Fax a Portuguese contact online
The +351 to dial, nine digits to copy: your PDF heads to a Portuguese landline without leaving the browser. One page free, PDF delivery receipts if you want them.
The Portuguese number consists of nine digits, without a leading zero. Every landline opens with a 2: Lisbon uses 21, Porto 22, and other areas a three-digit block, so Coimbra gets 239, Faro 289 and Madeira 291. Mobiles start with 9, and a fax sent there has nowhere to land.
Fax is used there whenever a written record matters: conservatórias — property, civil and commercial registries — notary and law offices, and accountants dealing with the tax authorities still accept documents this way. Private clinics and laboratories too. And in the Algarve as in Madeira, hotels and travel agencies keep a line dedicated to group bookings.
In the form, select Portugal, then copy the nine digits from your recipient's letterhead, without adding the +351 or 00351. This is the fastest route for delivery of a signed power of attorney or another required document, with no wait for the mail.
Your first page is free of charge; starting with page two, the entire document is billed at €3.99, VAT included. A PDF delivery receipt costs €2.99 including VAT, and that charge hits your invoice only after the transmission has gone through successfully.
Portugal: the number format to enter
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| International dialling code | +351 |
| ISO code | PT |
| Accepted format | Nine digits starting with 2, including the area code; numbers beginning with 9 are mobiles |
| Line example | 213456789 |
| Region | Europe |
Portugal: sample numbers, accepted or rejected
| Number tested | Verdict | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 21 345 6789 | Valid | Lisbon |
| 22 123 4567 | Valid | Porto |
| 253 123 456 | Valid | Braga |
| 912 345 678 | Rejected | Mobile number: beyond the reach of a fax |
| 0213 456 789 | Rejected | Extra zero: no prefix here |
| 21 345 678 | Rejected | Missing digits |
Area codes of the main cities
| City or line type | Dialling code |
|---|---|
| Lisbon | 21 |
| Porto | 22 |
| Braga | 253 |
| Coimbra | 239 |
| Faro | 289 |
| Funchal | 291 |
Portugal: organisations that still receive faxes
- Tax authorities (AT), Segurança Social and câmaras municipais often direct you to their portals; however, some local service desks still keep a fax for an occasional document.
- Clinics, laboratories and pharmacies still circulate reports and requests by fax, although the receita sem papel — the paperless prescription — is now the norm within the SNS.
- On the legal side, filings go through Citius; conservatórias — land, civil and commercial registries — and notaries still accept faxed documents in certain cases.
- Insurance companies, banks and contabilistas certificados sometimes accept faxes for an authorization or a signed form.
No organisation number is published here: take the one from your latest letter, or from the official website.
The official digital channel
A quick tour of the platforms: Portal das Finanças, where the e-Balcão processes applications; the ePortugal / gov.pt portal, reached with the Digital Mobile Key or Citizen Card; the single digital address where State notifications arrive; Citius, designed with legal representatives in mind; and Segurança Social Direta.
Portugal: time difference and office hours
| Time zone | Continental Portugal and Madeira are on UTC+0 (WET), shifting ahead one hour in summer; the Azores are on UTC−1, converting to UTC+0 in the summer period. |
|---|---|
| Difference from Paris | One hour behind Paris for the mainland and Madeira; in the Azores, the difference doubles. |
| Usual hours | Most public offices open at 9 a.m. and close at 4 or 5 in the afternoon, local time, often pausing for lunch from 1 to 2. Press send at 5 p.m. in Brussels and the fax comes through in Lisbon at 4 p.m. |
Portugal: questions about sending
- Must I place a zero in front of a Portuguese number?
- No, Portuguese numbers have no such zero. A Lisbon line such as 21 345 6789 goes into the form exactly as written, all nine digits, and adding +351 is optional.
- A number starting with 9: why the rejection?
- That leading 9 indicates a mobile phone, and no mobile phone accepts faxes. Portuguese landlines invariably start with 2: ask your contact for the landline fax number.
- What's the best time window to fax Portugal?
- Subtract one hour from Brussels time, two for the Azores. When it is 9 a.m. in Brussels, Lisbon is only at 8, so your fax often sits in the tray until the office opens. Want an answer the same day? Send between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Brussels time.
Send a fax to Portugal
The other six countries
Countries covered
This topic
- Countries covered
- Dial code +1 — Ten digits in total: three for the region, seven for the subscriber, without the leading 1
- Dial code +33 — Ten digits in total, beginning with 01 through 05 or with 09; numbers beginning with 06 or 07 are mobiles
- Seven countries reachable over any connection, at the same rate for every destination.
Keep reading
Pages chosen to help you prepare a send, track it, or keep proof of it.