Now that the Census is underway a few questions have arisen about who has to complete it, what to do if you haven’t or can't receive your password and how to get assistance.
The Census is only to be completed by residents in Portugal, whether they own property or are renting their accommodation. It can be completed in either Portuguese or English, by selecting the language in the box at the top right of your screen, which defaults to PT, but can be altered to EN.
The original plan from I.N.E (Instituto Nacional de Estatística), was for their Census teams to personally hand forms to people in their property, however that hasn’t happened and many forms have been left in mailboxes. The problem with that is that the mailbox may of course belong to an empty dwelling, or a property owned as a second home. In that case there are three options;
Firstly you can call INE on their help line number 210 542 021 and inform them that the property is not lived in by a resident.
Secondly, if you have the form, you can take it to the Junta de Freguesia and tell them the same thing, or you can go online to the census website and fill in the initial details requested and then at Question 4 - “Habitualmente residem pessoas neste habitação”, (Do people usually live in this dwelling?), simply answer não / no and the census ends there.(see image).
You may think ‘why bother’? but the census is obligatory and any dwellings that have not submitted their details online will be revisited in June and have to explain why they didn’t comply with the requirements. As it’s such a simple thing to handle, it makes sense to do it now and save the hassle later. Also if you see the INE staff in your area (with yellow vests/INE logo on the back) you can give the code letter back to them with the same explanation.
Finally, there are people who may not be in Portugal at the moment and who know that they have their census form waiting for them. The first thing is that they have a couple of weeks at least yet to complete the form, so if they are due back in Portugal before mid-May they should be fine. However if they are not scheduled to return, they can ask someone with access to their property (if such a keyholder exists) to open, scan and email – or even read out over the phone, the access code and their password. These things are specific to the address and there is no reason not to allow someone else to see it. Alternatively, you can contact the help line 210 542 021 and explain the situation and ask for assistance.
If you haven’t received your password you should contact the INE help line and ask for it.
Anyone who needs assistance in completing the census can visit their Junta de Freguesia, with their census letter and their identification, and the staff there will assist you in completing the census on-line. If you are unable to get to the Junta de Freguesia, once again you should call the INE help line 210 542 021 and ask for assistance.
Information supplied by afpop.
For more information about the Benefits of Membership of afpop, the largest Association for Foreign Residents in Portugal, you can visit their website www.afpop.com; email them direct on info@afpop.com or call the afpop office on 282 458 509 (t/m 938 252 100). Please remember to quote Algarve Daily News when contacting them.
