You paid in full. No invoice ever came.
Without an invoice (fatura), you have no warranty leverage, no VAT-deductible spend, and the contractor avoids the tax they owe. But Portuguese law is clear: CIVA art. 29 nº 1 al. b) — the contractor must issue a fatura, whether you ask or not. There's a specific path: a free, immediate complaint to the tax authority (AT) in parallel with the civil notice. We organize your proof of payment and produce both pieces.
Free · No card · Not legal advice.
Is this you?
- You paid by bank transfer or MB Way — you have proof of what left your account, but nothing of what they received.
- You asked for the invoice. The contractor said "I'll send it later", "this week", "I'm on it". It never came.
- You told them you'd file a complaint with the tax authority. They laughed or went silent.
- Without a fatura, your home insurance doesn't cover anything related to the renovation.
- You wanted to claim VAT (under the Portuguese young-buyer regime, IRS, etc.) and you can't.
The duty to issue an invoice
VAT Code (CIVA) art. 29 nº 1 al. b): "The taxable persons referred to in subparagraph (a) of paragraph 1 of article 2 must (...) compulsorily issue an invoice for every supply of goods or services as defined in articles 3 and 4, regardless of the status of the buyer or recipient (...)"
In plain English: they have to issue an invoice, whether you ask or not. Failing to do so is a tax offence with a fine.
How to file the complaint (free, online, immediate)
Through the AT e-balcão, you submit a "denúncia" (complaint) with the contractor's NIF, proof of payment, and dates. The AT opens a procedure and contacts the contractor. It does not recover your money — but it triggers a tax inspection, which is real pressure.
What this does not replace
The AT complaint runs in parallel with any civil path. If the renovation also has defects or delays, the civil notice is the second piece — keeping your contractual claim alive (CC arts. 1207–1230, Lei 24/96).
What you walk away with
- AT complaint, ready to submit — the text of the denúncia, list of evidence with hashes and dates, and the direct link to the right page on AT e-balcão.
- Civil notice for registered mail — if there are also defects, delays, or abandonment.
- Organized proof-of-payment file: bank transfers, MB Way, messages where they confirmed receipt, screenshots of balances before/after.
- IMPIC complaint recommendation if they were unlicensed for the type of work they did.