New members of the Portugal forum, introduce yourselves here - 2023

@Aruna Kelum Mendis

Hi Aruna,

Totally agree!  Thanks to Johnny and others who have provided invaluable information! 

Nice to meet another Sri Lankan.  I am based in the US and just got my D7 Visa.  Now making arrangements to travel to Portugal for SEF interview. 

Hope we can meet in Portugal.

cheers

vijir

My wife and I want to move to someplace with a lower cost of living than our current home in California, so that we can afford to travel about half of the year. Portugal is at the top of our list, specifically Tavira or there abouts. We're finding that old town Tavira is pretty expensive, too, but we much prefer an old home that has been upgraded (or that we can upgrade). We're not looking to recreate the US here in Portugal.

HI, I'm Elian, moved from London/Uk and aiming to connect with British and Us citizen that are  looking to relocate in Portugal and seeking for collaboration in construction management.My experience in London is as a former construction project manager and also director of an construction company.

If you need any assistance don't hesitate to get in touch.

Best of luck to everyone!

Hello everyone.

Nice to join you all. Will start by sharing my Travel blog about Portugal. A lot of useful information there.

I'm Portuguese, so these are tips from a local. A lot of hidden gems.

[link moderated]

Pedro

Hello Pedro,

Welcome on board !

Can you please register your blog in the Blogs from expats in Portugal section of the website ?

Promoting blogs is not allowed on the forum.

All the best

Bhavna

@Pedro Domingues

Hello I have a question I am currently living in uk and I'm a Portuguese citizen and I want move back home around porto surrounding areas as far down as comibra and around vagos. I'm been trying to figure out about the licence in portugal I have my hgv c-e and am trying g to figure out if portugal exchange them  I have been trying to contact the imt there but seems like  can't get hold of them even try to email them but they don't explain anything.. and if you know any sites where I can look for a place to live I don't mind house share for awhile till I get my self on my feet. Thanks for your time

@Julien Hello! Thank you. I have not started my application for VISA yet, still in research stage...

Hello leaozinha2013,

Welcome to expat.com!

If you are in need of more information, you can read the Living in Portugal guide for expats and you can also start your own thread on the Portugal forum.

Cheers,

Yoginee

Expat.com team

Hi All,

I am born and raised Portuguese but with roots from a Norwegian great grandfather who immigrated to Portugal and was a diplomat at the Norwegian embassy in Lisbon 100 years ago.

I was myself an expat in the UK for a few years and my job is to help people moving to Portugal and support them through all the process.

Feel free to reach out if you need anything or if you have questions related to the Portuguese culture and the system.

My wife and I are planning our move to Portugal. We had a scouting trip last November and need to wait to sort out some family complications here in the U.S.  Then we will be on our way. We fell in Love with Vila Real de Santo Antonio and plan to buy a small apartment to start with. We also hope to use this as a landing place to travel and see more of Portugal as well as Europe. We already have a tax accountant, lawyer, real estate contact and even made some friends when we were on our scouting trip. I have some other specific questions that I will research and if no answers, will post.

My wife and I are planning our move to Portugal. We had a scouting trip last November and need to wait to sort out some family complications here in the U.S. Then we will be on our way. We fell in Love with Vila Real de Santo Antonio and plan to buy a small apartment to start with. We also hope to use this as a landing place to travel and see more of Portugal as well as Europe. We already have a tax accountant, lawyer, real estate contact and even made some friends when we were on our scouting trip. I have some other specific questions that I will research and if no answers, will post.
-@cconrad1234

Welcome on board !

Hope you will find all the answers you need on the forum.

You may also read the articles of the Living in Portugal guide for expats for first hand infos.

All the best

Bhavna

@Yoginee

Thank you!  I am still reading about D8 VISA or D2 VISA

Hiii

I am Ankit kumar from india. I am a pharmacist. I have complete my degree (Bachelor of Pharmacy) in May,2021 in india. But right now i am move in Portugal so i want to know about pharmacist license in Portugal. Can you help me for regarding this procedure.

Thanks you !

Hi, Welcome.

Portugal - Type of Visas

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=950421

Best Regards

Hello !!! Newbie on the page.. just got my NIF this week. Plan to move to Portugal, in the futur...

Looking forward to buying an house for the holidays in the area of Paredes de Coura (North)

My lover speaks Portuguese and got the portuguese-french nationality.

See you in the North soon !!

I am Italian, living in Portugal since 2018, I am a Videomaker, Photographer, Customer Care Expert, Retail expert, with big passion for Marketing.

I live in Sesimbra, in Setubal Peninsula, close to the Meco's Area.

I am happy to share ideas, projects and to collaborate if there is anyone that can use my helps.

Hello @ermannorosati,

Welcome on board !

Feel free to interact with members of the Portugal forum.

All the very best

Bhavna

@Bhavna

Thank you 😊

My Husband & I have been visiting Portugal for the past 15 years.

We love the culture, surroundings and people and wish to make it our retirement home.

We plan to apply for our D7 in October this year to start the  journey to make our dream come true! 💕💕

Hi Juniper2965, Welcome.

Maybe this can help you to get your visa:

Residence Rights in Portugal for UK citizens after BREXIT

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=908742

Best Regards

@JohnnyPT

Thank you for the information 😊

@Julien

Hi, my name is Kai, about to arrive again in Portugal in May this year, working remotely.

Finding suitable accommodation for the initial months will be on my hotlist.  Anywhere in the Alentejo region would be nice, but not limited to it.

Room, appartment share or similar seems to be the way to go.

Regards

Kai

Hi Kai, Welcome.

Renting Management Companies (Short/Long-Term Rentals)

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=908693

    Real Estate Website Portals, post #4

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 93#5069701

    Large Real Estate Companies Websites, post #7

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 93#5069710

P.S. There is this German school in Alentejo, maybe they can guide you better than I can.

https://escola-da-esperanca.org/de/uber … -wir-sind/

Best Regards

Bom dia,

My husband and I are considering retirement in Portugal. We will be taking our first trip in August. We realize it is peak season in August, but we will be in country until Mid October. Any advice from fellow expats that are helpful for exploration trips is greatly appreciated. We're looking to secure a monthly rental for August-October. I'm a bit astonished at the Airbnb prices. We live in Montana and have seen prices here skyrocket on rentals so we are used to "vacation rental pricing", but it was a bit surprising to see the extent of the high cost vaction rental property in Portugal. Regardless, we are eager to see and experience Portugal and all it's beauty whether we decide to retire there or not. I look forward to learning from the group and looking at the links provided below for housing.

Kind Regards,

Tara

Hi Tara, Welcome.

Maybe this will help you:

English Speaking Expat groups in Portugal

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 30#5505120

(Post #17)

High season rents are always much more expensive. From September onwards, rents drop considerably.

Best Regards

@Julien

Good morning

Myself and my husband are moving to Portugal outside Caldas da Rainha from June this year. We are completing on house in a few weeks. My  interest is in understanding how we formalise our stay, I am an EU National and I know I need to a Certification of Registration but don't really where to apply or what I need to support that. We are retired folks. Can I get this document right away or do I need to show 3 months residency first like utility bills?  My other secondary query relates to getting our furniture to Portugal from Uk. Do I need evidence of the Certification first before getting the Baggem cert?

any advice gratefully received

@Julien

Afternoon all

Myself and my husband are moving to close to Caldas da Rainha in the Summer. We are retired folk and have just bought a house there. My first query concerns getting the Registration Certificate as an EU National. I don't know where to apply or what is required in support. Also can I apply as soon as we move there or do I need to wait three months?  My second query then relates to getting our stuff moved from the UK. Do I need to have the registration certificate first before applying for the baggem cert , hence the query on the timing of application for the Registration Cert.

Any advice gratefully received

Roz

@roz66 I don't know anything about UK or EU requirements - we come from the US -  and I don't know what a Registration Certificate is, so maybe this is helpful or maybe it isn't.

In the application for the Certificado de Bagagem, the residence they want to prove is where the household was.  E.g., UK.  In the US, I included a photocopy of my state driver's license.  Your origin embassy/consulate web site will probably be the best place to find the details on what they require - could vary from one to another.

When our shipment arrives at Portuguese customs, they will want proof of the destination household.

• same as the Morada on my NIF
• Atestado de Residência from our local Junta da Freguesia (town hall)

My shipper's document also mentions here a European Citizen Registry Certificate, which sounds like the document you're interested in.  I think it may be irrelevant to us, because we weren't European Citizens to start with.  Are you?  Not by virtue of residence in the UK, you aren't.

Our Junta seems to be happy to hand out Atestado de Residência as required.   The more rigorous part of the process has been the NIF address.  While applying for residence, we're required to list our foreign addresses, with a local fiscal representative, and we can't change that until we've been to SEF and been approved for Título de Residência.  I expect you're subject to the same requirements, and hopefully will be able to get that sorted out before the boat comes in.

Greetings All... Just signed on and hoping to learn a lot from you as well being able to contribute.  I'm a UK citizen who's been living in Cape Town for nearly 7 years. Bought a house here and still no sign of my permanent visa appearing so it's time to sell up to get nearer to my family and friends in & around London. I've a few friends who've lived in Portugal for many years and I'm very much looking forward to my next adventure. Now to get someone to buy the place at the right price. Get Monty's rabies bloods sorted, flog off a chunk over oversized furniture - the houses here are quite big in comparison to Europe. Stock upon  bubble wrap, sticky tape & cardboard boxes. Oh, and get my D7 sorted, hopefully from here rather than having to go to London.

Greetings All.. I'm a UK citizen who's been living in Cape Town for 7 years & applied for my permanent visa nearly 7 years ago & bought a house here outright. I'm seemingly no closer to the visa being issued than I was back then, so it's time to move on to be a lot closer to friends & family back in London heading to Europe. I fit the criteria for a D7 and can hopefully apply here rather than have to shell out on an expensive airfare. The plan is sell up and move out with my dog. I have a very old friend in The Algarve who can put me up whilst I find my feet, decide where to live - possibly outside of Lisbon and get my stuff shipped. Fingers crossed it all goes to plan. In the meantime, I look forward to learning a lot from others experiences and hopefully being able to contribute on here too.

Greetings, I live in the USA but will be visiting the Algarve in October. Considering moving to Portugal and could use any tips or advise. I am single in my 60's so I am really not interested in night life. Would like a slower pace of life with friendly people. Not really interested in large cities but probably prefer something more laid back and slow. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for your time.  Kathy Irvin.

Hi @portugal23 and Kathy, Welcome.

Maybe this will help you:

Experience sharing about Visas to Portugal (D7 & others)

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=971460

Visa can be applied for from the country where you currently live.

Best Regards

@Julien Hi, I am Paul a US citizen living in Costa Rica for the past 4 years. When I moved here CR was number 1 on most expat overseas destinations. Now it is 5 due to the increasing CoL and taxation and Portugal is number 1. I intend to move to the Algarve and am looking for information on health insurance, etc. I am retired and believe the D7 visa works for me.

Hello and welcome on board, Paul !

Thank you so much for your introduction.

I would recommend that you read the Living in Portugal guide for expats, you'll find information on every aspect of expatriation to Portugal.

You can also open your own topic on the Algarve forum so that members can guide you.

All the best

Bhavna

Hello! Maria here, Venezuelan-American moving to Porto on Sep 2023

Moving with my Canadian husband and my Venezuelan-American 26 years old son.

We are very happy and looking forward to meet new people,it's not easy start over but we are ready to live a happy and peacefull life overthere. Please fell free to connect! Bom dia!

Hi all,

Newbie on the Portugal forum? Don't know how to start?

This thread is for you

We invite you to introduce yourself on this topic, to share with us your expat story if you are already living in the country,
or to tell us more on your expat projects in Portugal if you are planning to move there.

It will enable us to help you better but above all to wish you a warm welcome.

Welcome on board!
-@Julien

Hi Julien..thank you for this welcoming words..

So I did work few years abroad, with foreign families, in the Uk as well as in Antwerp,

With kids aswell  as household.

Then my career shifted for civil aviation during 19yrs.

Now I am available to work with household and failies around Faro, Algarve.

Best regards Catarina Lopes Da Costa

Hi everyone,

My name is James and myself, my partner and our two children are currently looking for property to buy in Portugal. Our aim to to live in Portugal for portions of the year as we can both work remotely but as we are from the UK and Germany, these countries also share our hearts and time.

So maybe we do not yet count as aspiring expats? My apologies if this is the case. We have several years on our current property left so you never know after that .

Hello , I live in UK , and has been Visiting Portugal for many years as my in laws live in here . And will be retiring here in future . Sadly as this moment my father in law has been in intensive care. At this point in time we were trying to prepare when his going to be discharge home . I'm looking at possibility if this group may know of someone that would be able to help of some sort of Live in Carer or a temporary Rehab facility. Thank you in advance .

kind regards

Rumelyn

@PHulse

Please explain what increasing CoL is???

And taxation situation.

I met with my son and his GF tonight and she is from San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and when I told her I was considering Portugal, she said, "Costa Rica!" So since you're going from CR to Portugal (perhaps), please tell me your reasons. Obrigada and Gracias!

@vijir Hi there, how long was the wait for your Visa if I can ask?