Most houses will already have a land line installed and you should only have to reconnect to the PT service. If this is not the case, installation costs around €90 and will take around two to four days in urban areas and up to two weeks in rural parts.
The easiest way for expats to connect to a PT land line is by going directly to one of their shops. Non-Portuguese speakers will have difficulty opening an account on-line as their website is only available in Portuguese.
To get a land line in Portugal you will need to provide the following:
- Passport/ ID card details
- Proof of address
- Tax number (NIF or CIF)
- Bank details
Calls with PT are significantly cheaper during weekends and off peak hours (between 21h and 9h everyday).
Other land line services in Portugal
Altice offers an excellent service to the expat community. International calls are free (up to a certain limit), bills are printed in English, German and Portuguese and all technical support is offered in these languages too. Connection to this provider will take around 48 hours and can be done via their website.
ARTelecom are starting to build their own network of landlines. At the time of writing, you could either user their services through a PT land line or apply for an AR land line for €16.00 per month. They offer competitive international call rates, most costing less that one cent per minute. Their website is only available in Portuguese.
All providers are now offering packages combining internet, TV and home telephone.
How to pay: If PT supply your land line and call plan, you will be sent a monthly bill which can be paid at the Post Office (Correios), via Direct Debit or at selected ATM machines.
If you use a different service provider's call plan via a PT land line, you will be sent two separate bills; one for PT line rental and one for your selected telecom company. You should settle your PT line rental bill as instructed above. Your chosen service provider will instruct you on how to pay for their services.