yes - right way to go , as a pensioner it is all dead easy but get specialist advice if you are looking at a particular set of qualifying skills.

AliceCaroline

OK.

AlexGee

Hello,

I'm Alexander, 42y, German and I'm planning to move to Portugal. I do not speak Portuguese yet, but I'm capable to use Google translate, or ask someone

I have already a NIF, but I was never tax resident in Portugal before and I'm not registered yet at the financas website.
I'm in the process to buy a property in Coimbra district within the next few weeks.
I have a Master in Molecular Biology and I did work for 18y in the Life Science industry - therefore I do not get redfaced to describe myself as a "Life Science Expert" - which is a preferred profession from the 2019 NHR perspective. I'm currently employed in Germany, but in a 6 month sabbatical
I want to apply to NHR for sure.

I'm a little bit puzzled about the sequence and if I need support from a local advogado. This is my personal understanding how it should work:

1. I buy the property
2. I apply for residency in Portugal
3. I register with Financas - this will trigger tax residency
4. I apply for NHR

Is this the correct process? Do I need an advogado and potentially for what? Do I have to be employed as a Life Science Expert at the time of NHR application (in Portugal, or Germany)?

I have some dividend incomes in Germany, which I would like to enjoy tax free

Thank you
Alexander

Loafing Along

You do not need to buy a property to become resident. Long term rental contract is quite OK . In theory you can only become resident after 90 days in the country although some town halls ignore that, others do not.
Tax residency can then be done as you have a Portuguese address.
As for NHR under your specific skill you will need specific advice

AlexGee

Thank you for your reply - I will buy a property anyway NHR is just the goody

I'm already in Portugal since 2 months - therefore no problem either.

Any advice, whom to contact for advice? Are tehre any recommended advogados?

Thanks
Alexander

Loafing Along

Can't help there I'm afraid ..

Pilotabroad

Could anybody be so kind to pm me a photo of their NHR granted pdf from the portal (obviously with personal details blanked)

A mistake was made with my application in February which meant declined but told to appeal as was simple clerical error.
After waiting 9months its finally been looked at but on the portal page its states rejected but the pdf gives dates as though it's been accepted.... very confusing and stressful!
just hoping to compare it to an accepted/granted pdf

Thanks

Red Eric

You're not being thrown by the word "deferido", are you?

Pilotabroad

Very sadly not

I even sent to my Portuguese friend in desperate hope but unfortunately its definitely "Indeferido", but the confusion is in that it states the dates of application and when it ceases ie 10yrs

Pilotabroad

A further update to anyone in the process now....
apparently there is a system wide error/failure in the department at the moment which will take 60-90days to fix, this is causing incorrect information to be shown online and sent out to people grrrrrrr
my NHR appeal was successful and do now have it but I was given the wrong result ie rejected.
Thanks to friends this has been manually adjusted on file but will still take months to show online SO.... if you get bad results or incorrect info in the near future dont despair!
Good luck all

David_c

Hi there,
Put simply, that is in fact the chronological sequence. Just might add a point between 3. and 4., to request the access codes to your Portal das Finanças.
When submitting the NHR application you do not need to provide any proof of employment as Scientist. This type of stuff could be (hence, it is at the Tax Authorities discretion) requested further in time, specifically after submitting the yearly tax declaration.
Good luck,
David

AlgarveAndy

Hi I'm hoping someone can clarify the information I have been told by a Portuguese Accountant is actually correct....
My situation is that :-
1) I have my Portuguese residency which was granted in Lagoa Camara in OCtober 2019 with my residency being registered at my friends address whilst I find a permanent Property to buy (this was perfectly acceptable to the authorities as my friend who speaks fluent Portuguese was with me at the time)
2) I obtained my NIF and my Tax residency address was kept as my current UK home address
3) I applied for my FIncas Portal Password and indeed this was sent to my UK address automatically
4) I have been advised by the Portuguese Accountant that because my Tax address is in the UK then I do not need to get property deeds or a 12 month rental Contract in place before December 31st 2019 so that I can actually apply for NHR before 31st March 2020. They have said it will be perfectly ok for me to find a property and get the deeds in place early next year (2020) as the NHR deadline of 31st March is calculated from the date you have your Tax residency altered to being in Portugal and NOT the date I did my habitation residency i.e October 2019.

Can anyone see a problem with the information I have been told ?....

RichardHenshall

The address you supply to the Finanças should always be where you live. If you're living in Portugal it should be your address in Portugal. If you're living in the UK it should be your address there (and, imho, you shouldn't be seeking to register residency at the Câmara at all). You do not need to own a property or have a 12 month lease to be a tax-resident as you could be living with friends or family.

Your tax residency can be deemed by Portugal to start on the day you arrive in Portugal with the intention of living in Portugal and could therefore be in the current year. The act of registering residency with the Câmara with a Portuguese address can reasonably be considered to support the argument that you have already set the clock ticking. Changing your address at the Finanças may be taken as the start of your tax residency (or they may use some other earlier date if there is evidence in support) but if it's important to you that you apply successfully for NHR (even if for <9 years) it may be safer to consider yourself tax-resident from some date in 2019 and apply before 31st March 2020, arranging your affairs appropriately. If you were to apply in March 2021 and they then said you had become resident in 2019 your application would be rejected.

AlgarveAndy

Thanks Richard,
the Key issue for me is that the supporting Documents acceptable for NHR are stated to be Deeds to a property or a 12 month rental contract and crucially it says these need to be dated on or before 31st December prior to applying for NHR. I currently have neither of these but will have a promissory contract dated before 31st December 2019 to purchase my primary home with the Completion to be before 31st March 2020 (done to fit in with the NHR deadline). I am selling my property in the UK to fund my purchase hence the extended timescale from promissory to completion. I have no desire to squeeze the maximum 10 year period out of NHR and indeed my taking of Residency at the Camara was driven by the Portuguese Government Pamphlet stating that only if a person was resident prior to the Brexit date (31st October at that time) would they guarantee you would be eligible for future permanent Residency.

so the advice I am questioning from the accountant is 'the need for NHR supporting documents dated on or prior 31st December 2019 goes away if my Tax Residency address is in the UK and not Portugal'