Portuguese Bank Account Documents by Country: USA, China, Israel, Canada and South Africa

Our bank partner asks every client for the same core set — passport, Portuguese NIF, a tax number document from the country of residence, proof of address and proof of income — but which document satisfies each item depends on where you live. This page collects the country-specific requirements for residents of the United States, China, Israel, Canada and South Africa. The general list is on the bank account service page, and the scanning rules are on how to scan documents.

Documents every applicant provides

• Passport — a high-quality scan with both pages on one scan, all 4 corners visible, no fingers on the document, signed and valid. See how to scan documents.
• NIF — the Portuguese tax number, both pages of the document scanned into one file. The name on it has to match the machine-readable line of your passport. See what the NIF document looks like; if you do not have one yet, order a NIF online.
• Tax number document from the country of residence — the country written in the address field of your NIF. Which document proves it is explained per country below; for other countries, the OECD’s tax identification number pages show what to provide.
• Proof of address — see the country sections below. Chinese and Israeli residents need it in English.
• Proof of income — the same rules for every country, with a few national details noted in each section.

What counts as proof of income

A document with your name as in your passport, issued less than 1 year ago, that states the amount of your monthly income and your type of activity or job title. It can be a signed work contract, a company statement of employment, a tax proof of self-employed registration or a pension document. The best option is a statement of employment like this example.

Employed

• Pay slip issued within the past 3 months, showing your job title, your name as in your passport, your salary, the company name and the year.
• Employment contract signed by both parties, issued less than 1 year ago.
• Statement of employment issued by the company within the past 3 months. It must contain the company data, your full name as in your passport, your job title, salary, date, the signer’s name and position, signatures and the company stamp. It has to be signed by the head of the department — a CEO, CFO, director or head of a department, not an accountant, a board member or an owner — and stamped with the company stamp, not a notary stamp (a notarized paper would have to be apostilled as well). A statement of employment cannot be issued to yourself.

Self-employed

• Registration certificate of your freelance activity, showing the activity codes and your full name as in your passport.
• Tax declaration issued less than 1 year ago, proving that the activity still exists.
• Recent invoices and, if you have one, a contract with your regular client or with the platform you get orders from. They support the registration certificate; on their own, service agreements, contractor agreements and invoices are not accepted as proof of work.

Company owner

• Company registration documents issued less than 1 year ago, showing the company name, its activity codes and your full name, and stating that you are the director.
• Pay slip, if you receive a salary.
• Tax declaration, if you receive royalties.

Passive income — investor or property owner

• Signed rental agreement(s) plus proof of the deposits.
• Financial statements showing your investments, issued within the past 6 months.
• Tax declaration showing the rental income, royalties or other passive income.

Retired

• State pension letter or statement with your full name and the type of pension, age or conditions, issued less than 1 year ago.
• Retirement investment account documents, such as a personal withdrawal plan letter.
• Tax declaration where the pension or social security benefits are declared.

Student in Portugal

• Student identity card, proof of enrollment and a bank statement.

Unemployed, homemaker or living on assets

• Latest income tax statement.
• Bank statement issued within the past 3 months, showing that you are provided for regularly.
• Unemployment verification letter issued by the employment office.
• If you live on your assets: proof of the source of funds and your tax declaration.
• In these cases we can only open a joint account with a partner who has income.

United States

A US resident provides a passport, a NIF, a signed Form W-9, an SSN document, proof of address and proof of income.

Tax number: SSN

US passport holders and clients with US tax residency (a US address on the NIF) provide their Social Security number with one of:

• Your SSN card with your signature, scanned on both sides.
• A tax form with your full name and the full SSN visible — not masked with XXX.

Proof of address

Bank statements and bills are not accepted as proof of address for the United States. Provide one of:

• Form 1040, 1099 or W-2 — issued less than 1 year ago, with the same address as on your NIF, in your full name as in your passport, together with proof of submission to the tax office.
• A driver’s license issued less than 1 year ago.

Your first name and surname on the document must match your passport exactly.

Form W-9

Every US resident has to provide a Form W-9 under the FATCA rules. Download the W-9 from the IRS, print it, write your name exactly as in your passport, add the date, sign it and scan it.

Proof of income: US details

• A W-2 is not a proof of work — it carries no job title. Use a pay slip, a contract or a statement of employment instead.
• Self-employed: your registration and a Form 1099 as the tax declaration proving the activity.
• Company owner: the company documents plus a Form 1099 if you receive royalties.
• Investor or property owner: your Form 1040 with rental real estate and royalties reported, plus the supplemental income or loss page.
• Retired: a pension letter or retirement investment account statement, and a Form 1040 where pensions and annuities (line 5a) or social security benefits (line 6a) are declared.
• Unemployed: an unemployment verification letter from the employment office, and a Form 1040 where unemployment compensation is declared.

China

A Chinese resident provides a passport, a NIF, a TIN document (Chinese ID), proof of address in English and proof of income.

Tax number: Chinese TIN

Chinese passport holders and clients with Chinese tax residency provide one of:

• Your Chinese resident identity card, scanned on both sides, translated and certified.
• Your tax report, translated and certified.

If the translation is made outside Portugal, it has to be apostilled. A Hong Kong identity card does not need to be translated. For Macao, see the OECD’s Macau TIN sheet; for Taiwan, the TIN is in the passport. The OECD’s China TIN sheet shows where to find the number on Chinese documents.

Proof of address in English

• A bank statement in English with your name as in your passport.
• A driver’s license, translated and certified — apostilled if the translation is made outside Portugal.

Proof of income in English

Employed clients provide documents in English or Portuguese: a statement of employment that is signed by the head of the department, not only stamped; a pay slip with your job title in English, issued less than 3 months ago; or a contract issued less than 1 year ago and signed by both parties. The other income categories follow the general rules above.

Israel

A resident of Israel provides a passport (the TIN is written in it), a NIF, a TIN document only if the address on the NIF is not in Israel, proof of address in English and proof of income in English.

Tax number: TIN

If your NIF carries an Israeli address, your Israeli passport is your proof of TIN. An Israeli identity card is also accepted, but it has to be translated and certified — with an apostille if that is done outside Portugal. If you are an Israeli tax resident with a passport of another country, the OECD’s Israel TIN sheet lists the other documents that prove the number.

Proof of address in English

A bank statement or a bank letter in English — not in Hebrew — with your name as in your passport. Israel Discount Bank, Charles Schwab and Bank Leumi, for example, issue them in English.

Proof of income in English

The proof has to be in English or Portuguese. Employed clients provide a statement of employment signed by the head of the department (not only stamped), a pay slip with the job title in English issued less than 3 months ago, or a contract issued less than 1 year ago and signed by both parties. The other income categories follow the general rules above.

Canada

A resident of Canada provides a passport, a NIF, a SIN card, proof of address and proof of income.

Tax number: SIN

Canadian passport holders and clients with tax residency in Canada provide their Social Insurance Number with one of:

• Your SIN card, scanned on both sides.
• A tax form with your full name and the full SIN visible — not masked with XXX.

Proof of address

• Driver’s license, both sides.
• Bank statement.
• House bills.
• Tax return — issued less than 1 year ago, with the same address as on your NIF, in your full name as in your passport, together with proof of submission to the tax office.

Proof of income

The general rules above apply. For self-employed clients the occupation has to be written on the registration document, and the tax declaration proving the activity accompanies it.

South Africa

A resident of South Africa provides a passport, a NIF, a SARS document, proof of address and proof of income.

Tax number: SARS

South African passport holders and clients with tax residency in South Africa provide their SARS taxpayer number with one of:

• Your SARS document, such as the notice of registration.
• A tax form with your full name and the full taxpayer number visible — not masked with XXX.

Proof of address

• Driver’s license, both sides.
• Bank statement.
• House bills.
• Tax return — issued less than 1 year ago, with the same address as on your NIF, in your full name as in your passport, together with proof of submission to the tax office.

Proof of income

The general rules above apply. For self-employed clients the occupation has to be written on the registration document, and the tax declaration proving the activity accompanies it.

Whatever your country, the bank may request additional information and documents beyond those listed here. Before you apply, check that both your passport country and your country of residence are on the list of supported countries.