Daily life
NIF
nif, or 'ene-ee-EFE'
Your Portuguese tax number. Nothing happens without it — no lease, no bank account, no phone contract, no residence permit. Free at a Finanças office.
Número de utente
NOO-meh-roo duh oo-TEN-tuh
Your health service number, issued at your centro de saúde. In the Algarve it is issued by ULS Algarve, the region's single health unit.
Caução
cow-SOWN
The rental deposit. Article 1076 of the Civil Code caps it at two months' rent, plus at most two months paid in advance. A three-month deposit demand is not lawful.
Arrendamento de inverno
ah-rren-da-MEN-too duh in-VER-noo
A 'winter let' — a cheap October-to-May contract on a property the owner rents to tourists in summer. The defining feature of Algarve housing and the classic newcomer trap.
Alojamento Local / AL
ah-loo-zha-MEN-too loo-KAL
The short-term holiday rental licence. An enormous share of Faro-area housing stock holds one, which is why long leases are scarce here and abundant in Porto.
Culture
Ria Formosa
REE-ah for-MOH-zah
The lagoon and barrier islands the city sits behind. It is a natural park, and it is the reason Faro has no beach you can walk to.
Sotavento / Barlavento
soh-tah-VEN-too / bar-lah-VEN-too
The eastern (leeward) and western (windward) Algarve. Faro is sotavento — flatter, calmer water, less developed than the Lagos and Albufeira side.
Food
Uma imperial
OO-mah eem-peh-ree-AL
A small draft beer. The southern word — say 'fino' and you have announced you came from Porto.
Cataplana
ka-ta-PLAH-nah
A hinged copper pan and the seafood stew cooked in it. The Algarve's own dish and usually sold for two people minimum.
Social
Está a dar
SHTAH ah DAR
'It's on / it's working out' — the relaxed Algarvian shrug. The southern accent swallows vowels even harder than Lisbon's.
Emergency
Socorro!
soo-KOH-rroo
Help! Emergencies are 112 across the EU; SNS24 health triage is 808 24 24 24.
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