New members of the Portugal forum, introduce yourselves here - 2019

Hi. My wife and I are Americans considering moving to either Portugal (Porto or Lisbon) or Canada (Vancouver area). Porto is emerging as one of the stronger options, because of low cost of living, great weather, high scores for political stability, public transit, and other factors (even if it means having to learn a new language).

We have so many questions about the non-habitual resident tax regime, finding apartments, and so on. Hopefully we'll find some answers here and meet some fellow expats.

Hi everyone  ,
I am Haytham  from Tunisia  and and I am an engineer  and I will be in Portugal in two or three months to work in one of the Tech Companies  in Porto and and Fundao , I litteraly have no idea about portugal  its weather , life condition , people speaking english or not etc... so  it will be nice if someone of you here kind people here  give me a brief idea about Porto amd Fundao , i have searched in the internet , but infos form a portuguese will be always better and more precise  that info from the internet and thank so much in advance.

Have a nice day

We are just in the beginning planning stages. If anyone has anything to offer such as where we should live (we love sunny but not seriously hot weather). Thank you.

Hello!

I am Shyne 24 years young from the Gambia and came to Portugal in April 2019. I live in Leiria and it´s beautiful here...

Hello,

My family is planning on moving next year. I have so many questions, any help or advice would be gratefully received.
1) I'm hoping the politicians don't ruin everything with Brexit, but if they do, what is the score with visas etc? I have no idea where I would start.
2) we have a Teenager coming with us. We are looking a an international school to complete a-levels. Any feedback on experience with these schools would be so helpful. Also, don't this have a baring on applications to UK universities?
With transportation, how far could I realistically look for housing? We currently travel for 25 minutes each way to get to school.
3) looking at bringing 2 dogs and a cat. Any advice on getting the fur babies into the country would be great.
4) housing. It seems that the houses are listed by square meters? What is the minimum I should be looking at for a 3 - 4 bed? What red flags should I be looking for in property adverts?
5) which websites are good for property searching?
6) what is public transport like in cities? We are thinking about sharing a car and relying on combination of biking and public transport.

Thank you for any help.

Hi..,
My name is nimmy susan kurian.coming from ernkulam(india).I completed mca from sree naryna gurukulam college of engineering..now am ccurrently working school...as a teacher. .my trying to better job portugal..because my husband is there...

I am in the early stages of getting ready to leave the US. I have invested in Babel to begin learning Portuguese. I also have bought a translation device and can converse using this. I am looking for a place w/expats.—Brits, Europeans, and Americans.
I won't have a car so I will be dependent on public transportation. I am interested in northern Algarve. Since I now have a home on a FL barrier island.
I am looking for a room, studio for about 4 weeks to travel Portugal
And see if I can find a place to relocate for a yr. to determine if I do want to permanently live in Portugal.
Thanks so much for any help you might  be able to offer.
Shannon (Nency1033)

Hi All,

We're a small family from the North West UK, weighing up the pro's and con's on deciding whether or not to purchase a home in Portugal.
We plan to travel between Portugal and the UK due to work and family.
We also home educate our child so hoping to connect with others in a similar situation to find more about these things before making a final decision.

Thanks!

Hello! Hopefully you moved to Portugal. I'm from Puerto Rico and have been living about five minutes from Costa de Caparica for the last three years I absolutely love this country. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I will be more than happy to try to help you anyway I can.
Carmen

Castelo Branco is definitely one of the best cities in the central region of Portugal and one of the most interesting too. Good choice.

hello I'd like to know what city in Algarve region it's not expensive for retiring right on the banks of the ocean small village thank you

Just joined today! Looking to meet new people and prep for my intro to Lisbon trip this Fall, and a move next summer. Traveling extrovert from Hawaii. Retired Army girl.

Same boat David. Looking to move next year and want to figure out if Lisbon or Porto is a better option. Never lived outside of the military abroad so I'm looking forward to the adventure.

Hi everyone!

My name is Lientjie (pronounced Linky) - I am from South Africa and moved to Lisbon just over a month ago.

My partner and I are lucky enough to be able to work remotely. He is British, so easier for him to get settled. I on the other hand just set up my own business to be able to work and now applying for my residency permit.

Anyone else new to Lisbon and want to meet up - let me know! Happy to help and share advice on getting settled, or just go to the beach or have a glass of wine.

Hii julien how are you nice to meet you .can you tell me how can I move to Portugal do you have any clue to share it's my life dream.

My name is Reinhard. I was born in Germany and in 1952 emigrated to South Africa with my parents when I was five. At first we lived in VanderBijlPark where my father worked at Iscor (Iron and Steel
Corporation South Africa). Four years later we moved to Johannesburg where I spent my youth.
When I got married,my wife Amelia and I had a house built in Alberton, a town south of Johannesburg.
There we lived until December 2017 when we emigrated to the United Kingdom to afford our grandchildren better opportunities. Once they were settled we decided to purchase property in the Algarve, Portugal where we are living since February 2019. We love Portugal and the great weather.

***

I'm a hard working Irish farm hand
Interested in horticulture, poultry, beef
Dairy and any type of farming available in Portugal.
Do you know of any such employers.
Irish European Union Citizen fluent in English.
Love and kindest of regards from Ireland

Hi everyone, we are Blu & Pace.
After travelling for a number of years with our work, we have finally settled in a small village in the Guarda region of Portugal.

We are both photographers and artist, who are working to towards living a more sustainable lifestyle. We are always interested in meeting people and sharing conversations.

We are currently expanding our photographic work to include weddings and couples photography. As such we are offering a limited number of free sessions.

Hello
My name  is Ramanjeet singh Toor. I'm looking forward for job. I'm graduated in agriculture sciences. Ready to move to the location where ever I will get job. I'm fresher but I will give my best

Hi everyone,

My name is Gabriel Thomas and I am an American (US) who is wanting to relocate to Portugal with my girlfriend who is from Brazil.  We both speak Portuguese and use it to communicate with one another.

I am currently employed as a business analyst, but I am interested into taking an entry level position in web development, as it is what I am dedicating most of my free time that doesn't involve my girlfriend or pet dog named Gucci.

A little information about her, she is an artist who is 28 years of age and she lives in the state of São Paulo.

I am hoping to find out about the job market and also the details of navigating immigration to Portugal so that I can hopefully start a new life for me and my girlfriend in a lovely place that meets all of our needs.  We love each other dearly, but she doesn't speak English and I want a place that is a little safer than Brazil to live together and settle down.

Thanks and I look forward to speaking with you all.

Hello.

We r Loreta & Florin,59, Romanian-Canadian citizens, living in Ab, Canada for the last 25 years and wish to  early retire possibly  in Portugal close to the sea for health reasons.
So looking for a location where is not too hot and not  2 expensive
Any advice is welcomed,Thank u for having us

My friend, Vancouver is the best , but also the most expensive in Canada, so Porto is a much better choice

i am in the same situation, please let me know if any feedback,thx, Florin, Edmonton

Housekeeper needed in Algés (LIVE IN)

I'm looking for a person who wants to work as an intern in my house. it's a house with 4 people (me, my husband and 2 daughters - 5 and 8 years old). We live in Lisbon (Alges - has the train "comboio"). If you are interested and have references and experience, please contact me.

Tasks are normal housekeeping (making the beds, cleaning bathrooms, ironing clothes, cleaning windows, and cooking.

Person must have experience in housekeeping.

Interested people must already live in Portugal.

Hiya my name is Gail and my husband is Lawrence - we currently live in Perth, Western Australia but due to really expensive cost of living/retirement costs in Australia we have been looking into beautiful Portugal as a retirement option. We have family/friends who own property in Portugal and whilst we have not been there we have heard it is a reasonably popular retirement option for many people from all over the world - with beautiful scenery, lovely weather, relatively inexpensive property and a relaxed way of living. My husband and i are social, friendly people and love the outdoors - meeting new people - i was born in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe to British parents and my husband was born in South Africa to British parents too. I  have been doing research on areas in Portugal - liked the areas ie. Alto Alentejo, Vaiamonte Evora/Elvas, Figuero Dos Vinhos, Leira, Tomar, and central Portugal. We will be looking at 2 bed x 1 acommodation and am interested in being near to hospitals, shops etc. but dont mind being a little country.We are planning to come over in 2021 to have a look and see what Portugal has to offer. Any information for newbies like us on relocating in any area would be most appreciated.

I'm trying to change my expat destination/residence to Portugal and the country keeps defaulting to a previous country not Portugal. Any suggestions to make the change permanent on the site?

Hello,

We are Canadians and my partner and I are retiring in 2021....  and Portugal is where we are hoping to spend the winter months away from Canada.

I was born in northern Portugal and really feeling the need to return and explore the rest of the company.  Can anyone share some insight into an area where a gay male couple would fit in? We like the city but I also really enjoy the small towns/villages. Our plan is to rent vs. purchase so we can move around within the country.

Hi, considering becoming an expat to Portugal (and am open to other places that have great weather, reasonable prices, a good culture scene and quality healthcare).

Since I'm a widow, finding a place with a strong and welcoming community is super important, so I am hoping to narrow my search via this site.

Hi Everyone
We (my husband and I) are hoping to retire to Portugal (currently in South Africa), not entirely sure which area yet, but like the Cascais/Estoril area, also Lagos. Move should be sometime late next year, holding thumbs. I'm trying to learn Portuguese, was using Dualingo, then discovered it is Brazilian Portuguese, not European! So looking for advice on a good online course or App please!
Great to meet everyone and hear your experiences!

Hiya, my name is Seo! I'm 25 and recently moved to Porches, Algarve from the UK. I'm taking a career break from the Police and would really like to meet some people my own age-ish and make some friends. If any of you know anything that might help I would be grateful

I would suggest a larger city such as Lisbon or Porto (or any cities on the coast), or city outskirts which are less expensive such as Sintra. While I'm told that the Portuguese are ok in large cities, my experience has been that the Portuguese are very unwelcoming in smaller cities.  They are uneducated, rude, don't trust outsiders, and don't respect boundaries. I found the French and Spaniards much more friendly. Also when you first land, it would be easier to be near a big city so that you can get all the paperwork done. Trust me the bureaucracy here will astound you, expect for regular things to take ages (health papers, NIF, bank account, connecting electricity, gas, water). Plan for a month from the time you sign a rental agreement (or a sales one) before you can move in, even if your agency tells you it will be ready tomorrow. The Portuguese move and complete tasks VERY slowly, in part due to bureaukracy, in part due to the depressed/helpless attitude they have towards life. The good thing is that the Portuguese speak English, at least enough of them do so that you can assume that you will get things done. If you can, find a friend ahead of time, maybe on the forum, one that lives close to your desired area. It was much harder for me to settle in Portugual than it was in other countries, even 3rd world countries. I've been traveling for years and am very dissapointed in the Portuguese people and customs.
Portugual is a beautiful country, it's relatively warm (but watch out for unheated houses and apartments - very common), and it is less expensive than many other countries. But I am glad I did not buy a house here, until I got a feel for the culture. I will not be staying here.

Hello fellow explorers! My name is Randy and I along with my wife and two sons (and two dogs and cats) are looking to move to continental Portugal. Not exactly sure what region we are looking at exactly but we are focusing our attention to the south. We are thin blooded and solar powered so we require sun and warm weather
Currently we are living in the Azores, Ilha Terceira to be exact. We moved here about 5 years ago and though we love the island and the scenery we are looking for a change. Not necessarily a change of pace (we have become quite fond of the slow, relaxing pace of life) but a change of scenery, opportunity, and other things more available in a larger community.
What I would love to find here is someone that can help with maybe some information about housing. As of now I am mostly using OLX to scope the areas and get pricing information but I dont think thats the best way to be honest. Most of those houses seem priced more towards vacation rentals. What we are looking for is a 3-4 bedroom house, with a yard for animals (we have a small farm here and would like to continue to keep animals), near-ish to the water (I love the beach and diving) and other amenities.
Well, that was a pretty lengthy intro so I'll end it here. If you need any information other than what I provided just let me know! Thank you.  Looking forward to talking with you all!

[b]Hi! Bonjour! Olá!

My name is Michel: I'm a French-Canadian medical doctor, and former university professor. Now settled in Braga and semi-retired, after long international career ( incl Canada, Middle East, Caribbean, Africa ).

Bohemian, bibliophile ( organizer, Braga Book Club:***, photographer ( *** ). Secular humanist, free spirit, bon vivant. Cosmopolitan lover of culture(s), literature, film, intelligent conversation... much more.

My journey has been enriched by adventures, eclectic interests, intriguing encounters, the life of the mind.... and the simple delights of each day.

Looking forward to friendly conversation with other expats!

Ciao! merci!  Michel

***

Hello,

I have not yet encountered Portuguese who are not very kind and friendly. I'm sure that exist everywhere. About buying in Portugal, the housing prices have double and tripled in the last few years so an investment at the moment probably isn't very wise. But you never know. Would I pay the same for a property in Portugal that I'm going to pay in some areas in the US that have some of the highest standards of living. I don't think so. I've been looking in Portugal for over a month. I've yet to find anything that represents value.

Hello, My name is Cerys, i have just moved to the albufeira area with my little boy who is currently 9 months, and my husband although he is currently away at sea. I would love to find any people who would want to meet for a coffee or a wine, or if anyone knows of any play groups also.

Cerys

Hi, we have just moved to the south of portugal to algarve, if your ever in the area or if you do move to the south here. let me know! id love to meet up, i have son who is 9 months old, so would be great to chat with other parents!


Cerys Fernandes

Hi All, 

Hope All is Well.....

I am Imran from India,

I will be coming to Portugal with my Family and Parents soon.

Very Excited! 

I look forward to hearing how you and your family like living in Portugal - please keep us posted and let us know your insights.  Thanks and good luck!