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Non-Debt Certificates (AT & Segurança Social)

non-debt certificates · como obter as duas grátis e na hora

A regularised standing is proved with two certificates: the Finanças debt / non-debt certificate and the Segurança Social contributory-status declaration. Both are free and instant. I show where to request each, the validity windows (3 and 4 months), and what to do when the AIMA portal invents a debt that does not exist.

By Elijah·UPDATED AUGUST 2026·5 MIN·OFFICIAL SOURCES
KEY FACTS
Finanças (AT)
Debt / non-debt certificate: free online, valid 3 months
Segurança Social
Contributory-status declaration: free, valid 4 months
Who demands them
Residence-permit renewal, public supports, tenders
Debt on a plan
An approved, complied-with instalment plan generally counts as regularised
FINANÇAS (AT)
Certidão de dívida e não dívida
  1. Entre em portaldasfinancas.gov.pt (NIF + senha ou CMD)
  2. Serviços > Certidões > Efetuar Pedido
  3. Escolha o tipo: Dívida e Não Dívida
  4. Descarregue o PDF imediato com o código de validação
Grátis · na hora · vale 3 meses
SEGURANÇA SOCIAL
Declaração de situação contributiva
  1. Entre na Segurança Social Direta (NISS + senha ou CMD)
  2. Conta-corrente > Situação contributiva
  3. Obter declaração
  4. Emitida de imediato se a situação estiver regularizada
Grátis · na hora · vale 4 meses
CALCULADORA DE VALIDADE
Certidão da AT válida até-
Declaração da Seg. Social válida até-
As duas saem na hora e são grátis: peça-as poucos dias antes de as entregar, não com semanas de antecedência.
OS ERROS QUE BLOQUEIAM CERTIDÕES
Pedir com semanas de antecedência

Três e quatro meses parecem folga até o processo derrapar. Como a emissão é imediata e gratuita, o momento certo de pedir é dias antes da entrega, nunca meses.

Achar que uma certidão cobre as duas casas

A da AT nada diz sobre a Segurança Social, e vice-versa. Quase todos os processos sérios querem o par completo.

Esquecer o passado de trabalhador independente

Contribuições de uma atividade aberta e nunca fechada são a dívida-surpresa clássica na Segurança Social. Se alguma vez passou recibos verdes, espreite a conta-corrente antes de pedir.

Deixar cair uma prestação do plano

Uma prestação falhada pode derrubar o acordo inteiro, e a certidão volta a mostrar a dívida toda de uma vez. Domicilie o pagamento ou ponha um alarme mensal.

Ignorar impostos pequenos

Um IUC esquecido de 30 € bloqueia a certidão exatamente como uma dívida grande: o documento não distingue montantes. A conta-corrente das Finanças mostra tudo antes de o papel o envergonhar.

O QUE A CERTIDÃO DE NÃO DÍVIDA NÃO É
  • Não é um perdão: diz que hoje não há dívida exigível; não apaga histórico nem processos em curso.
  • Não cobre a outra entidade: Finanças e Segurança Social emitem cada uma a sua, e os processos pedem as duas.
  • Não é vitalícia: 3 meses (AT) e 4 meses (Segurança Social), e quem a recebe pode exigir uma mais recente.

How this works

These two certificates are the blood test of Portuguese bureaucracy: fast, free and revealing. Almost every serious process, from residence-permit renewal to State supports, demands a “regularised contributory situation”, and it is measured in two houses at once. The tool above calculates how long each certificate remains valid; the steps explain how to request each one and what to do when something blocks.

  1. 1
    Two certificates, two houses
    A "regularised situation" in Portugal is proved with two separate documents, because debts live in separate houses: the Autoridade Tributária (taxes) and Segurança Social (contributions). One certificate says nothing about the other. Whenever a process demands "no debt", assume both are needed until told otherwise: that is the case for residence-permit renewal, where the law requires checking your standing with both entities.
  2. 2
    The Finanças certificate, step by step
    On the Portal das Finanças, sign in with your NIF and password or the Chave Móvel Digital and follow: Serviços > Certidões > Efetuar Pedido > choose "Dívida e Não Dívida". The online request is free and the certificate comes out instantly, as a PDF with a validation code. It is valid for 3 months. If instead of "não dívida" the certificate shows debts, it lists them: that is the starting point to pay them or request an instalment plan on the same portal.
  3. 3
    The Segurança Social declaration, step by step
    On Segurança Social Direta, sign in with your NISS and password (or the Chave Móvel Digital) and follow: Conta-corrente > Situação contributiva > Obter declaração. If your situation is regularised, the declaration is issued immediately and is valid 4 months. If amounts are owed, the request does not come out on the spot: the account view shows what is unpaid, and regularisation (payment or an instalment agreement) has to come first.
  4. 4
    At permit renewal, the check is automatic
    Art. 63 of Decreto Regulamentar 84/2007 requires a renewal to show a regularised standing with the tax administration and Segurança Social, where applicable. Since the 2024 reform, AIMA checks this by direct database lookup, without asking you for any paper. The renewal portal’s known problem: sometimes the lookup fails and a block appears for a "debt" that does not exist. Getting both certificates before filing costs nothing and turns the complaint into a closed case: you attach the proof and move on.
  5. 5
    Actually in debt? Regularise before requesting
    Debt is not a dead end. At Finanças, you can pay or request payment in instalments on the portal; at Segurança Social, instalment agreements are requested on Segurança Social Direta or at a counter. As a rule, a debt inside an approved plan that is being complied with counts as a regularised situation, and the certificate comes out again. And there is a specific safety valve at permit renewal: if the Segurança Social record is wrong through no fault of yours and you have already complained, art. 63(4) lets AIMA proceed with extra checks instead of refusing.

Frequently asked

Do I need both certificates to renew my residence permit?
You need both standings to be regularised; the papers themselves, in principle, no, because AIMA verifies by direct database lookup (art. 42-A of DR 84/2007). In practice, I recommend requesting both certificates before filing: they are free, instant, and your immediate defence if the portal blocks the request over a non-existent debt, an error still showing up in 2026 complaints.
How much do they cost and how long are they valid?
Requested online, both are free. The AT debt / non-debt certificate is valid 3 months; the Segurança Social contributory-status declaration is valid 4 months. Since the windows are short and issuance is instant, the right strategy is to request them a few days before handing them in, not weeks ahead.
The AIMA portal says I owe money, but I do not. What do I do?
First, check with the sources: request the AT certificate and the Segurança Social declaration that same day. If both say "regularised", the block is a system-to-system communication error, a known portal problem. Complain on AIMA’s contact form (contactenos.aima.gov.pt), under the subject "Portal de Renovações", with a screenshot of the error, both certificates and your details. AIMA warns that requests outside that specific subject are not considered, so pick the subject carefully.
I have never worked in Portugal. Does the Segurança Social part apply to me?
The law requires a regularised standing "where applicable": if you never had activity or registration with Segurança Social, there are no possible debts there, and the check simply finds nothing against you. If you already have a NISS, it is worth logging into Segurança Social Direta and confirming the account is at zero, especially if you once had atividade open as a freelancer: forgotten contributions from that period are a classic surprise.
Where do I see my debts before requesting the certificate?
At Finanças: Portal das Finanças > A Minha Área > tax debts (or the financial movements page), showing amounts, fines and interest. At Segurança Social: Segurança Social Direta > Conta-corrente, with unpaid amounts and payment documents. Looking first avoids the awkward moment of requesting a non-debt certificate and receiving a list of debts.
I am on an instalment plan. Does the certificate still come out?
As a rule yes: the situation counts as regularised while the approved plan is being complied with, both at the AT and at Segurança Social. That is how many people with old debts manage to renew their permit or apply for supports. Mind the reverse: one missed instalment can bring the plan down and the certificate shows the full debt again. If your case has wrinkles (guarantees, debts under enforcement), confirm with the entity before counting on the certificate.
Who else can ask me for these certificates?
The usual customers: applications for public supports and incentives, public tenders and contracts with the State, some licensing, credit processes, and of course residence-permit renewal. Employers and landlords do not usually ask, but nothing stops them. Since they are free and instant, holding them costs nothing; discovering a forgotten debt mid-process is what can cost you.
Are "dívida e não dívida" and "situação contributiva" the same thing?
They are cousins, not twins, and the naming mess is half the problem. "Certidão de dívida e não dívida" is the name of the tax authority’s document; "declaração de situação contributiva" is the name of the Segurança Social one; and "situação contributiva regularizada" is the phrase the laws use for the state both documents prove. When a process asks for "proof of a regularised situation" with no detail, the safe reading is: both documents, one from each house.
I paid the debt today. Does the certificate come out clean tomorrow?
Count on a few days, not hours. Multibanco reference payments take time to clear and the internal ledger lags behind the money arriving; at peak times, the account view can trail reality. The practical rule: do not leave the payment for the eve of needing the certificate, and after paying keep the payment receipt, which serves as interim proof while the system catches up.
OFFICIAL SOURCES
DISCLAIMER
Guidance, not legal or tax advice. The validity windows (3 months AT, 4 months Segurança Social) and the zero cost refer to online requests on the official portals at the last update. Cases with debts under enforcement, guarantees or instalment plans have their own rules: confirm your specific situation with the AT, Segurança Social or a certified accountant.