NISS and living in Portugal

https://eportugal.gov.pt/en-GB/servicos … cial-niss-

[link under review]-@JohnnyPT

Thanks but I read that well enough before posting this thread. My question is not about how to open NISS. It's more about, "is it even mandatory for me as a [to-be] resident foreigner whose income source is entirely from North America and UK only as a freelancer doing SaaS and website development gigs? Thankfully I have the NHR status approved and active right now.

So that makes me question the usefulness of NISS in regard to SEF appointment.

Here in Pombal, NISS was a requirement to get an SNS número de utente, but the general opinion seems to be that elsewhere, it isn't.  By way of explanation they had some story about how you'd be unable to get the same deal at the pharmacy without it, but it didn't matter whether I cared about that or not.   At least it was fairly expedient, and there have been some stories about foreigners assigned some kind of temporary number and then having cause to regret it later, so maybe the Pombal office is right to do it by the book.  I needed a número de utente  in order to trade my US driver's license - there's a medical assessment, which is registered electronically by this ID.

@bloggerblogger,

To access the NHS, you need to have proof of your Social Security Identification Number (NISS).

    @bloggerblogger,
To access the NHS, you need to have proof of your Social Security Identification Number (NISS).
   
    -@JohnnyPT

Hi JohnnyPT. Are you sure about the above? To my knowledge and experience I only need the NIF and the Numero Utente de Saude. The NISS was the last thing I asked for long after I registered with our centro de saude.

https://www.ers.pt/uploads/writer_file/ … n_novo.pdf

They insisted on it before they woul dgive me a número de utente.

It's possible in Portugal to encounter stories about bureaucratic process that differ in significant details.  Maybe partly because the process can change, and one office may have a different understanding of it than another, in another city.  I'm sure that in my city, you'd need to get a NISS.

    They insisted on it before they woul dgive me a número de utente.
It's possible in Portugal to encounter stories about bureaucratic process that differ in significant details.  Maybe partly because the process can change, and one office may have a different understanding of it than another, in another city.  I'm sure that in my city, you'd need to get a NISS.
   
    -@donn25

That's the issue with Portugal. And it might be the same with many other procedures. This can keep you in complete limbo. For my Numero de Utente I just went into the centro de saude and walked out with the number. Then I could go to the doctor and get my medical for the driver's license. Easy. At that time I didn't even know what the NISS is good for.

You can't generalise on the basis of your own status. Have you read the PDF above? There are different procedures depending on the citizen's country of origin, etc...

@JohnnyPT no you do not. NISS is for the working and my 84 year old expat father uses the SNS regularly without a NISS.

@TGCampo correct it is not required nor for medication discounts, but some people in the government think otherwise.

@donn25 this is so true. In most cities it's not required, we help people with this as part of our services.