How to fax a landline in Portugal
Fax a Portuguese landline from your browser. Nine-digit format, regional codes, time zone and working hours. A single page is free, and anything longer costs €3.99.
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In Portugal a fax is still welcome in many pharmacies, clinics, town halls and family-run firms. This page lets you send one to a Portuguese landline right from your browser: there is no software to set up and no sign-up required.
Landline numbers have nine digits and begin with 2. The next digit points to the area: 21 for Lisbon, 22 for Porto, 253 for Braga, 239 for Coimbra, 289 for the Algarve and 291 for Madeira. Unlike France or Italy, there is no leading zero to keep, so type the nine digits as they stand.
Mobile numbers starting with 9 cannot take a fax and are turned away at the form, as are numbers where someone has added a 0 or the country code by habit. Check the count: eight or ten digits mean something is off.
A single page costs nothing; longer documents are a flat €3.99. Portugal runs on Western European Time, an hour behind most of the continent, and offices mostly work from nine to half past five, so a morning send from central Europe lands during the working day.
Portugal fax numbers: how to enter them
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dial code | +351 |
| ISO code | PT |
| Numbers accepted | 9 digits starting with 2 followed by 1 to 9, no leading zero; mobiles (9) and numbers with an extra 0 are refused |
| Example number | 213456789 |
| Region | Southern Europe |
Portugal: what we accept and what we turn down
| Number typed | Outcome | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 21 345 6789 | Accepted | Lisbon |
| 22 123 4567 | Accepted | Porto |
| 253 123 456 | Accepted | Braga |
| 912 345 678 | Rejected | Mobile number, which no fax can reach |
| 0213 456 789 | Rejected | A 0 that does not belong in front in this country |
| 21 345 678 | Rejected | At least one digit is missing |
Area codes for the main cities
| City or line type | Area code |
|---|---|
| Lisbon area | 21 |
| Porto area | 22 |
| Braga and the Minho | 253 |
| Coimbra and the centre | 239 |
| Faro and the Algarve | 289 |
| Funchal and Madeira | 291 |
Portugal: who still takes faxes?
- Many pharmacies and private clinics still take prescriptions, test requests and appointment documents by fax.
- Notaries, solicitors and civil registry offices use fax to exchange draft deeds and supporting pages with clients and colleagues.
- Municipal offices and parish councils, especially outside the big cities, can still be reached by fax for forms and certificates.
- Small manufacturers, importers and transport firms keep a fax line for orders and delivery documents.
Fax numbers of organisations are not something we publish. Take the number from a recent letter or from the recipient’s official site.
The official online alternative
Official procedures increasingly run through the Chave Móvel Digital, the national digital key, which opens the Portal das Finanças, Segurança Social Direta and many other public services. Tax filings and social security declarations are normally done there, not by fax.
Courts use the Citius platform for filings by legal professionals, and the SNS 24 service handles health appointments and electronic prescriptions. When a recipient has no account on these systems, a fax is still a practical way to hand over a signed page.
Portugal: time zone and office hours
| Time zone | Western European Time |
|---|---|
| Gap with Paris | UTC+0 (UTC+1 in summer) |
| Typical office hours | Mon-Fri 9:00-17:30 local |
Portugal: common questions
- Does a Portuguese fax number need a leading zero?
- No. Portuguese numbers have no trunk zero. Select Portugal and type the nine digits, for example 213 456 789, without 0 or +351 in front.
- Can I fax a Portuguese mobile phone?
- No. Numbers starting with 9 are mobiles and cannot receive faxes. Only landlines starting with 2 are accepted, and the form flags any other number before payment.
- What time is it in Portugal compared to France?
- Mainland Portugal is one hour behind France all year. When it is 10:00 in Paris, it is 9:00 in Lisbon, so offices there open an hour later by your clock.
Send a fax to Portugal
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Keep exploring
A few pages that go well with the one you just read.
- Choose a country to see its dial code and the number format we expect, then send your fax to a landline.
- Look up a country’s code, its usual prefixes and how long its numbers are before you fax across a border.
- Choose the country, type the number, and find out at once whether it is ready to use.
- What time it is for your recipient, and when every office is staffed at once.
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