The boxes are still in the hallway, the mattress is on the floor, and the first thing you look for is not coffee: it is the Wi-Fi. In Portugal, turning on the electricity, signing up for internet and getting a SIM card is quick, on one condition that comes up at every counter: "Qual é o seu NIF?" Without a tax number, almost nothing opens. Getting internet in Portugal starts there.
Here, in order, is how to connect your new home's utilities: electricity, gas and water first, then internet and phone, with the minimum-term rules that make a big difference over time.
Do you need a NIF to sign up for internet in Portugal and other services?
Yes, and it is the first thing to sort out. Energy suppliers, telecom operators, water services: all of them attach the contract and the bills to your tax number. The NIF is free and is obtained by appointment at the Finanças (the tax office); our guide to getting your NIF in Portugal explains how, including before you arrive.
As well as the NIF, have ready:
- your ID document;
- your rental contract or a document proving that you occupy the home;
- an IBAN, preferably Portuguese, because direct debit (débito direto) is the norm and often the condition for the best prices. If you do not have a bank here yet, our article on how to open a bank account in Portugal helps you choose.
How do you set up electricity in your home?
The electricity market has been fully liberalised in Portugal since 2006. On the mainland, the grid is run by E-REDES, but you never sign with it: you choose a supplier (comercializador), which sends you the bills. The names you will come across most often: EDP Comercial, Endesa, Galp, Iberdrola, Goldenergy. Those who do not choose stay with the supplier of last resort, SU Eletricidade, on a transitional tariff set by ERSE, the energy regulator.
To open the contract, the supplier will ask for the CPE (Código de Ponto de Entrega), the identifier of your meter: a code that starts with PT. It appears on old bills: ask the landlord for it, or note it on site along with the meter reading on the day you arrive.
Three choices to make, and not to rush:
- The contracted power (potência contratada), in kVA. If it is too low, the circuit breaker trips when the oven and the washing machine run together; if it is too high, you pay a more expensive standing charge for nothing. ERSE's power simulator helps you decide.
- The tariff: single, two-rate or three-rate. The two-rate tariff is worth it if you can shift a good part of your consumption to the evening and night.
- The supplier: ERSE's price simulator compares offers, with their minimum terms and penalties.
The good news: ERSE sets clear safeguards for households. The minimum term cannot exceed 12 months, changing supplier is free and possible at any time, and, for an ordinary home, the supplier cannot demand a deposit, except to restore power after a cut for non-payment. If you sign by phone or online, you have 14 days to withdraw, or 30 days if the contract was signed at your home.
On the islands, in Madeira and the Azores, things are organised differently: ask locally.
Gas and water: who do you contact when you move in?
Gas does not reach every home. In areas connected to natural gas, the contract follows the same logic as electricity, with a supplier of your choice and an installation code, the CUI, which plays the role of the CPE. Elsewhere, many homes run on gas bottles (botijas) for the cooker or the water heater, bought at a petrol station or delivered, or are all-electric. Ask before you sign the lease.
Water is a matter for your municipality: depending on the area, it is a municipal service or a public company, such as EPAL in Lisbon. You sign the contract at its counter or online, with your NIF, your ID and your lease. Sewerage and waste collection are often billed with the water.
A small tip that avoids arguments: note the readings of all the meters on the day you get the keys, with photos, and send them to the landlord.
This is often where the list grows longer: NIF, bank, lease, meters, technician appointments. If you would rather move forward in the right order, Moovy can help you with it.
Which internet in Portugal should you sign up for?
Fibre is widespread in the cities, and even in many small towns. Four names come up for home broadband in Portugal: MEO, NOS, Vodafone and, more recently, DIGI, which arrived with aggressive prices. The offers almost always come as bundles: internet, TV, landline and one or more mobile SIM cards.
Fibre remains the simplest way to get internet in Portugal on a contract, but the real question is not the speed: it is the minimum term (fidelização). Here are the rules set by the electronic communications law, as summarised by ANACOM, the regulator:
- the minimum term cannot exceed 24 months for a consumer;
- for each offer with a minimum term, the operator must also offer a contract with no minimum term, and contracts of 6 and 12 months;
- the commitment must correspond to benefits identified and quantified in the contract (free installation, a discount on the monthly fee, equipment);
- if you leave early, the charges must remain proportionate to the benefit received, within the limits set by law.
In practice, the offer with no minimum term costs more each month. If you are not sure you will stay two years in the same home, do the sums before you sign a 24-month internet contract.
On the practical side, installation is done by appointment with a technician, who runs the fibre into your living room if the building is connected. Ask the operator to check your address before you sign, especially in the old buildings of the historic centres.
Which SIM card should you buy when you arrive in Portugal?
The mobile market is dominated by three operators. According to ANACOM, at the end of 2025 MEO held 36% of active mobile lines, NOS 31% and Vodafone nearly 28%, far ahead of the DIGI group and NOWO, as well as Lycamobile. Choosing a mobile operator in Portugal therefore often comes down to the big three, their low-cost brands sold online, and the newcomers.
Two options:
- prepaid (pré-pago): a SIM card bought in a shop or at a kiosk, topped up online or at a Multibanco cash machine. No commitment, usually no NIF, but an ID document is often requested. In May 2026 the government approved a proposal that would make it compulsory to identify users of prepaid SIM cards: take your ID with you;
- a contract plan (tarifário com contrato), with a NIF, an IBAN and the same minimum-term rules as home broadband. Often cheaper when it is included in a bundle with internet.
If you are moving from France, Belgium or another EU country, your SIM card keeps working in Portugal thanks to the EU roaming rules, but these rules are meant for temporary stays. With a Swiss SIM card, it all depends on your operator. Either way, a Portuguese number quickly becomes essential: MB Way, the bank and many services send their codes by text message. To understand how people pay here, read our article on Multibanco and MB Way.
How do you avoid nasty surprises on your bills?
The first bills are often confusing, for good reasons. Three habits avoid most nasty surprises.
Send in your meter readings. When nobody reads the meter, electricity and water are billed on an estimate, then adjusted later, sometimes all at once. Most suppliers let you send your readings from the customer area or the app: get into the habit of doing it every month at the start.
Read the commitment line. On home broadband as on mobile, the end date of the minimum term is in the contract and often in the customer area. Write it down somewhere: that is the moment to renegotiate or to leave without charges.
Think about leaving. On the day you leave the home, cancel the contracts in your name and read the meters, as you did when you arrived. As long as the contract stays in your name, whatever is consumed in the home can keep landing on your bill.
Is internet in Portugal possible without a contract?
Yes, and it is often the best option for the first few weeks. For internet in Portugal without a contract, the simplest solution is a prepaid SIM card with a good data allowance, shared as a hotspot from your phone. Some operators also sell prepaid 4G or 5G routers, handy in a temporary rental.
It is also the right formula if you are waiting for the fibre to be installed, or if you have not yet signed a lease: you keep your freedom, and you only commit to 24 months once you have settled for good. And if you are still looking for a home, our guide to renting a flat in Portugal helps you check, before you sign, that the building is connected.