r/PortugalExpats

Trying to find a location in the south of Portugal where I could potentially come 2/3 times a year to get away from the UK weather - and potentially retire there eventually. I'm drowning looking at all the options right now but I'd love to hear some personal recommendations from people who are there already?

Particular things I'm looking for - pretty generic I know but:

- Not a faff to get to - easy to fly in/out of, good transfers if applicable

- Easy walking access, don't plan on driving myself

- Close to the sea, good nature/hiking? Good gym/running options

- Not a party scene but want to meet new people also

- Good selection of holiday apartments (any personal recommendations for buildings? - my idea was to holiday first and then if I like I could consider purchasing)

I see that AIMA updated rules on requiring a NISS for a D7 visa. I was approved at my initial VFS appointment without one and have been denied due to not having employment in Portugal. Will this be a problem for my AIMA appointment. I can bring a rejection letter if needed.

Thanks in advance!

Hi,
Wondering if anyone has experience traveling with a cat in cabin internationally on United or TAP, and which is better.

Also will be flying into Portugal, so curious what the experience is like if anyone has done it!

We've used Nikos in the past, but they've just started ghosting us for literally no reason. Can anyone recommend a good accounting firm that speaks English?

Today, I was returning to Barreiro by ferry. Since it was Saturday, my friends and I had planned to go to Sesimbra Beach, and they were already waiting for me at the Barreiro ferry terminal. After I boarded the ferry at Terreiro do Paço, a Romani-looking man began handing out papers about a girl with cancer, asking people for donations. Another passenger confronted him very aggressively. Although the man was not strong enough to fight back, he started shouting.

About five minutes later, he came and sat near me. He then began yelling racial slurs at me, telling me to get out of his face and leave. A woman sitting nearby told him to shut up and said that enough was enough. I quietly left my seat without saying anything while he continued shouting insults at me.

When the ferry ride ended and we exited the Barreiro terminal, he kept staring at me. I asked my friends to come over from their car, and I gathered the courage to confront him. As soon as he realized that I was not alone, he completely backed down from everything he had said earlier. Since my friends spoke Portuguese, they asked him whether he had racially abused me on the ferry. Instead of answering, he ran away.

I was deeply scared inside the ferry as he was as local and I am an immigrant and he also threatened to call the police etc. While he couldn't do anything to the Romani man.

When do you think the nationality law regulations will be published? And do you think they'll end up being relatively strict or more lenient for people in our situation?

Hi everyone,

My partner and I are at a bit of a crossroads.

We've been living in Australia for the past three years. I'm a carpenter, and my partner is an architectural engineer who also runs her own interior design business here in Australia. Recently, it feels like Australia's immigration policies have started to shift, and we're no longer sure we see a long-term future here.

We both hold European citizenship, so we've started thinking about relocating to Western Europe, with Portugal being our main option.

I'm trying to get a better understanding of what life is actually like there. How is the economy? What's the job market like for someone in construction? We'd also love to know what the interior design industry is like. Is there good demand for interior designers? Is it common to run a small design business, or is most of the work through larger firms?

We're also wondering how realistic it is to find work without speaking Portuguese at first, or whether the language barrier is a major obstacle.

We have a newborn baby as well, so that's another important factor. Starting over in a new country is a big step, and we'd really appreciate hearing from people who have made a similar move or who are currently living in Portugal.

We know the lifestyle and salaries we're used to in Australia probably won't be the same in Europe, and that's okay. Our biggest concern is whether we can build a stable future there. Right now, with the ongoing immigration policy changes in Australia, we're finding it hard to picture ourselves staying here long-term.

Any advice, experiences, or insights would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much!

Hello everyone,
I’m curious to hear your honest opinions.
If you could improve one thing in Portugal, what would it be?
It could be anything:
a service that is difficult to find
something that is too expensive
long waiting times
poor customer service
a product you wish existed
something that works much better in another country
bureaucracy
transportation
healthcare
home services
automotive services
technology
or anything else that frustrates you.
I’m genuinely interested in understanding the everyday problems people face. Sometimes the best business ideas come from solving real problems.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Why? How?

Hi everyone,

I’m a UK citizen working as an airline pilot, so I spend a significant amount of time outside the EU for work. I’m considering Portugal’s D8 visa as a long-term pathway to Portuguese (and therefore EU) citizenship.

I’m looking for an immigration lawyer who can ideally handle the entire process; from obtaining a NIF and applying for the D8 visa, through residence permit renewals and eventually the citizenship application.

If you’ve personally used a lawyer, I’d really appreciate hearing:

- Who you used.
- What services they provided.
- Whether communication was good.
- Approximate fees.
- Whether you’d hire them again.

One additional question: has anyone here gone through this process while working internationally (airline crew, offshore, seafarers, etc.)?

I’d be particularly interested in lawyers familiar with clients who spend long periods outside Portugal for work.

Thanks!

I got a strange email from my bank. It says that an authorization for direct debit was created. (Atorização de débito direto foi criada) for some entity named Easypay- Instituição dePagamento LDA. Oddly, I received the email today 4 July, but it says the authorization was created on 7 July--a date in the future. I haven't authorized anything or taking any actions recently that might cause this to happen. And referring to a future date in the past tense is odd. Has anyone else seen a message like this from a Portuguese bank? Is this a scam?

Hey guys my partner and I are living in Sao vicente area and need two people to sign our atestado forms (proving we live at our address) we have struggled to find people as all of our neighbours are either foreigners or have never voted in Portugal. Does anyone know of anyone who can assist ?

Just sharing, I almost became a victim of pickpockets/robbers in Lisbon last Saturday afternoon.

I was walking around Armazen Chiado, and as I was crossing an area there, I felt someone open my bag. When I turned around, there were two women who looked South Asian (long black hair and brown skin) with an accent but okay I’m not mentioning a specific race Just want ro describe how’s the face structure look like. lThey said, "We were just trying to close your bag," lol. Why would you close it if it's not yours? 🤨

So I just started yelling at them. I couldn't call the police, but I'm sure my voice was loud, and then they just ran away. They were good because they timed in while I was crossing the street and sadly both of my hands are holding something else - was not able to secure my body bag while walking.

Hello!

I am facing a really lucrative work opportunity in Lisbon. I am a EU-citizen, but I do not speak a word of Portuguese. The company did say it is ok as the working language is English.

I am quite sure I WILL take this job as it even comes with a signing bonus of a couple thousand euros!

However, is there something about the climate, politics, crime, customs or anything else that I should know before accepting the job? For example a recent rise in violent crimes or housing prices etc.

Thank you all already!

We are headed to Porto for the weekend, we are about 45 minutes south on the A1, and the smoke is really bad…anyone in Porto who can let us know how it is there? The wildfires appear to be northeast of here.

Basically the title I am looking to hire a few editors who are native Brazilians or Portugese for short form content editing, since the editing language will be portugese Can anyone suggest me where to look or if anyone knows someone whos a good fit, please dm me

The editing style is very simple, just basic typography in portugese and ai generated images used as brolls - unable to attach links here

Hello all, I am looking for the correct steps to “cancel“ or stop my visa renewal here in Portugal. I have been in the process for over two years at this point and want a clean break from Portugal as I will be leaving for good.

my AIMA portal still says the same old “en process“ as it has forever. I want to know what document and process I need to do to just scrap the whole thing so I can leave and resettle in a different EU country. my new country of residence has everthing sorted on their end (took a total of 3 weeks), I want to make sure Portugal process doesn’t bite me down the road.

any advice is appreciated.