Buying a Portuguese SIM in Porto

Banks, Finanças codes and MB Way lean on a Portuguese mobile number. A holiday eSIM that dies in three weeks will waste a morning at a counter.

What to take

Passport or residence document, and enough patience to let the shop copy it. Prepaid is fine for the first months. Post-paid needs a stronger file.

Where

Official Vodafone, MEO and NOS stores, or a Loja do Cidadão desk that still does SIMs. Shopping centres along the metro (Mar Shopping, NorteShopping, Via Catarina area shops) are boring and reliable. Street sellers who only want cash and no paperwork are not.

After you leave the shop

Save the number, keep the contract PDF, and test an SMS the same day. When you open a bank app or activate Chave Móvel Digital, that SIM is what receives the codes.

Checked 28 October 2026. Rules and desks move. If gov.pt, AIMA, Finanças or the Câmara disagree with this page, follow them.