Do you need to have an ID to buy a prepaid phone in Portugal? If so, do you have to have a visa, or will a passport work?
Portugal - 3 Answers
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1 :
my dear, i am michael from china, i do not know wether a visa is needed when you buy phone from portugal, i am electrnic wholesaler for mobiles, mp3,mp4, digital frame, my my is michael_facebook@yahoo.cn.
2 :
Yes you can. They don't care if you have a visa or not. They just want to cell phones and calls. You buy a packet with all included. Phone and SIM card with fresh number. Its a gift to someone living here so they ask nothing. To charge it you go to any "pay shop". You step on one all the time and you can use money. Otherwise only in ATM's with a bank account here. I use Vodafone mobile server.
3 :
Answers is that the process is realatively painless, and if you are pressed for ID, a Passport will certainly be sufficient. Unless you are desperate to save those final few cents, incidentally <and that wouldn`t amount to much anyway>, I`d recommend that you look out for a turquoise-blue fronted phone shop under the house/brand name TNM (pronounced Tea-eN-Yem); part of PT, Portuguese Telecom. These outlets -they`re everywhere on the streets, but if you ARE unable or blind, go into practically ANYshopping centre and there`ll be one- are usually manned by students or quite smart youths, who regularly speak English; and who will not only sell and initialise your `phone, if you tell them you anticipated call regimen, they`ll also know the best tariff. They`re also where you top-up. Just one note of caution, if you buy -particularly an `unlocked` handset- and plan to use OUTSIDE of Portugal, make sure you mention this; tariffs and permissions aside, some sets are not equipped to operate `abroad`. Mobile are much more popular in Portugal than land lines, incidentally; and from memory in-country calls or SMSs can be as little as 2 or 3 cents a minute (more if both phones don`t belong to the same service provider: Vodaphone and Orange are alternative suppliers), with International calls from about 25 cents p.m. To reiterate CHOICE OF TARIFF (from many available) IS IMPORTANT.
