James in Portugal
American expat in Portugal
Forum posts
27
About me
American
Registration: 08 November 2023
CRUE Portugal by fcdeltufo
I’m planning on retiring soon and moving to Portugal on CRUE. Can I move there the same month I retire and provide a letter from my pension showing how much I will be receiving or do I need to wait three months? Is the income requirement gross ...
@fcdeltufo — When I got my CRUE in Funchal in 2022, I was required only to sign a “declaration of honour” that I had sufficient financial resources to support myself. I was not required to provide any proof of income or financial ... Read More
EU visa requirements by egchelsea
Do EU citizens need to prove income when applying for residence over 90 days? Thanks!
@egchelsea: I also registered with an Irish passport (in Funchal in 2022). Although I had to sign a “Declaration of Commitment of Honour” affirming that I had sufficient means to support myself, I was not required to show any proof of ... Read More
Where to set up a IRA LLC? by deborahbryon
Hi - I am trying to find an institution that would allow me to have an account of an IRA LLC so I can hold euros in a retirement plan and avoid US taxes. Ideas would be appreciated!Thaks,Deborah
JohnnyPT is correct in saying that, in U.S. tax parlance, “tax avoidance” generally means reducing your tax liability by lawful means.Here’s how the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) summarizes it: “Tax ... Read More
RENEWING US PASSPORT FROM PORTUGAL by maxwmitchell1997
Has anyone renewed their US passport while living in Portugal??
@maxwmitchell1997You can renew your U.S. passport by mail through the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Lisbon.The embassy website has detailed instructions at https://pt.usembassy.gov/passport-renewal-by-mail/ Read More
Drivers license exchange timeline by sponger
For those who succesfully exchanged their foreign drivers licenses for a Portguese licence, I'm curious how long it took for you to recieve your new PT license? And in which IMT office?i moved to Lisbon in January '22 and had my appointment at IMT ...
@moaadrakano The IMT office in Coimbra, where I exchanged my foreign driving licence last year, told me that IMT would ”lend” my foreign licence back to me temporarily if I needed to use it abroad while awaiting delivery of my Portuguese ... Read More
Navigating administrative procedures in Portugal by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Navigating through the administration in Portugal can be quite a challenge. With the variety of procedures, their complexity, and the local specifics, many factors need to be considered. Here are some questions worth ...
@TGCampo The IMT employee in Coimbra told me that the “licence loan” process would work like this:If I needed to travel outside Portugal while awaiting my permanent Portuguese licence, I could deliver a written note to the IMT office ... Read More
Navigating administrative procedures in Portugal by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Navigating through the administration in Portugal can be quite a challenge. With the variety of procedures, their complexity, and the local specifics, many factors need to be considered. Here are some questions worth ...
@TGCampo The IMT office in Coimbra, where I exchanged my foreign driving licence last year, told me that IMT would ”lend” my foreign licence back to me temporarily if I needed to use it abroad while awaiting delivery of my Portuguese ... Read More
The best months to rent an apartment in Portugal by UrbanScribe
Good day,My rent contract is ending in 2 months, but I'm considering asking the landlord to extend it for a few more months (until the end of September). My question is, is it worth it? Will there be any real difference if I move in summer or in ...
@UrbanScribe In a university town with a large student population, such as Coimbra, June and July may be easier months than September to find rental accommodation. Many rentals will have been snapped up by students by the time the academic year ... Read More
Exchanging UK Licence for Portuguese Licence by vickypell
Hi,Has anyone experience of the IMT form to exchange the British Licence for the Portuguese one?Our UK licences are nearing expiry and as we are no longer resident we cannot renew them there so must exchange them.The IMT form is relatively straight ...
Just redo the application form from scratch.I had to do this when I applied to exchange a UK licence in 2023.IMT rejected the first application I submitted online because they said one of the PDFs I uploaded was hard to read. I created a clearer ... Read More
Certificate of authenticity of the driving licence - UK by neale_p
Hi All,I am going to exchange my UK driving licence for a PT one as I am approaching the 2 year residency mark. I see from the IMT website that I need to provide a 'Certificate of authenticity of the driving licence'. I have gone to the DVLA site ...
@Jean Denise I don’t know for sure whether there are any exceptions to the medical test requirement, but the IMT website suggests that the medical exam is required for any licence exchange regardless of which country the licence is from. Read More
Certificate of authenticity of the driving licence - UK by neale_p
Hi All,I am going to exchange my UK driving licence for a PT one as I am approaching the 2 year residency mark. I see from the IMT website that I need to provide a 'Certificate of authenticity of the driving licence'. I have gone to the DVLA site ...
@Jean DeniseGo to this page:http://www.imtonline.pt/index.php/9-uncategorised/2322-trocas-titulos-estrangeiros-en-25Then click on the box that describes which country’s driving licence you want to exchange. This will take you to a page of ... Read More
Certificate of authenticity of the driving licence - UK by neale_p
Hi All,I am going to exchange my UK driving licence for a PT one as I am approaching the 2 year residency mark. I see from the IMT website that I need to provide a 'Certificate of authenticity of the driving licence'. I have gone to the DVLA site ...
@JohnnyPT The 60-year age limit does not seem to apply to holders of UK driving licences under the new UK-Portugal driving licence agreement that went into effect at the beginning of 2024.The agreement permits UK licence holders to drive in Portugal ... Read More
Certificate of authenticity of the driving licence - UK by neale_p
Hi All,I am going to exchange my UK driving licence for a PT one as I am approaching the 2 year residency mark. I see from the IMT website that I need to provide a 'Certificate of authenticity of the driving licence'. I have gone to the DVLA site ...
@neale_p I exchanged a UK driving licence for a Portuguese driving licence last year.I used the DVLA website to obtain the following documents electronically:a copy of my driving licence details (a one-page document titled “Confirmation of GB ... Read More
Obtaining a Portuguese driving licence after becoming a resident by gra2513
I became a resident in Portugal on 4th November 2022. How long do I have to change my UK licence to a Portuguese licence?The Govt website says 2 year but the IMT website says 90 days.Which is it if you know for sure please.
@JohnnyPT Yes, when I exchanged licenses last year, the IMT sent the Portugal license by post to my residence.The license arrived in the post about a week after I received the e-mail from IMT letting me know that the license would be issued. Read More
Drivers license exchange timeline by sponger
For those who succesfully exchanged their foreign drivers licenses for a Portguese licence, I'm curious how long it took for you to recieve your new PT license? And in which IMT office?i moved to Lisbon in January '22 and had my appointment at IMT ...
@lienhoang00 For what it’s worth, I did not need to provide a translation of my UK driver’s license when I exchanged last year. Read More
Do I require a NISS by nimrod_1976
Hi am wondering if anyone can help I have my SEF appointment in Nov 23 for my digital nomad 1 yr residency visa do I need to apply for a NISS before that interview does anyone have any experience about recent SEF appointments and what was asked for, ...
@donn25 For what it’s worth, I obtained an SNS number (número de utente) in early 2023 without having a NISS.Here in central Portugal, the list of documents an EU citizen must submit to SNS to obtain a número de utente includes a ... Read More
Finding accommodation in Coimbra by tony359
Hi!I hope I am not missing some major threads about this question - I'm looking for accommodation for a few weeks in the Coimbra area and I was wondering if anybody could recommend some websites where to search. For now I've looked at ...
@tony359 As JohnnyPT suggested, Airbnb might be a good bet. Looks like a number of flats in Coimbra are available on Airbnb for March. Read More
Language schools in Coimbra by tony359
Hi all,I am looking for a Portuguese language school in Coimbra, I am planning to spend a few weeks there in March. I have found one (Caravela), they might have a course available in March but I need to get to a specific level first if I want to ...
@tony359 The only such courses I know of in Coimbra are offered by the University of Coimbra.The university offers semester-long courses at various levels (including absolute beginner) in the spring and autumn terms and also has highly intensive ... Read More
Drivers license exchange timeline by sponger
For those who succesfully exchanged their foreign drivers licenses for a Portguese licence, I'm curious how long it took for you to recieve your new PT license? And in which IMT office?i moved to Lisbon in January '22 and had my appointment at IMT ...
@SimCityAT https://www.imtonline.pt/index.php/9-uncategorised/2281-5-situation-oecd-and-cplp-2 Read More
Drivers license exchange timeline by sponger
For those who succesfully exchanged their foreign drivers licenses for a Portguese licence, I'm curious how long it took for you to recieve your new PT license? And in which IMT office?i moved to Lisbon in January '22 and had my appointment at IMT ...
Here's an extra data point on the timeline for exchanging driver's licenses:I received my Portuguese driver's license in the mail today, 5 months after I exchanged my UK license at the IMT office in Coimbra.(I don't qualify under the rule change ... Read More
Is it still possible to get NHR even if not able to move this year? by GuestPoster25012
We live in Ireland and we have not yet applied for any Portugal residence visaWe will also not be able to travel to Portugal before the end of this yearWe have more or less abandoned our plan to move to Portugal as getting the NHR was an important ...
@elaranar If you won’t listen to @JohnnyPT’s advice, I recommend that you seek urgent advice from a tax lawyer in Portugal who specializes in advising immigrants.I expect that any such lawyer is dealing with many prospective immigrants ... Read More
Portugal visit by Lynda Entzion
Good day. I am planning a 3 month visit to Portugal in the fall of 2024. I am in the process of finding a place to rent during my stay. Does anyone have any suggestions on what they have experienced or recommendations? Also do I need to get a Visa ...
@Perpetual_traveler I agree. This was my experience in a secondary city (Coimbra). New apartment listings are often snapped up within minutes. Read More
Hard Work Or Luck by muhammadessa0601
For being a successful in life which part is more important play a role ??
@beppi I completely agree with you. Most people in the world would be delighted to have the opportunities offered by life in the United States, which is why an enormous number of people try to move there each year. Varanus38’s comments are ... Read More
Weather in Portugal by tony359
Hi all,I live in the UK and I am considering moving to a warmer and sunnier country, hence I have been considering Portugal. Some friends suggested Coimbra, just North of Lisbon. I've been keeping an eye on a webcam I found online to see how the ...
@tony359 I haven’t lived in any recently built homes in Coimbra and don’t know anyone who has, so can’t comment directly. But the interiors of many older buildings have been modernized and so are more comfortable in winter because ... Read More
Weather in Portugal by tony359
Hi all,I live in the UK and I am considering moving to a warmer and sunnier country, hence I have been considering Portugal. Some friends suggested Coimbra, just North of Lisbon. I've been keeping an eye on a webcam I found online to see how the ...
I lived in London for years and am currently in Coimbra.Overall, i find the weather in central Portugal is better than the weather in southern England.Based on my relatively brief experience here, I have the following comments: January to March: ... Read More
Drivers license exchange timeline by sponger
For those who succesfully exchanged their foreign drivers licenses for a Portguese licence, I'm curious how long it took for you to recieve your new PT license? And in which IMT office?i moved to Lisbon in January '22 and had my appointment at IMT ...
@rjreed101456: Thanks! I will report back when it finally arrives. Read More
Drivers license exchange timeline by sponger
For those who succesfully exchanged their foreign drivers licenses for a Portguese licence, I'm curious how long it took for you to recieve your new PT license? And in which IMT office?i moved to Lisbon in January '22 and had my appointment at IMT ...
@Dome 91 I am in the same boat.I exchanged my UK driving licence at the IMT office in Coimbra in late July 2023, received my paper temporary Portugal licence (expires after 6 months, valid in Portugal only), and was told that it would take ... Read More