The atestado de residência comes from your junta de freguesia, and it's cheap
A 2026 guide to Portugal's proof-of-address certificate: where to ask, what to bring, what it costs, how long it takes, how long it lasts, and where AIMA, the SNS and schools ask for it.
You get the atestado de residência from the junta de freguesia covering where you live, it usually costs between €5 and €15, and most parish offices hand it over the same day. It is the document that proves your address when you do not have — or do not want to use — a utility bill in your own name, and it is asked for in more places than newcomers expect.
What is the atestado de residência for?
It is proof of address for anyone who will not accept anything else. It shows up routinely in AIMA processes, in registering at a health centre, in enrolling children at a state school, in social support applications, in resident parking permits and in family reunification files. Banks and insurers ask for it too, especially when someone has just arrived and has no contracts in their own name yet.
Do not confuse it with the Social Security residence certificate or with the tax authority’s proof of fiscal address. Those are different documents from different bodies, and whoever is asking usually knows exactly which one they want. If you are unsure, ask for the document’s exact name before you go to the parish office.
What do you need to bring?
The core list is always the same, though each junta has some latitude to ask for more:
- valid ID (citizen card, residence permit or passport);
- your tax number (NIF);
- proof of the address if you have any — tenancy agreement, rent receipt, a utility bill;
- at many juntas, two witnesses registered in that parish, who come with you and bring their own ID.
The witness requirement is what catches people out. If you have just moved somewhere you know nobody, call ahead: some juntas waive witnesses when there is a registered tenancy agreement, some accept a landlord’s declaration, and some make no exceptions at all.
How much does it cost and how long does it take?
Each parish sets its own fee, typically between €5 and €15. When you turn up in person with complete paperwork, the certificate is usually issued on the spot or within one to two working days. More juntas now accept requests by email or through an online form, with collection in person or delivery by post — practice varies a lot, so your own parish’s website is the source that matters.
How long is an atestado de residência valid?
The certificate does not normally carry a printed expiry date, but whoever receives it imposes one: in practice public bodies and banks accept certificates issued within the last three to six months. For a slow application, get the atestado close to the date you actually file, not months ahead.
Quick questions
Can non-Portuguese residents get one?
Yes. The certificate proves residence, not nationality. Foreign nationals with a residence permit, with a pending application, or even without regular status can often obtain one — precisely because it is how you prove an address when you do not yet have other paperwork.
Can somebody request it on my behalf?
Generally no, unless they hold a power of attorney or are the legal representative of a minor. Children are usually certified by a parent or guardian, bringing the child’s ID.
Is it enough for AIMA?
It works as proof of address in several procedures, but it never replaces the specific documents a given process requires. Before booking anything, check the list on the AIMA portal and gather the whole file in one go.
Once the address is sorted, the next step for most new arrivals is healthcare: we explained how to register with the SNS and get a family doctor. General state services and forms are gathered on ePortugal.
Image: PESP/ Wikimedia / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
