Contemplating a move to Portugal this Fall

Hi

The best place to you and your children live is next to Cascais and Estoril …..you have the most beautiful sea and beaches  and all the amenities as well all  the best international schools

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Regards

Cristina

Hi,
We are a French couple who lived 21 years in the USA and it is a pleasure to try to help you. Last October we moved to Central Algarve where English is spoken everywhere. Portuguese people are amazing in terms of language; a lot of them speak also French besides English.
The climate here is fantastic. (although we had a very bad April to the atonishment of Portuguese). We recommend central Algarve versus the East or the West;
Advantages and drawbacks
East: Nice town of Tavira, proximity of Spain, laid back but a bit isolated from the rest of Algarve and not really suited for business and people working like you
West: Beautiful beaches, a lot of tourism oriented activities. Extremely busy late Spring until mid Fall. (traffic could be horrible). "Often submerged by some kind of tourists (foreigners) who don't know their limit in terms of alcohol consumption" if you see what I mean.
Central: The so called Golden Triangle. Loulé-Quarteira-Quinta do Lago-Vale do Lobo-Almancil
We live in Almancil (7 minutes from the ocean by car). You get everything you want in terms of administration, shopping mall, the best restaurants in Algarve (several with 1 Michelin*), contractors , lawyers, etc.
You will have to face the Portuguese bureaucracy. Therefore we highly recommend that you contract a lawyer. (mine is a highly professional one based in Loulé).
The country is very safe; of course there may be some problem from time to time but we have no complaint.
In terms of healthcare, you will have to get a private insurance since, I believe, as Americans you won't be able to benefit from the Portuguese Social Security. Care in Private and public hospitals is very good. I feel I can give a fair opinion having been involved in medical care (marketing) for 40 years in France, Brazil, Switzerland, Canada and USA. There are many other topics we could discuss about Portugal; overall we are extremely happy as retired people to have made this choice.
Please do not hesitate to ask questions
Best
Jean-Paul

Hi
I am Egyptian (speaks French and English) and I am planning to move to Lisbon end of this summer with my son of 4 years old under the Golden Visa program too.
I am also looking for schools for my son and people to be able to speak with as I do not speak yet Portuguese but also would like to learn Portuguese for the future and a better involvement in the life.
I choose Lisbon as I am a very city person and I feel that I will have a better chance of work.
Please if we can help each other it will be great

Hi

The places around Cascais (carcavelos, estoril, S.Pedro) have international schools but the prices can be a bit high in terms of housing. Places like Odivelas or Loures are also quite central (around 10/15 minutes from Lisbon) and you can have your kids in schools in centre lisbon studying!

"In terms of healthcare, you will have to get a private insurance since, I believe, as Americans you won't be able to benefit from the Portuguese Social Security. "

This is an issue that has baffled me. My understanding is that as residents US citizens WOULD have access to public healthcare. I have also heard that they will also have to have private insurance, as public is totally inadequate for almost any situation.

If anyone can clear this first point up - whether US expats with residence certificates have access to the public healthcare system - and can provide a link to an official site discussing this - I would greatly appreciate it and so might others on this strand.

Hi I googled and I opened the website americansinportugal.org and under  heathcare you can find some explanations. I went to the Portuguese website Auto Club Portugal and I translated with google and it seems with Euro 96/year you get a lot covered at 65 year old and up.
Plus you can have travel insurance for one year. I still don't understand why travel insurance if I have health insurance.
Kay

Thanks so much. I'll try to follow up.

From the Americans in Portugal Site
"Portugal offers free and subsidized healthcare and medical prescriptions for all Portuguese nationals and residents. The system is funded by taxation and administered by the Ministerio de Saude (Ministry of Health). The state system covers all basic health issues including accidents and emergencies as well as regular consultations and treatments.

Foreigners in Portugal may access emergency treatment in any hospital from the moment of arrival, although you will be required to pay if you do not have the necessary residence documentation. If you are a European resident, you will be eligible to receive emergency treatment under the terms of your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or by obtaining a Form S1 from the country in which you normally pay your social security contributions.

In order to be eligible for subsidized healthcare and join the Portuguese system, you will need to be registered for social security with the Instituto da Solidariedade e da Segurança Social in Portugal. You should register as soon as possible after arriving in the country and beginning work, upon which you will be issued with a Número Utente and allocated to a particular physician. From this time GP visits should generally be free of charge.

If you are not paying social security in Portugal, for instance if you have retired or are living on private income, you may still receive a Número Utente by obtaining a document from your local Junta de Freguesia certifying that you have been resident in the country for 90 days or more. This document should be presented at your local health center along with photographic ID and a copy of your existing national insurance number. In this case you will be eligible for the same services as those who are registered for social security, but you will be required to pay a small tax, usually a few Euros, for the privilege."

Curious if you ever made the move to Portugal. And if so, how are things coming along?

American citizen here, seriously considering making the move to Portugal. Married with one child (9 year old boy). I hold an Italian passport/citizenship which should be helpful with the bureaucracy.

Basically looking for a change from the fast paced, expensive lifestyle in the US. Time is flying and I don't get to enjoy quality time with my family.

I work remotely and would have to fly to the US 4-5 times per year for meetings, etc.

Should I do it...?

Thank you for your feedback and insight!

Andre

Hi Andre,  Welcome

This thread is almost 4 years old. You can use the search facility to look for answers. If you don't find what you are looking for, I would suggest you to open a new thread.