New members of the Portugal forum, introduce yourselves here - 2018

Hi, my name is John and I moved to Porto at the beginning of December. I do not speak Portuguese yet but I am trying to register with a GP practice or Portuguese equivalent. Any advice would be welcome. I would also like to know of any expat meetings/events Tec that I could attend. Thank you.

Hi John, thank you for your introduction.

For better interaction feel free to post/participate on the existing threads of the Porto forum which might be of interest to you.

Also, if you need advice on a particular topic, you may create your own thread.

All the best,
Bhavna

Thank you for your advice. Will post a thread.

Hi all, this is Jimmy.

I'm originally from Quebec, Canada and am raised in Hong Kong, where I reside in currently. I'm finishing my degree in May 2018, and planning to live elsewhere. I've visited Portugal and Spain a few times before and I was very much attracted to living in Portugal.

Partly due to the low cost of living and moderate climate, contrary to Canada where winter is horrible and Vancouver's too costly to live in, I have decided to move to Portugal and looking to start a business there.

I speak English, French and Chinese (both Mandarin and Canto). Hopefully French would allow me to learn Portuguese faster than it would have taken had I not learnt french before. (I know they are nothing more than similar. They are distinct.)

Thank you for your warm welcome, Julien.

I am spending some time in Europe, exploring employment and/or business possibilities. I would like to find a way to have the legal right to live and work in Europe. I am currently visiting friends in the Algarve. Ever since I came to Portugal in 2000 I considered it to be a very enchanting place. Any ideas, suggestions, feedback regarding my intention, would be more than appreciated. I have lived in London and am an avid traveler and reader. I can express myself in several languages and always feel at home in Europe.

Sergio

Hi,
I am planning on moving to Portugal in the next two years so I am doing research for a smoother transition.
One thing that does concern me is medical health insurance. I'm happy with my coverage in Ireland but if something went very wrong for me I'd have to get back to Ireland. I have heard about "Emergency Evacuation Health Insurance" which presumably means they will evacuate you somewhere, in my case Ireland where my health insurance would kick in. Does anybody know about this, which insurers provide it, cost etc.?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks

Hi my name is Sue Rosser and I'm very happily married to Tyron. We are hoping to stay in The Algarve for 6 months from October this year to March next year and if all goes well maybe move over permanently. Ideally we would like to stay in an expat ares so any advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance ☺

Hello Sue,

My wife and I plan to do the same as you do. We are just back from a week in Vale de Telha and the
"Parque natural  Alentejano y Costa Vicentina" and we have been thunderstricken by the peaceful, quiet, awesome lanscapes scenery of this disregarded part of West Algarve.
Some want the buzz, the animations, all of the razzmataz of popular tourists destinations, we don't.
Cheers,
Charles

Hi Charles, thank you for your reply to my message. Western Algarve is certainly beautiful & we really hope to eventually make our home there. Good luck to you & your wife, I hope everything works out for you. Who knows maybe the four of us will be able to meet up for a lovely cup of coffee/glass of wine in the sunshine one day.
Regards and best wishes Sue☺

Good morning Sue,

Thank your for these kind words.
Let us hope we can meet indeed one day under the great Southerner sun.

Cheers,
Charles

Hi everyone,
We are looking to move to Portugal in the next I year or so. After looking at property prices and what you can get for your money, we would much prefer Lisbon/ Porto or the north, rather than the Algarve.
I met Deb, my wife on the Algarve many years ago. We happily lived there for 8 years.
Now the kids have moved on we can hopefully get back to Portugal.
I have a bathroom and kitchen showroom to look after and need to do a weekly/ 2weekly flight back.
Does anybody know if that's pheasible all year round, from anywhere but Faro?

Mick & Deb

Hi

My plan is to move to the Algarve by the end of this year.  My husband is retired and I may retire or do some work from home for my current employer.

We would be selling our home and buying a property outright.

Can your members advise if they think it would be possible to exist on €1000 per month for 2 persons for everything (excluding rent)

in 1000 euro you are essay manage

Hello,

We have just returned from a vacation to Portugal and have decided to begin the process of moving to Porto. My husband and I are currently in Tacoma, WA. He had been retired several years and I will retire shortly. We plan to rent for awhile and eventual buy a home. We are just started the process by researching everything we'll need to do and are seeking any tips and advice and resources available. We are also looking for any expats in the Porto area to connect with for local tips.

Debbie

Hello everyone
I am a carpenter joiner and will be arriving in the north of Portugal with may partner and two children in may.
we are going to be working around the country looking for somewhere to settle eventually .
so we  really would love to  get involved in any sustainable/eco/ renovation  building projects  and just to network a bit .
we  would also love to get any recommendations for good surfing spots
cheers
sam

Hi, We are Len and Veronica. We plan to move to the Lourinha area - we are presently in process of buying a home. By September we should be settled. We are currently in process of applying for our residence visas.

I am a writer and former university professor. Veronica is a medical doctor and naturopathic doctor specializing in cancer prevention and complementary cancer care (she will probably not pursue a medical licence in Portugal but will be available for consultations and coaching to supplement medical treatment).

We were in Portugal for a month in May 2017, and for January and February 2018. We traveled from Porto and the Duoro to the Algarve and really enjoyed the high quality of life everywhere.  We settled on Lourinha because it is attractive and central.

We are looking forward to meeting other expats moving to or already living on the Silver Coast.

Thanks so much for the warm welcome. My husband and I are looking at the option of moving to Portugal. He is a retiring attorney/artist/author. I am an artist/author/criminologist/end-of-life midwife. We have traveled extensively but fell in love with Portugal when we walked the Camino de Santiago. We are confused about where in the country to settle in. Most important? Finding community with whom we can share our adventures. I'd love to know if others have suggestions about what areas would be appropriate?

To answer your question perhaps you could have a word with Luis at Algarve Senior Living as they are in the senior living market. Good luck.

HI, Kerry Arquette,

We looked pretty much everywhere before settling on Lourinha. It is surrounded by lovely agricultural areas, and has several lovely beaches. The town itself is attractive. It is located on the Silver Coast, south of Peniche and less than an hour from the Lisbon airport.

You may find it worth a look.

Hi,
I need some informations about Police character certificate for Portugal,i have Police character certificate for Portugal valid 6 months, how i convert this certificate for valid one year,and where it possible in Pakistan.
I need Police character certificate for Portugal valid one year.
Please some one give me information where is it possible.
Thanks

Hi everyone,
This is Steve and Teri.
We just bought a place in Quarteira in March.
We are excited to meet other English speaking ex pats in the Algarve.
I am a music publisher, cookbook author and also a certified yoga teacher. Steve is a songwriter and producer. We feel fortunate that we get to do what we love.

We need a plumber that speaks English to install new bathtub, toilet, bidet, and sink. Also, someone to install new tiles in bathroom and kitchen.
We are planning on being there May 9th for two weeks and are hoping to get the work done then.
Would be grateful for recommendations.
Thank you.

Hi I will be going to Portugal in mid-September, and will be looking for accommodations that I can afford. I'm a 72 year old pensioner, and a very active musician, wishing to check the possibilities of living and working there as a musician. I play string instruments,(violin, chin cello, bass etc, and working on Guitar) I also play trumpet and flugelhorn, as well as percussion , and vocals. I have a degree in jazz, and a lifetime of experience.Some of my fellow musicians will be in the area as well, and I'd like to facilitate us to thrive there.I think Lisbon is the hub I'd like to work from, and I'd love to chat with any musicians that are interested in us. My website is  blaine dunaway.com,  and I'd love to hear from you.

Hello, I am Luciane, just moved from Paris to Algarve.
It would be nice to make new friends here

Hello Teri,

I am Luciane.
I just moved to Almancil, which is next to Quarteira this week...
I used to live in Paris but the sun and blue sky brought me here. I read you are also into yoga, I just came from my TTC in Kerala/India.
It would be nice to keep in touch and maybe meet for a tea.

Namaste,
Luciane

Luciane,
Great to hear from you!
I will be in Quarteira beginning May 9th for 3 weeks and would love to meet you for tea.
Sounds like we have a lot in common.
My email address is t***. Would love to further communicate via email.
Best,
Teri

Hi I am Traceylee married to Brian, presently living in Dubai although from Cardiff and hubby is a Scotsman. I am a Consultant and still keep a little work in the UK  and hubby is a pilot, we have only been married for six years although in our 50's. :-)

We hope to be in Porto living by August; I am in Porto on the 9th & 10th of May to look for rental property (if anyone can help me PLEASE). Maximum 40 minutes from airport in any direction with minimum 3 beds or T3+ as known locally.

All the expat sites explain the requirements and red tape and large deposits for long term (over 6 month rentals although we are looking for around 3 years) , however there are very few sites to view agents and houses - not apartments or weekly rentals.

Any contacts, agents etc. will be greatly appreciated and you will certainly make it onto the xmas list.

Have a great day peeps!

Hello Teri,

It seems that due the moderation rules of Expat.com your email address´s been hidden. You can send me a private message with your contact details so we keep in touch : )

I am hoping to move in to Portugal in 2020 for my retirement. I am so excited already. I heard a lot of good stuff about Portugal. I am originally from Morocco and moved to USA 30 years ago. I am coming on vacation in April 2019 and so far I picked Sintra to live in. I speak English French Arabic and I am learning Portuguese. My only confusion right now is health insurance. I hope to have details about it. Thank you

I am Pedro,***

Hi,  I arrived the 15th of May. I am very curious about Lisbon. I am here for work initially and I am wondering how I will experience my stay since, I am more of a winter person If anyone would like to meet up that would be great. Hope to hear from you soon. Kind regards, Natasha

Hi,
My name is Priya, I am planning to move to Lisbon in the summer and I’m a bit lost as to how to go about looking for a place to live, apartment, preferably unfurnished. Finding it really hard.
I love Lisbon and have been many times, and I’ve decided to go for it! So I’ll be teaching in Lisbon. I’m really looking forward to this new project of mine!
Any help to start me off would be great, and also to have other expats to meet when I come over would also be a bonus!
Thanks everyone!
Priya

Luciane,
I am in Quartiera for one more week until May 30th.
Would love to meet you for tea.
Best,
Teri

I have recently retired in Ohio USA and my wife and I are considering moving to Portugal. The warmer weather, cheaper cost of living and more liberal lifestyle is what has attracted us. Still much work to be done but we are currently vacationing in the Algarve and think it's beautiful. Would like a house with some land away from the tourism but still close to the ocean.

HI, Im Claudio , from Portugal, I live in Algarve , São Bras Alportel,
and I would like to know people from another countrys.

Hi there,

My name is Fei, a Malaysian Chinese who lived in Portugal for 5 years now and currently residing in Porto with my Portuguese wife and 2 lovely girls.

Got some interesting story to share though. First met my wife in India during our travel back in 2011. In 2012, I left my corporate job in Kuala Lumpur and started my 2 years vangabond overland travel from Asia to Europe passing 13 countries. In 2014, after my pilgrimage trip in Spain, I traveled to Porto, fell in love with my wife who is from Porto and I decided to end my vangabonding days and relocated to Portugal and called it home.

Still remember that I need to constantly carry my pocket size dictionary so that I can try to converse with my Portuguese in laws. First year working in Portugal was rough as I could hardly understand anything during the business meeting in Portuguese.

5 years on, I think I have successfully integrated into this loving community, the open minded people, the food, the wine and the culture. I managed to speak pretty decent Portuguese for my daily life interaction with all levels but i still think that my elder daughter who will be turning 4 this August command a better Portuguese than me.

I will be more than happy to share my experience here as an expat to all new and old community members.

Cheers,

Fei

Good morning All!

My wife and I are regular Algarve visitors. (Usually a couple of times a year).

5 years ago, we were on the verge of buying a17 acre rural property up the A2 from Albufeira.  Our U.K. buyer pulled out on the day of exchanging contracts....


now, I’m looking to relocate my yacht on an annual berth in The Algarve, more specifically, either of the municipal yacht moorings at Faro or Olhao.

sadly, neither has a working website that I can find, and all attempte to locate an email address for either, or both, have failed.

can anyone point me in the right direction please?

regards

Tony.

p.s. My Portuguese is limited to say the least...

Hi Im Su from Liverpool, I have been to Portugal once in 2016 with some of my choir members. We are called Singing Our Socks Off
We loved it and I loved the culture and atmosphere. We are returning in October. There will be 25 of us and would love to meet people in the Praia Da Oura area. I am hopefully going to find somewhere for us to sing and perform during out time there 12th to 16th October
Who Knows I may relocate in a few years time and set up a SOSO choir on the Algarve

We left the US thee years ago.  Until now, we have visited or, lived in 13 countries.  Though, most of the time was spent in Vietnam and Ecuador.  We are heading to Porto in July for three months,  to see if we would like to live there for awhile.  I am looking for volunteer opportunities ...perhaps with refugees or, children.  My husband is retired and enjoys learning about new places.  i am 51 and he is 63.  My name is Erin and his is Ed.  My last work was as a University and Community College educator.  warm Regards~

Hi .. I'm from Texas.  My wife and I will be visiting the Algarve region in July.  We are visiting to see if it is where we'd like to retire to in a couple years.  We are both 56 years old right now.  We travel extensively in Latin America and the Caribbean but other than France have not been to Europe.  We are looking forward to seeing if Portugal would be a good fit for us in the first part of our retirement.