👤 How to create a contact with a foreign country?
When you create or edit a foreign contact, select the correct country in the Country field, in the contact's address details. 🌍
This is the country shown on PDF documents and reported in the SAF-T file. The flag shown next to the tax number (NIF) field is only used to validate the tax number.
👤 Create the contact from the Contacts menu
If you want to create the contact before issuing any document, go to the Contacts menu and click Create contact.
When filling in the contact details, select the customer's country in the Country field, in the address details.
🧾 Create the contact while creating the invoice
You can also create a new contact directly while creating an invoice. Start by typing the customer's name in the Client field. If the contact does not exist in the account, the “Create new contact” option will appear.
When creating the contact, select the correct country in the Country field, in the address details.
✅ However the contact is created, the country shown on PDF documents is the country selected in the Country field of the address.
🔀 What is the difference between the address country and the country next to the NIF?
The country selected in the address details is the one used in documents: it is the country shown on PDFs and the one included in the SAF-T file.
The code or flag next to the NIF field is only used to validate the tax number at the moment it is entered, regardless of the country indicated in the address.
❓ Can I select the country even without a NIF?
Yes. Even if you do not have the customer's NIF, you can select the country in the address details so that it is shown on the PDF.
⚠️ Please note: if the contact has no NIF, it is normal to see the Portugal code or flag next to the NIF field when you edit the contact again. Since there is no NIF to validate, this flag has no effect on the contact's country. The country that counts is the one in the address details.
📄 Which country is shown on the PDF and in the SAF-T?
| Contact situation | SAF-T | |
|---|---|---|
| With NIF and a foreign country in the address | Address country | Address country |
| Without NIF (final consumer) | Address country | "Desconhecido" (Unknown) |
⚠️ For contacts without a NIF (final consumers), the country is reported as "Desconhecido" (Unknown) in the SAF-T, even if the address has a country.
🔎 Check the country of existing contacts
To check the country of an existing contact:
- Go to the Contacts menu;
- Search for and open the contact you want to check;
- Click Edit;
- Check the Country field in the address details.
If necessary, update the country and save your changes. New documents will show the updated country.
✅ In short: for the correct country to appear on documents, always check the country selected in the Country field of the address details. The flag next to the NIF is only used to validate the tax number.
💬 Common questions
❓ When I edit a contact without a NIF, the Portugal flag appears. Is the contact's country wrong?
No. If there is no NIF, there is nothing to validate, so it is normal for the Portugal code or flag to appear next to that field. The contact's country is the one selected in the Country field, in the address details.
❓ How should I issue invoices to foreign customers without a NIF?
You can create the contact with just the name, without a NIF, and select the foreign country in the address details. That country will be shown on the PDF.
❓ Which country is sent in the SAF-T when the customer has no NIF?
In upcoming SAF-T files, the country will be reported as “Desconhecido” (Unknown), following the Portuguese Tax Authority (AT) guidelines for transactions with final consumers (no NIF). If the contact has a NIF and a foreign country in the address details, the SAF-T includes the address country.