Country file · PT
Potential · mediumPortugal: recover the withholding tax on your dividends
Every dividend paid from this country loses 25% to withholding tax at source. The tax treaty caps it at 15% for a French resident. The 10-point gap is not lost money: it can be claimed back — with the right forms, within the deadline.
No win, no fee · Pricing 100% public · FR / EN
Example for €10,000 of gross dividends, French tax resident, before our success fee. Indicative amounts — every claim is verified before filing.
Technical file
The numbers that matter
Both rates, the gap, the form and the time you have left: everything that decides whether a claim is worth opening.
25%
Statutory rate
withheld from non-residents by default
15%
Treaty rate
for a French resident
10 pts
Recoverable gap
2 years
Statute of limitations
from the end of the year of payment
Your deadline to act
To be confirmed2 years
2 years from the end of the withholding year, as a general rule — alongside Canada, one of the shortest windows in the panel.
Compute my exact deadline →The procedure in practice
- Form
- Form 22-RFI
- Competent authority
- Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira (Portuguese tax authority)
- Online filing
- No
- Relief at source
- Yes
Relief at source prevents the over-withholding before it exists: the correct rate is applied at payment time. See the relief-at-source service →
Data reviewed on 12 July 2026 · Indicative amounts — every claim is verified before filing.
Specifics
What you should know about this country
- A 10-point gap (25% withheld, 15% owed) on Lisbon's flagship names (EDP, Galp, Jerónimo Martins…).
- The 2-year window is the Portuguese trap: as in Canada, many over-withholdings expire before anyone spots them.
- Prevention works: Form 21-RFI handed to the paying agent before payment secures the 15% at source — the best move for long-held positions.
- A higher 35% rate hits accounts booked in listed jurisdictions: those lines are assessed case by case.
Claim documents
The documents required
What we gather with you. Most of these can be requested online or produced from your brokerage statements.
- Form 22-RFI with a certificate of tax residence
- Evidence of the Portuguese dividends and the 25% withholding
- Identification of the Portuguese paying agent
- A representation mandate
Frequently asked
Your questions about this country
How long do I have to reclaim the withholding tax on my Portugal dividends?
2 years, from the end of the calendar year in which the dividend was paid. This figure is worth reconfirming at filing time: counting rules differ from one administration to another.
Which form do I need for Portugal, and who do I file it with?
Form Form 22-RFI, filed with Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira (Portuguese tax authority). This administration has no e-filing option for this type of claim: filing is done by post.
Can I avoid this withholding at payment time, rather than reclaiming it afterwards?
Yes, in theory: Portugal makes relief at source achievable for an individual — avoiding the entire 10-point gap before payment even happens. In practice it requires your broker to pass your tax status all the way to the local custodian — check with them, otherwise the full rate keeps applying regardless.
Is it worth filing a claim for Portugal?
It depends on the amount: with a 10-point gap here, it doesn't take much in gross dividends to clear our €39 floor fee per successful claim. Below a few hundred euros of over-withholding, recovery becomes marginal once that fee is deducted. The simulator tells you in two minutes whether your case clears that bar.
Is Portugal one of the countries with the most to recover?
Portugal ranks 14th out of the 19 countries covered for a French tax resident, with a 10-point gap between the withheld rate and the treaty rate.
Resources
Go further
- Problems & risks7 min read
Tax residence certificate (Form 5000): why so many claims stall or fail
Almost every withholding tax recovery starts with the same document, Form 5000 — and it's often where claims get stuck. The five most common mistakes, and how to avoid them.
- Cost & pricing7 min read
The true cost of doing nothing about withholding tax on your foreign dividends
"Doing nothing" isn't free: it's an over-withholding that expires at the statute-of-limitations date. The numbers behind inaction, the panel's shortest deadlines, and the success fee.
- Best in class12 min read
Which countries offer the best recovery potential for a French resident?
Finland, Ireland and Switzerland on top — the UK, the Netherlands and France at zero, and we say so. All 19 countries ranked by recoverable gap for an individual French resident, with each one's traps.
- Best in class7 min read
The right refund form, country by country: the reference table
Modelo 210, Form 83, NR7-R, 276 Div.-Aut., 5000/5001… The form, the authority, the window and the filing channel for all 19 covered countries — all free from the administrations, table updated with our country database.
- Best in class9 min read
Statute of limitations: how long you have to claim, ranked by country
From Canada and Portugal (only 2 years) to Austria, Sweden, Japan and Norway (5 years): claim deadlines ranked across all 19 covered countries — with both counting rules, the 31 December cliff, and the filing order that follows.
How much can you recover?
Two minutes, no sign-up: the simulator applies the rates above to your real amounts and shows our fee before you commit to anything.
No win, no fee · Pricing 100% public · FR / EN