Prologue. The magic of nine digits Shortly after arriving in Portugal, we discovered that obtaining a Portuguese tax identification number, or NIF ( Número de Identificação Fiscal ), was essential for practically everything. Renting an apartment, signing up for utilities, opening bank accounts, and completing various administrative procedures all seemed to require this magical nine-digit number. You are even routinely asked whether you want to provide your NIF when shopping for groceries or buying gasoline. If you want to fit in Portugal, apparently you need a NIF. I suppose the practice also helps prevent tax evasion, although I have not entirely figured out how. Fortunately, obtaining a NIF was supposed to be straightforward. All we needed was an appointment at Finanças, the Portuguese tax authority. As foreigners, we had to arrange our appointments through a nationwide booking system. This presented an interesting opportunity. Rather than waiting for an appointment in Coimbra, wh...