daphnelavern
American looking for information about Portugal
Forum posts
45
About me
American
Registration: 18 December 2023
Activity
Managing meals in Portugal by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Managing meals day-to-day can sometimes be a real mental challenge, even more so when you land in a new environment, with different schedules, habits or ingredients. How do you manage your meal routine as an expat in Portugal? We ...
I usually do a weekly shop every Sun morning at Continente. If needed throughout the week, I may pop into Aldi or Lidl. However, I also try to support the farmer’s market each week for fresh veg, nuts, cheese, etc. (my fave is Tomar) and when ... Read More
Changing driving licence by quickmessage
I'm having a terrible time trying to change my driving licence. I just get sent round in circles. Please can someone HELP ?
Oh well, it’s their country and their rules, so, there you have it. Read More
Changing driving licence by quickmessage
I'm having a terrible time trying to change my driving licence. I just get sent round in circles. Please can someone HELP ?
Just an update on my DL exchange: 26/8/25 online submission, 16/10/25 in-person appt (to exchange docs), 23/10/25 physical DL ready for pick up (I chose to pick up in-person bc didn’t want to chance any CTT/mail delivery/having to be home to ... Read More
Changing driving licence by quickmessage
I'm having a terrible time trying to change my driving licence. I just get sent round in circles. Please can someone HELP ?
Not sure if this is the correct group/forum, but just wanted to share that I successfully exchanged my USDL for a PTDL today! Emigrated to PT in Sep 2024, got residency in Nov 2024, bought a car in Dec 2024, got resident card in Mar 2024 and hit a ... Read More
Information that can be useful to make life easier in Portugal by JohnnyPT
Livro de Reclamações - Complaints Book / Portugal All portuguese suppliers of goods or services that carry out a professional activity in a fixed or permanent establishment in contact with the public (customers) are required to have a ...
Referencing two different links of information, Johnny:I successfully scheduled my DL exchange appointment with IMT via one of the links on the thread (and, you are correct, I did not have to pay anything for that); andI paid my road tax/UIC via the ... Read More
Information that can be useful to make life easier in Portugal by JohnnyPT
Livro de Reclamações - Complaints Book / Portugal All portuguese suppliers of goods or services that carry out a professional activity in a fixed or permanent establishment in contact with the public (customers) are required to have a ...
@JohnnyPT Thanks for the outlined instructions. I was able to pay this today. It was a bit dicey (perhaps the system was just processing slowly), but eventually I received a notification that it was successful. One more item checked off of the ... Read More
Information that can be useful to make life easier in Portugal by JohnnyPT
Livro de Reclamações - Complaints Book / Portugal All portuguese suppliers of goods or services that carry out a professional activity in a fixed or permanent establishment in contact with the public (customers) are required to have a ...
@JohnnyPT Thank you! I will try this tomorrow and will share my experience. Read More
Residency or Citizenship by LorieAnneC
Hi everyone,I can't believe it will be five years in October since I arrived here in Portugal. Now, I am wondering what is the process to apply for citizenship. I have looked on line and understand the steps needed, but had anyone tried to apply ...
@JohnnyPT Read More
Transporting our pets to Portugal by dgvilsack
Looking for advice on getting our small dog and 4 cats to Portugal. Moving from US (Orlando Fl) to Portugal. What did you have to do to get the pets into Portugal e.g. shots, vaccinations, papers etc.Which transport company did you use, how was the ...
@dgvilsackI’m sure all of the proper details will be in the link from @JohnnyPT, but thought I’d share my experience, in case helpful:I moved to Portugal solo from San Francisco in Sep 2024 with my cat. I needed her med records to show ... Read More
Experience sharing about Visas to Portugal (D7 & others) by JohnnyPT
Please share here your successful experiences with visa applications (eg. D7), namely check list, timelines and other aspects that you consider to be relevant and that may be useful for those who wish to start this visa application now. We invite ...
@Myndgate Hiya! Congrats on your plans. I was very fortunate (and blessed) as I actually rented an apartment that was being vacated by someone whom I had met on a previous trip to Portugal. Her lease ended on Jan 31, 2024 and I rented it starting ... Read More
Experience sharing about Visas to Portugal (D7 & others) by JohnnyPT
Please share here your successful experiences with visa applications (eg. D7), namely check list, timelines and other aspects that you consider to be relevant and that may be useful for those who wish to start this visa application now. We invite ...
I moved solo (with my cat!) to Portugal in Sep 2024. I lived in San Francisco, CA, and scheduled my appt with VFS in SF. I went to VFS’ online portal in/around Nov 2023 and the first avail appt they had was in late Feb 2024.During the 4 month ... Read More
Renewal of Residence Card by stefano1966
Anyone have suggestions on how to renew your card. The online renewal is not working and I was told that they are 6 months behind. I have sent email to Aima still waiting .... Does anyone have an email to the IRN to request an appointment,Any ...
@EstrellaGaliciaCheck your spam/junk folder regularly 🙂. Since moving here, I check mine daily. Read More
Renewal of Residence Card by stefano1966
Anyone have suggestions on how to renew your card. The online renewal is not working and I was told that they are 6 months behind. I have sent email to Aima still waiting .... Does anyone have an email to the IRN to request an appointment,Any ...
Same for a friend of mine. sep/Oct 2024 expiration. She got two emails to appear on Mar 24 (which she did) and was renewed. 🙂 Read More
Interested in Portugal, pursuing countries by LionLover
Hi, I love joining expat groups as I explore possible countries to move to. I am in my 70's and am researching countries to move to. Presently I live in the US. I plan to visit Portugal to get a feel for the country, and from there will return to ...
@LionLover Hello ~ My 🐈 (6yo) and I (60yy 🙂) moved from CA to the PT countryside (approx 1 hr north of Lisboa) in Sep 2024 on a D7 and we are loving it!Visa approval was smooth; AIMA appointment was set with my visa; and I received ... Read More
RENEWING US PASSPORT FROM PORTUGAL by maxwmitchell1997
Has anyone renewed their US passport while living in Portugal??
Sent everything off on 14 mar and got confirmation it was received at the consulate today, 17 mar, at 10:00.Biggest challenge was getting CTT to sell me stamps as the attendant insisted I didn’t need them (just as the Consulate said they would ... Read More