Comments

craigandmicki

I should add that Health requirements include a physician's note that you've tested negatively for HIV, with your full name, test date and physician's contact data. Some SEF agents have requested a letter from our physician explaining our general state of health, date of last physical and noting medications taken and existing health issues. Agents can and do expand requirements at their own discretion, so these health statements should be addressed.

Lisspratt

Is all this information still accurate for upcoming 2015?

craigandmicki

The details in this article regarding residency visas remain as in effect for 2014 applications. Changes for the 2015 application year have not been communicated, nor has anything suggesting that changes are under way surfaced.

FelixKrull

I am a US citizen and I have noticed that there is a problem these days with the Criminal Record Certification process via the FBI. Many people report that their fingerprints are rejected multiple times, or never accepted, due to the new scanning process (your prints have to be scanned into their database). So, is there any way US citizens could submit a State Criminal Record Check (i.e. New York State CRC) which is done through your name and social security number, rather than a federal FBI one. If you had a record federally, it should come up with your SS number anyway, so I don't see the problem submitting your state CRC. Any idea about this?

craigandmicki

To Felix Krull's comment identifying issues with FBI fingerprint scans: Suggest you and others who have had your fingerprint records rejected deal directly with the FBI, the source of the problem, and ask if they will accept your state CRC fingerprint file as input to their process. A state-level record check doesn't uncover Federal issues, so the FBI is still required to do a full, federal criminal record check.

beeg1234

I have duel citizenship US & Australia. Is one citizenship more favoritable than the other?

craigandmicki

In response to beeg1234: The requirements are the same for Australian and US Citizens, but the process would change slightly if you were in Australia when you applied because the criminal background check and embassy offices are particular, then, to Australia. The idea of which of your dual citizenships is better than the other is totally subjective and will not affect the Portuguese personnel processing your applications. Good luck! Susan

craigandmicki

Author's Update: 1. The "Temporary Resident Visa" expires in 4 months. 2. Your consul might ask you to complete and submit a Portuguese Criminal Record Check, a form they will provide you 3. The FBI is currently taking 16 weeks processing time with many rejected applications. The channelers are becoming the better option.

debdesaix

Thank you for such an informative article. My husband and I are planning to move to Portugal later this year, so the information is very timely for us. I have a question--in your update in the comments (Feb 25, 2015) you say, in reference to the FBI, "The channelers are becoming the better option." What do you mean by that? I didn't notice a reference to "channelers" in the article--I guess I'm just not seeing it. The FBI seems to be the real stumbling block in this whole process, so I'm a little worried about it.

sasha7

On the proof of financial means requirement for the Type I Visa it says "proof that such funds are transferable to Portugal." Does that mean that I would need to open a Portuguese bank account and have my retirement income sent directly to it instead of my US credit union account? Or just that my US bank account can be accessed by ATM in Portugal? I have had no problems using the ATM abroad to access my US account. Thanks, Mike

craigandmicki

Reply to sasha7/Mike: No, you are not required to move these monies to Portugal; having assets that you can access from Portugal in case you need money is meant to protect the State from having financial responsibility for you. Your current arrangement with social security deposits and accessing the cash you need via ATM are fine. As to a bank account here, however, you would find that having one brings advantages, including being able to use your Portuguese bank debit card at restaurants and shops. For economical reasons, a growing number of places no longer accept credit cards but they will accept "multibanco" --Portuguese-bank-issued-- cards.

sasha7

That is good to know I can use my ATM to satisfy that requirement. Sorry for all the questions but I am getting close to setting up my embassy appointment and have another. How long after getting my visa approved and stamped with "temporary resident visa" do I have before I must go to Portugal to see the SEF? In other words after getting my passport stamped with the visa from the embassy can I wait a few months before I get on the plane to Portugal or do I have to go right away? Thanks again for all your help!

guest

Great article Susan! Once we get the residence permit, how long do you have to actually reside/rent in Portugal? Can it be less than a total of 6 months? We want to travel throughout Europe & use Portugal as our base. And spend close to 6 months in the US & potentially Canada.

craigandmicki

To the Question about how much time can be spent outside Portugal under a Resident Permit, dated 30 March 2015: Travel in the EU is rarely tracked as you are rarely asked to produce your passport, so how much time you're in Portugal versus the EU will be difficult to determine. However, the Resident Permit rules refer to conflicting and complex minimum stays: one rule says you can't return to the US for more than 60 days at a time; another says you should stay for 6 months before returning to the US. As the reasoning is all dependent on personal circumstances, I suggest you research under the SEF website as you know why and when you'd be moving about. Yet, if you want to be here for only 6 months a year, don't bother to pay for a Resident Visa and Resident Permit; simply get a 180 day tourist visa.

sasha7

Susan, I have a question on the Schengen Visa application. On the question about intended date of departure from the Schengen area should that be exactly 4 months from the intended date of arrival since the Temporary Resident Visa is only good for 4 months? I don't know how strict they will be on the exact dates or if they allow for some leeway. It is really hard to know when you will need to leave if you haven't got the actual visa yet. Thanks, Mike

sasha7

Susan, Do I need to have any of the documents translated and certified into Portuguese when submitting to the Consulate? Thanks, Mike

craigandmicki

To Mike's question of April 12, 2015: Your US consul won't ask for any documents to be translated into Portuguese with the possible exception of the Application for Schengen Visa form....some have requested this in Portuguese but they will tell you that, and the consuls that request it in Portuguese are getting fewer. If by 'certified' you mean notarized, only your passport pages (as noted in the article) require notarization UNLESS you are submitting your paperwork via the mail rather than in-person; in this case, you would need to have your signature on the Schengen application notarized as well. Susan

FamilyTravelers

Susan, my wife and I just sent our fingerprints and Criminal Records request to the FBI yesterday, so it appears we have up to a 16 week wait before submitting our online Schengen Visa application. We live in Bellingham, WA and will apply online to the Portuguese Consulate General in San Francisco with the intent to retire to the Algarve. The bulk of our assets is in my IRA and is subject to early withdrawal penalties. Should we withdraw a portion of the IRA to meet the €50,000 per person (is €50,000 per married couple acceptable?) requirement without hassle, vs. demonstrating ownership of the IRA Certificate of Deposit which can be accessed via written application to the bank and delaying our application if such non-immediate access is inadequate. What would be the consequence if the CD is considered not accessible enough? Would we then simply make the withdrawal, deposit into savings, and send the new bank statement resulting in minimal delay? Or is it better not to leave any room for bureaucratic bumps?

craigandmicki

To Family Travelers' question of 15 April: DO NOT touch your IRA! It sounds like you have an IRA that exceeds $5Ok and a checking or savings account...so you easily qualify for the financial means requirement. Your IRA is considered 'readily accessible' from Portugal because you could convert it to cash or take a loan if needed.

debdesaix

Hi Susan, I was reading your recent response to FamilyTravelers, and have a couple of questions of my own: My husband and I also have an IRA. Because it's an IRA, it's only in my name, but will the consulate consider it "our" money, because we're married, thereby satisfying both of our financial means requirements at once? My other question -- is the financial requirement 50,000E per person or per couple? Thanks once again for your invaluable help!

lashend

Dear Susan, Thanks very much for the great article - this is exactly the information I've been searching for! Several follow-up questions regarding the visa application requirements: 1. I understand that I must show sufficient 'financial means' for the period of the temporary residence permit (in this case, is that four months? six months? one year?) 2. As I hope to 'really' live in Portugal, I would hope to extend my 4-month/6-month/1-year residence permit at its expiration. You wrote that this is possible, first for one year, two years, two years, and then five years periods. Can you describe, roughly at least, the process for securing those extensions (basically, is it more or less a repeat of this process?)? Is it possible to process the extension from within Portugal? Importantly, regarding the 'financial means' requirement for each of those extensions, must this be shown (only) for the period in question (ie, the one-year, two-year, two-year, and five-year periods respectively)? 3. Finally - last one, thank you very much for your helpfulness! - I see that, for the initial visa application, I must show travel reservations or tickets for a *return* trip (ie, leaving Portugal at the end of the initial visa period). As I hope to establish a home in Portugal and extend my residence permit at the end of the initial period (as I was asking about above), I would hope to not need or have use of a return / leaving-Portugal ticket. Is there a way to ask the Consulate for 'permission' to do this? Or must I really buy a ticket, and then simply not use it? Thank you very much - this is extremely helpful! Best wishes. Leah

Noknok

Thank you for such a detailed & thorough article! Just want to add a few things: 1) Even if you are eligible for a Golden Visa, be warned that there is an application fee (per person) of >500 € and an issuance fee of >5000 €. Never mind renewal fees. We decided to go the Pensioner visa route - it was a little over 300$ for our whole family of three. Much less expensive. 2) You can easily bypass the FBI wait by using one of its approved vendors (channelers). We went that route and got a printable copy of the report within 24h and an official copy in under a week. For the DC consulate, kids under 15 aren't required to have their fingerprints done. 3) Our attorney in Lisbon will be helping with SEF. They say that it would be prudent to show up with the FBI report, marriage license & child's birth certificate Hague apostilled. Has anyone been asked to do the same? The last two are giving me a collossal headache. Thx!

craigandmicki

Response to NokNok: Another couple was told by their Portuguese attorney recently to have a copy of the FBI criminal background report with them for the SEF...then, on further research, the attorney said it was not, in fact, necessary. The SEF agrees! "It was scanned into your files by the Portuguese consul in the US...we have it on file", SEF explained. About apostilles...they have never been requested by nor listed on the SEF document requirements for anything. Yes, do have birth and marriage certificates in case you're asked because some SEF agents want to see them, but they don't need to be apostilled (by the Hague?!).

Noknok

Thx, CraigandMicki. I had a feeling it was overkill. BTW, Hague Apostille is just a reference to the convention where they dreamed up this insanity. Basically, you obtain official doc, have it notarized by court clerk, then have it signed off again by a State or Federal clerk, saying that the notary is valid to notarize. Generally, the doc has to be apostilled by the state that issued it, and in some places, like NYC, you can't do it by mail! You've officially saved me from going insane :)

Ithinkitthrough

Does anyone have information related to American citizens looking to relocate to Portugal, whose spouse is an EU citizen (Bulgaria)? Apparently, EU citizens and their families can reside anywhere within the EU, so I assume that the requirements, financial and otherwise, would be a little different. My wife and I have spent months traveling through the southwest and southeast of Europe. We are seriously considering relocation to southern Portugal due to climate, cost/quality of living and our fondness for the country... plus it appears to be a great place to raise a family. BTW, thanks to Susan for posting this information. This is very helpful.

kctrani156

Susan, as we now start to zero in on the process, you mentioned a 180 day tourist visa in your reply to "guest". What is that visa? Is that the normal US passport with 90 days here, 90 days away, then back? Is that the Schengen visa? Where to get it? We want to stay here close to 6 months, but travel the EU & return to the U.S. At least once during that period!

jesslinger

Hello there, we are planning to retire in Portugal in the Caiscais area. The only thing I'm worry about it is the health insurance issue, I would like to know how much aprox will it be the monthly cost for a family of 3, we are all under 65. I have read that insurance can be more expensive than in the USA so is a big concern for me. If anybody can give me some information about who to call to get a quote. Also, how can I show proof of health insurance in the application process if I'm not living in Portugal yet? Thanks,

craigandmicki

To jesslinger's 14 May question about health insurance: Most find insurance to be less expensive in Portugal...some under-65s are paying 50 euros/month per person for a bare-bones plan, others 300 euros/month for an over-60s couple with full medical, vision and dental coverage. Sources for coverage range from major providers, such as Bupa, Cigna, AXA or ING, to providers who are associated with Portuguese banks and provide low cost plans to the bank's customers, from Medis to Allianz. Americans usually buy these private, bank-sponsored plans after they have moved to Portugal and received their Residence Permit and open a bank account here. For your initial Residence Visa application, you can: buy travel insurance; use your existing US coverage; buy a plan from a global insurer. Just be certain that the medical coverage you use or buy for this interim period complies with Schengen requirements, which state that you must have "adequate and valid medical insurance to cover any expenses which might arise in connection with repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention and/or emergency hospital treatment or death, during their stay(s) on the territory of the Member States. The insurance shall be valid throughout the territory of the Member States and cover the entire period of the person’s intended stay or transit. The minimum coverage shall be EUR 30,000”. You could ask your current insurer if your coverage complies with the Schengen requirements or can be converted to one that does; if not, perhaps you can cancel your current insurance and buy travel or private coverage that does comply.

boomerexpat

Great article. How do you transition as a US citizen from a yearly temporary to a permanent residency? From what I understand that is a type that without investment you can still get 10 years of no taxes paid in Portugal so that you aren't taxed on ss or 401ks form the US. Is this true? Are you taxed on your Ss or 401Ks with the temp residency?

craigandmicki

Response to boomerexpat's question: After 5 years as a temporary resident, you can apply for 'Permanent Residency'. This 'permanent' residency is renewed every 5 years. Currently, to qualify, one must prove the A2 level of Portuguese language proficiency in addition to the health coverage, financial means, clean Portuguese crime record and other items listed in this article. If you don't have language certification, you can continue residing here with your temporary permit and maintain the 2-year renewal cycle. Portugal is required by the US to tax your US-earned capital gains, interest and dividend income but not social security; and then the US credits your payments to the Portuguese tax system against any monies you'd owe in the US. This tax status applies whether you're a temporary or permanent resident because it is imposed by the US. There is a 'non-habitual resident' status that protects some taxation, so please research that to see if it applies to you. The only program that links residency to an investment is the 'Golden Visa', so you are correct that the Type 1 Visa doesn't require any direct investment in the Portugal.

boomerexpat

Thank you for the feedback on my question. Is the US, retirement accounts such as IRAs and 401ks are treated as regular income and not capital gains. So, in Portugal they are taxed as capital gains? In the US you generally don't pay taxes on the first 10K of income but it looks like you pay 14.5% in Portugal. Correct? Thanks again.

beeg1234

I'm sure this is a stupid question on my part but can anyone recommend a US based attorney to help me & my husband with our Portugal Visa application? If not, can anyone from the US recommend an attorney in Portugal that will help US citizen with their visa application? Typically how much does it cost for the entire process? Thank you in advance.

gypsy1951

I hope to move to Portugal in 2016 probably the last half of year. If I order a back ground check now how long is it good for? I currently live and am a resident of Ecuador (US citizen), so I will use the consulate here. should I start now or wait?

gypsy1951

oh, one question at this time. do you also apply for the Schengen visa as well?

madeleinemoira

Hi. We are an American family living in Istanbul, Turkey, planning on relocating to Lisbon in the summer. We have a business and are all in good health and can show ample financial means to get our residency. However, when we went to the Portugese consulate here we were told that we just need to go to Portugal and apply for residency and that we do not need a Type 1 visa. Can anyone help us understand? I asked if I could just apply and they said that we werent eligible because we were not going to work, study or have an operation. Any insights would be appreciated. We do need to get the Temporary Residency Visa prior to arriving, correct?

craigandmicki

Response to "madeleinemoira"s Post: / Americans Moving from Turkey: The most basic requirement you face as USA citizens is having the Schengen Visa. Turkey isn't part of the Schengen agreement so you likely don't have that Visa right now. Follow the steps in the article to get your Schengen Visa.. To confirm: USA Citizens not starting a business in Portugal, nor seeking work in Portugal, not joining family here nor enrolling as a student, or coming here to volunteer with a charitable cause, MUST have a Type 1 Visa. The Schengen Visa leads to the Portuguese Residency Visa that is converted in Portugal to the Portuguese Temporary Residency Permit. The Portuguese Consuls are wrong more than 80% of the time, and that could be what occurred when you asked.

captdave51

A Schengen visa is mentioned. Does this mean that it is good for any Schengen country?

Elizadoo

Thanks for your help. Question: We are coming from the USA. My husband is a US citizen, age 69, on Medicare, so he will take out a travel insurance policy just for emergencies. I am age 56 and will need a private health care policy in Portugal. I have dual citizenship, both US and British, which means as an EU citizen I might be able to find a cheaper policy---maybe. I cannot keep my American health insurance pokicy as it is almost $900 USD a month, and I am in very goid health! So, what would be the benefit of me using my UK passport instead of my US one? Thanks.

craigandmicki

To the question from Elizadoo on 29 Nov: A British citizen follows a different process, much easier, so you should apply under YOUR citizenship and wrap your husband's application under yours. Alternatively, separate your applications and you'll sail through yours. You can apply for the UK National Health Services coverage, avoiding costly private health insurance here, if you have paid into UK SS. Your husband, as an American citizen, will have to get Schengen-approved insurance--Medicare doesn't count-- and few providers accept applicants over age 70 so you should pursue that now.

Elizadoo

Thanks for the info. I have not paid into UK SS so I will need to buy private coverage, which is what I expected. However, if my husband--who was intending to pay out-of-pocket for routine medical care, and utilise trip insurance to fly back to the USA for major care--must also have a health insurance policy, that negates the whole idea of retiring abroad, at least to Europe. We are trying to reduce our health care expenses, not increase them. Looks like I will be posting on the Mexico boards.

Noknok

To Elizadoo, we are here as US citizens (mid 40's + 1 kid) - originally came in with a crummy Obamacare $5500 pp deductible policy that was approx $860 per month for a family of three. We've just dropped that coverage and are going with private coverage that is 250€ for the three of us, with zero deductible. We are using Multicare - haven't actually put it to use yet, so I can't speak to how easily or not they process claims. Branded meds are a whisper of the cost we used to spend in the states. In terms of cost, it is no comparison.

captdave51

If Health care costs are an issue, try Ecuador. I live there now and am very happy with the quality and costs of my healthcare.

zuni3005

We are an American male citizen married to a dual citizen Swiss/American female. We wish to relocate to Portugal currently living in Hawaii. What are the requirements for our initial visit and for residency? Thank you.

madeleinemoira

Hi. My husband and I just received our FBI fingerprint reports. On my husbands report, an arrest from when he was 17 showed up for doing some graffiti. He was not convicted, thrown out in trial but it still shows on his FBI report. Is this going to be an issue? He hasnt had any issue in the past 20 years and even this one was found non-guilty. We spoke to a lawyer who said he would get us a copy of the court report showing that he was found non-guilty but getting it removed from his FBI report could take 6 months, and we dont have that much time. Mine was thankfully clean! Thanks in advance for anyone who might have had this issue. Madeleine

snorkelmom

Thank you for a step by step article on what needs to be done. My husband is about to retire and we are looking for a place where we could spend maybe 3 years outside of the US. You included valuable information. Thank you!

craigandmicki

AUTHOR'S NOTE: A few new comments/changes for 2016: 1. Applicants who live two hours or more from their respective consul may MAIL their application and documents rather than schedule an in-person meeting. 2. As the FBI continues to take 3-4 months to process the criminal background check, using a third-party CHANNELER is faster (perhaps 10-14 days). Some channelers' info is posted on the FBI site. 3. Previously, you were expected to go to the SEF in person to schedule your appointment to apply for your Residence Permit. IN-PERSON APPOINTMENTS ARE NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTED. The system is so backlogged that the SEF asks that you call (+351) 808 202 653 or (+351) 808 202 653. The Call Center is open from 09:00am to 05:30pm. When you call, expect a recorded menu spoken in Portuguese. If you wait until the end of the recording a person who speaks English will come on the line. Recent volume has pushed the Residence Permit appointments out beyond 120 days, past the date your Temporary Visa expires. If this happens to you, SEF will automatically extend your visa and email you a notice of your appointment that you can print and keep with your passport to prove your Visa didn’t expire.

guest

Questions regarding FBI report: 1. For how long is the FBI report good? If I get it now and wait 6 months to make application for a temporary residence visa for Portugal, is that ok? 9 months? a year? 2. You indicate one must have a "clean criminal record". Does a recent DUI (driving under the influence) result in denial of a visa? Thank you!

craigandmicki

Reply to Guest's question (28 March '16) about the FBI Criminal Record Check: The report is good for one year. Give yourself time to get fingerprinted and work with a channeler (faster) or the FBI (14 weeks). The In their National Crime Information Center the FBI maintains records of arrests from state and local agencies. Most of the records are linked by fingerprints as every individual who is arrested is fingerprinted as part of the booking process. An FBI background check typically shows all of the arrests for the individual in question. The data includes the date when the individual was arrested and provides a detail of the charges. Both felonies and more serious misdemeanors may be in the report. However, it is unusual to see moving violations or fines included. These offenses are typically not reported to the FBI because they are so minor. Nonetheless, a handful of agencies do report these matters at a federal level.,,,si it can depend on your state. How about asking the authorities at the place where the DUI was granted to see if this is reported to the FBI? Law Dictionary: What Does An Fbi Background Check Show?

guest

Thank you for the great response regarding the issue of a DUI. But an important questions remains: Assuming the DUI is reported to the FBI and is shown in the report provided with my visa application (and my research indicates that it will be), will that be cause for Portugal to deny my visa? I am told a DUI is a "gross misdemeanor". It will be the only mar on our record, but it occurred less than 2 years ago. Will Portugal allow that? Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this!

madeleinemoira

Hi. Once again, I am coming to this wonderful forum for advice - you are the best in this murky world! My family has been living in Istanbul, Turkey for 10+ years, both kids born here, all American citizens. We meet ALL requirements for this process. My husband went to the embassy in Turkey last week and the lady wouldn't accept our application because 1. We didn't have a full year lease (we will next week) 2. Our FBI reports were 5 months old 3. Our residency permits here expire in less than 3 months (we plan to move to Portugal in 2 months). The lady was rude and not helpful to say the least. It seems that she is assigned to us and we can't really find someone else to help us there and we just have a bad feeling about it (this started last summer when she INSISTED that as Americans we didn't need this visa - we had to convince her that we do). So now, we are, reluctantly considering changing all of our summer plans and going to the US to apply (not so easy with 2 little ones for a month when we just want to get settled in our new home). My question is does anyone know how long it takes in the US? Best place to apply? Do we have to go in person or can we just send our applications? What about our passports? Do we all need to go or can just one of us go? We waited until 2 months out so we would have maximum time in Portugal since we understand that residency permits are taking a long time there, but now are panicking as we have movers, kids enrolled in school, finalizing a year lease etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Madeleine

madeleinemoira

Hi, Just to share a bit about my experience. We are americans living abroad and deciding if we want to apply from Turkey (where we live) or from Washington DC. We got the following answers from both consulates: 1. FBI reports - they like to see no more than 6 months old, not 1 year. 2. Letter from doctor. not needed, just showing health insurance. 3. Biometrics - not needed - no need to come in person. 4. Financial means - show as much supporting evidence as possible they both said. 5. Place to live - a lease in best. We are now in Portugal looking for a house to rent prior to submitting application. We are also hoping to get the NIF and Atestado de Residência while in town. Ill let you know how it all works out! Best,

madeleinemoira

Anyone have experience importing personal goods (like a container) to Portugal prior to getting residency. The person I'm in touch with says you might have to pay duty if you don't get your SEF card within 1 month of moving here - but its unclear if she means visa or residency.

guest

We also were planning on traveling the EU during the 6 months we needed to be residing in Portugal. I had originally thought as long as we could show we had a rental for the 6 months in Portugal that would suffice. You had replied on 31 March 2015 that travel in the EU is rarely tracked. But as americans, that is not the case. Every Airbnb, or hotel we check into ask for our passport. So I would assume it would be easy to see the days we are outside of Portugal during those 6 months. Do you think that would have an issue renewing the residency permit if they see travel in the EU during the 6 months we are "residing" in Portugal? I assume that the hotels and Airbnb are registering it on some central database that all the EU uses? Also another question that ties into that, how does my 90 day visa reset if its been stamped when i came into the EU from a country that wasnt Portugal? The stamped it in Spain, then i drove to Portugal. So with the residency permit i can stay all year in Portugal, but how does the 90 day clock reset on my passport visa stamp since I am not really leaving the schegen area?

jvenckus

I am so confused! I have been trying to contact my consulate to find out what I need to get married to a Portuguese man that lives in Portugal. I will move to Portugal either before or after the wedding....whichever way I can move there without being illegal. All they said that I needed was my birth certificate (authenticated and translated) and a certificate of no-impediment. Now, I see this daunting list and feel like I will never get there to be with my boyfriend. I have already been working on this for a year and am extremely frustrated. Which comes first, marriage or moving? Does anyone know?

craigandmicki

Answer to jvenckus's post of 2 June '16: (Aren't you Jennifer Venckus who recently posed the same question on the FB site "Americans in Portugal"?) You will have an entirely different and easier approach if you are married to/going to marry a Portuguese citizen. Please search the Schengen Community Visa site and www.sef.pt for the process related to 'family reunification' or follow Kevin Raub and Alice Piontek's advise, which is current.

guest

I just finished with my 1 year residency approval today at the Portugal IRS. You must be very determined to move to Portugal to deal with all of the problems and conflicting answers. At first, SEF did not want to talk to me on 6/16 because I did not speak Portuguese and they did not have anyone who spoke English. They are in the EU and are supposed to have a translator. Fortunately, my good Portuguese friend is well educated and persistent and we succeeded with SEF. The IRS was fine except for a 2 hour wait which is probably shorter than the US.

medsuar

I am in the process of filling out all the forms for the residency visa, but I am very confused as to amount of money to send. For example, it says that it costs $42.40/page for translation, am I suppose to count every single piece of paper? Application only? Letter of intent? What is the approximate amount of money is required per visa application?

craigandmicki

To 'medsuar', about translation fees: It is not likely you will need to translate your Application to Portuguese; please check with the consul you will use to confirm they will accept your documents in English and to confirm how much to send in with your application. The Embassy site is no longer showing the fees table.

terrig123

Thanks for the very detailed and useful info. I have already been in contact with the Portuguese consulate in San Fran about getting the proper visas for myself and my husband to retire there in early 2018. Here is the reply I received: "The soonest you can apply is 90 days before your actual travel date yet allowing some 3-4 weeks to process one application. One member of a married couple files, the other will affect their petition for residence permit direct to Portugal when the other member is in possession of the permit or at the very least the visa obtained from the Consulate. Documents like those from the FBI should not be dated older than 90 days when submitted to us. Personal appearance is technically required but waived when the applicant has had the application form notarized. The complete packet can and should be mailed per current procedure." This makes it sound as if only one of us has to submit an application and required paperwork, including FBI report. I'm not understanding this at all. Also, are there different applications for a Portuguese visa and a Schengen visa? Any help is very much appreciated!

craigandmicki

To Terrig123's post of 2 July: You are working with the San Fran consul, which operates differently than other consuls. We don't know why...applicants going thru SF have had more problems than any others. It is the SF consul approach to have ONE person per family/couple apply and then have the other/rest of the family apply from Portugal under 'family reunification'. You end up having to provide the same documents; you get the same Visa, the same Residence Permit. You can ask SF why they are taking this approach; advise that you BOTH want to apply; ask why their instructions differ completely from written laws and all other consuls, or proceed as they require. Yes, there are two 'applications' that share some of the same requirements. The Schengen Visa is the first layer of permission to live in a Schengen Country and when you're applying to Portugal you must meet all Schengen requirements and all additional Portuguese requirements; then Portugal approves your entry, generating a Temporary Visa. In Portugal, you turn the temp visa into a Temporary Residence Permit for Portugal.

craigandmicki

Terrig123: You want to move to Portugal in 2018...you can't apply two years in advance. Your documents have expiration dates: FBI report 90 days; initial Visa 120 days; bank records 3 months, etc. You should get current documentation in hand and apply 4 weeks before you want to come to Portugal. To buy tickets and rent temporary housing here, plan your travel window to begin 6 weeks after you mail your application up to no more than 3 months after you mail your application. Make sense?

terrig123

Thanks for your replies. I contacted the consulate in SF to ask questions about the process not to apply. I realize it's way to early for that. Am I correct in understanding that the form to use to apply for a visa to stay in Portugal is the Schengen application? Also, by what the consulate replied it sounds like one of us applies for a visa here and the other applies for a residency permit (?) once we arrive in Portugal. Since it sounds like it could take over three months to see a consulate in Portugal, do I wait until we get there to order my FBI check? Gah this is all so confusing! Terri

E025403

I am american citizen who bought a house in Portugal.. Right now I am using only tourist visa. Any problem with that (I am retired so not earning any money in Portugal). If I want to bring over used furniture, will I face any problem? THanks

Noknok

@ E025403, as a US citizen on a tourist visa, you are restricted to no more than 90 days in the Schengen zone within *any* 180 day period. That period doesn't reset when you leave Schengen; its cumulative, meaning that you can't just pop over to Morocco for a day and start your 180 day clock over. As I understand, you could face being permanently barred from Schengen for overstaying a tourist visa. For this reason, we did the Type I visa & obtained residency here. We didn't bother bringing stuff in. It didn't seem worth the customs fees, time or hassle. Just bought everything new for our apt once we arrived.

E025403

To craigandmicki : We were in denial about the status of our stay till I got you informative answer to my question. It got us in very high gear to start the process to get the temporary stay visa. Thank you very much. One more question: we want to go back to Portugal in 3 months. If the application process is not done by then, will we be able to go without it and wait for it in Portugal?

Noknok

@ E025403, this isn't craignandmicki, but rather noknok again. We did the visa through the DC consulate. They were very willing to work with us on timing. In our case, for example, they actually issued the visa within 1 month of applying (in March - and way faster than we expected), but since we were not going to be leaving as a family to PT until our child got out of school for the summer, they forward-dated the visas by 5 months. By having the Type I visa initiate in late summer, it ensured that the visa would not run out before we made it into SEF to convert them to residency permits. Meanwhile, we were able to travel for a short visit to Lisbon just as tourists for a week without 'activating' the type I visa. In your case, once you make the visa application (which you must do from the US), you should be able to travel to PT for up to 90 days as a normal tourist while you wait for the Schengen visa to be issued. In order to actually get your Schengen visa, you would have to return to the US for them to paste it into your passports. Of course, if they were to have already issued the Schengen visa before you leave for PT, there is no need to return to the US. You would just proceed to the SEF office for conversion.

jld

Thank you so much for posting this detailed article to process the residency permit. I am a US citizen currently living in London and would like to apply for the Type 1 visa to start the temporary residency process and move indefinitely to Portugal. I would like to apply for the visa in London and not sure if I can do so through the Portuguese consulate here in the UK (London), or if I have to travel to the US and apply through the Portuguese consulate in New York (where I was resident before). Thanks in advance for your guidance Susan. If anyone else has a similar experience I would also be grateful for additional guidance on the question.

guest

Susan, Thank you for writing this informative article. My question is about the National Insurance Healthcare System in Portugal. I am a retired citizen aged 69 living in the USA but originally from the UK. I have dual citizenship. If I move to Portugal to retire, can I get access to the National Healthcare system (mostly free as I understand it) once I have my temporary resident permit, or do I have to buy private health insurance which is very expensive. This is a deal breaker for me regarding moving to Portugal. I would be so grateful for any response addressing this issue. Thank you Christine

terrig123

@guest Are you currently buying private health insurance in the US or collecting medicare? I ask because based on my research, I don't think you can get access to any national health insurance in Europe without having paid into it by working. Can someone confirm this? If you are getting medicare here in the US, buying private insurance abroad will be more expensive. But you need to factor in the overall cost of living which is what me and my husband are doing now. If I retire before age 65, the cost of private health insurance here in the US is so high that even paying for insurance overseas is less costly. Hope this helps.

missyeq

Hi there! This is a great post (and great blog). I just wanted to ask about my situation re: applying for residency. I am an American citizen living in Portugal now. I recently paid for my residence visa and was given a receipt, a provisional visa on A4 paper with my picture on it, and a special letter saying it would be finalized after I sent SEF a translation of my FBI criminal history report from English to Portuguese. So now I'm swimming through all the info on the web and calling this and that translator. The two questions in my mind now are 1) Will SEF also want me to provide notarization of the translation? and 2) How much or in what range of cost should I expect to pay? It's been a long and mostly random process where I get different information when I call SEF, email SEF, print out SEF's own PDF guidelines from the internet, and go to the SEF office in person. I will be so glad when I finally get out of this papework jungle!

craigandmicki

Response to Guest question 21 August about translating the FBI report for SEF: SEF doesn't need your FBI report--it is for the Schengen part of the application process only. Now that they think they want it, you're rather stuck with providing it. You would be smart to have it translated and notarized thru a Portuguese attorney near you. The cost is generally 45 to 60 euros, depending on the attorney.

alinapollan

Hello, I am reading the article and I am in need of help. . Very informative article, I don't find the way to write any question to the author though unless I am confused and hopefully she will read this post and answer to me. It sounds like the type 1 visa she explain here is not the one I will need, I would assume I will need the Golden visa since I am a US physician wanting to move to Portugal and pursuing to work as a medical doctor there. I will post a little bit about myself in case anyone has some thoughts ? Hello : My name is Alina, I am us citizen and Licensed physician Board Certified in Family Medicine, currently living in St Petersburg, Florida and looking into Portugal, specifically Algarve for moving temporary to permanent with my family. I am reaching out for help since I encounter very difficult finding information of medical doctors like me that have moved to Portugal, I found a website sent to me by an expat, with information for medical doctors ( foreign ) and as I understand, It appear that my US medical license is not valid in Portugal, Does any one happen to know of any case like mine? and if you do, could you please give me references so I can contact them for more information. Me and my family are looking forward to move to a safe country with a low score crime and a weather similar to Florida ( warm ), and Portugal seem to be perfect in that regard, I have found searching the web that Algarve is like so, but as far as my profession and all I need to know in order for me to move there, it is a different story and I start thinking that contrary to what I would love to do, there are no chances for me and I will probably have to change my mind moving to Portugal. It is sad though. Any idea in how I can obtain information? It will be great and deeply appreciate it! Thank you...:)

Elizadoo

For Dr. Alina's question of September 5: although not identical, this may help. I know a medical doctor who received his degree in Cuba. He moved to the USA but was unable to become a doctor here (USA) without 3-4 more years of work. But his wife wanted to live here so he worked in a doctor's office as a nursing assistant.! After a short time of nursing assistant he decided to move to SPAIN and worked in SPAIN for a year as a doctor. I believe Spain accepted his Cuban credientials and medical license, so he was able to practice meidicine.. When he was in Spain, he took exams that gave him a Spanish medical license. The exams were not difficult for him to pass the exams because they were in Spanish :). After he finished all that, he applied for positions in Portugal. Because both Spain and Portugal are members of the EU, it ws easy for his Spanish medical license to be accepted in Portugal. [I will tell you that after a few years he returned to the USA to practice medicine here].

pierrekacha

Thanks! So useful and precious to help me plan. What has been your impression of the quality of healthcare in Portugal (and in lisbon more specifically)? Thanks!

madeleinemoira

Hi everyone! We are an American family who relocated here from Istanbul, Turkey in July. We applied for the residence visa in Turkey and received it. The entire application and supporting documentation was in English. We received the visas on June 15th (dated that day) that are good until november 11th 2016 at the Benfica SEF office. We called the SEF upon arrival and received an appointment on November 9th (no email confirmation, but have appointments). My question is: 1. Do we need any documentation in addition to what we brought for the visas? Updated bank records? 2. What of the documentation needs to be translated to Portuguese. now everything is in English except our lease. 3. We did not bring letters from doctors as the consulate said it was not necessary. We did bring health insurance. Should we get doctor letters before the SEF appointment? 4. None of us speak Portuguese really. Should we bring someone with us to translate or can we manage in English? 5. Should we hire a lawyer to help us at the appointment or can we manage on our own? We managed the visas on our own. Thanks so much for everyones help! On a side note --- we were able to import our stuff free of any tax without the SEF cards to Portugal. If anyone wants to know this process, please let me know and I will update you!

craigandmicki

To madeleinemoira's post of 20 Sept 2016: YOU MADE IT! So happy to hear all your work was successful. Welcome. Your SEF appointments fall before your Visas expire, so that's why you don't have email confirmations and all is good there. Now, to your questions: [1.] Do we need any documentation in addition to what we brought for the visas? YES. The list of what you need at your Visa / Permit appointment is posted on this site at: http://www.expatexchange.com/ctryguide/4776/92/Portugal/Portugal-Residence-Permit-How-to-Get-Your-First-Residence-Permit-in-Portugal. Yes, you need updated bank records, as explained on the list. [2.] What of the documentation needs to be translated to Portuguese. now everything is in English except our lease. NOTHING needs to be translated. You will fill out an application and the questions are in Portuguese, but you can answer them in English. [3.] We did not bring letters from doctors as the consulate said it was not necessary. We did bring health insurance. Should we get doctor letters before the SEF appointment? PROBABLY NOT. This is one of those things that come on and off the list of 'whims' and is not strictly a requirement. [4]. None of us speak Portuguese really. Should we bring someone with us to translate or can we manage in English? YOU CAN MANAGE. Many of us have managed in English. If you want an attorney, we can refer one to you. 5. Should we hire a lawyer to help us at the appointment or can we manage on our own? ABOVE. Best wishes! Susan Korthase

madeleinemoira

craigandmicki Susan! Thank you! Do you know where we get the application from? Is it the same as the visa? Id like to fill them out in advance. You said we need a document saying that we are registered with social security here in Portugal. How do we do that? Is private health insurance not enough? And you have found some people that speak English. I have no issue hiring a lawyer if there is some value to it but if we don't need it, happy to take care of it on my own too. Thanks so much for all of your help!! madeleine

guest

Hello, We are planning to move to Portugal. We just sent off our FBI background checks and we are getting our other documents ready. If we apply online, how will we send those documents to the consulate? Do we wait for the appointment and bring them with us? Also, do we need to apostille any documents?

madeleinemoira

Hi everyone! A couple of more questions from SEF checklist. - -- Document proving the applicant’s tax situation, where applicable. What kind of document do we need to show? --- Document proving that the applicant is registered with the Social Security , where applicable. Can we just show private health insurance or is this our NIF? Thank you!!! Madeleine

craigandmicki

To Madeliene's question of 16 Outubro 2016: Your questions regarding the SEF documents required for the initial Temporary Resident Permit: Item 9.Document proving the applicant’s tax situation, where applicable [Note: This has nothing to do with the US IRS…it’s your NIF number if you have already received one] Item 10. Document proving that the applicant is registered with the Social Security [Note: This refers to the national health plan. You will provide your proof of health insurance and receipt of payment. Proof of insurance is a one page document with your name, dates effective and policy coverage] This information is detailed in full in the article on this site titled: "Obtaining Your Initial Temporary Residence Permit", dated July 2016.

AndCla

Hi, Doés anyone here have experience moving to Portugal as an American military retiree? (I don't want to bore everyone else with my questions!) Thank you!

madeleinemoira

Hi! We did IT! Thank you SUSAN! I just want to say if you follow the steps outlined here EXACTLY, its really quite straight forward. You do not need a lawyer. You probably don't even need a translator or translation fees. From the horror stories Ive heard, the key is starting off right - getting the visa abroad. Anyone who has specific questions, I am happy to answer, send me a PM. This was great. Now its time to begin applying for NHR status. Anyone have experience? Ate Ja!

Noknok

@Madelinemoira: I agree! Susan's article worked like a charm for us. Re NHR status, we finally did this too. Initially, we worked with an accountant to file with the IRS in Lisbon, but after months, it turned out that we were missing a checkmark on our form .. and went to the back of the line. After six more months of waiting with no word, we found you can do this online easily and quickly. 1) I assume you have your NIF. you will need an online password from portaldasfinances.com. Make the request and they should post it to you through regular mail within a few days. 2)once you have the password, at portaldasfinancas.com, go to "cidadãos" -> "consultar" -> "pedido" -> "Inscrição de Residente Não Habitual". They granted ours two days after making the online request.

missyeq

To "We did IT" - Parabens! Must feel great. I remember that moment when I got the residency card in the mail. But I must add for the benefit of others: Cuidado! The idea that your experience represents all possible experiences has been proven wrong by many immigrants to Portugal. Each application is individual because the system is unprofessional and the workers are unaccountable and arbitrary. Susan's guide is an excellent starting point but even she will warn that neither these guidelines nor even the official ones on the SEF site are absolute forecasts of what will really happen to an individual applicant. Again, congratulations and enjoy your new status- but try not to over-draw it, which can mislead others.

meufado

Does anyone here know what is the minimum required residence for the 5 years before applying for permanent residency. For example, could I spent 7-8 months in Portugal and 4 months summer in the states on the temporary resident permit? Will that qualify as uninterrupted residence for 5 year period?

craigandmicki

Susan Korthase answering meufado's question of Dec 2, 2016 about minimum stay requirements and permanent residency: According to the EU Immigration Portal [http://ec.europa.eu/immigration/tab1.do?subSec=30{]: You can NOT spend 4 months each year in the US and still apply for permanent residency at your 5th year anniversary because you can not exceed a total of 10 months outside of Portugal within that 5 year period . You can, however, spend time outside Portugal in any EU country, as they don't track travel within the EU. Also, you CAN live in the US for up to 5 months each year and 7 months in Portugal, keeping your Temporary Residence intact and simply keep applying for 2 year extensions / renewals rather than applying for permanent residency. Without permanent residency, you simply have to extend / renew your permit every 2 years and pay every two years rather than every 5 years. Splitting your time between PT and the US as you discussed is a great way to keep family and friends close yet have the pleasure of being in Portugal a good part of the year.

madeleinemoira

@missyeq I have a question regarding the NHR application. I followed your instructions to apply online. I understood I should submit some kind of statement but all it asked was for me to check a couple of boxes and submit? is that it? Will I be informed if it was accepted? Thanks so much!

Lu36

We are planning to start the paperwork to move to Portugal. We are going to live with my husband's pension but in the proof of financial means only his name will show on the statement. Will that be fine without my name?...We have a joint bank account but only has a normal balance for everyday use. I have a toddler that wont go to school for another 4 years but if I am not a resident can I enroll her in a private school?

guest

Does anyone have a good insurance recommendation? My first two quotes were very expensive even before raising the coverage to €30,000. Thanks!

guest

to Lu36's questions about documents supporting financial means: documentation that you will use for your application must include your name. Please note other comments, above, which indicate that the €50k min is loosening up. Your ability to show the legal minimum of about 12-15k might suffice. Ask your consul official.

Lu36

Is it true that the health care has decline a lot in Portugal. My husband has been reading about it and we are a little worry about that. Is private healthcare expensive?? Can u recomend the best company to have a policy with. Thx

savage44

One glaring issue the article doesn't mention and that we've run into is a demand for a guarantor!! We don't have one! Desperately searching!! If anyone can help, please email me at [email protected].

MindStorm

I had understood that a Type 1 Visa required demonstration of proven lifetime income of somewhere around $2000/mo (can't find that reference and don't remember exact amount right now). Your article seems to say that all we need is 50K EU in a savings account, but no proof of continued income. Am I reading that correctly, or did I miss something? (Saving account is easy, but we have zero income other than savings and investments...) Second question -- how new must the apostiles be? We are currently resident visa expats in Ecuador, and when we came here in 2013, the marriage certificate, criminal background, etc had to be no more than 90 days old. You don't state a duration, so is it possible we could use the same docs we generated back in 2013??

MindStorm

@savage44 Actually the article _does_ discuss the need for a guarantor. The article states: "If you fail to provide proof of sufficient financial means, you'll be required to have a guarantor in Portugal. A guarantor is a Portuguese citizen or permanent resident who will guarantee your accommodations and financial support for a year as well as your return transit to the US. As the guarantor's name, financial number and address are required and it carries legal risk, a guarantor is difficult to obtain."

heasley

We are an American family of four relocating to Portugal in June. I was really worried about the FBI background check so we went to a channeler that uses the computer scans this morning. Our appointment was at 11am and our completed FBI background check letters were emailed to us 1pm! I don't want to put a company name in comments but you can message me if you are looking for a quick channeler. Heather

terrig123

Heather I would like the name but I don't see a way to send you a pm. Thanks, Terri

craigandmicki

To Mindstorm's 12 Jan 2017 question about financial means...you don't need to prove or have INCOME, only that you can ACCESS sufficient money to sustain you. This can be in investments, 401(k), savings accounts, social security, pensions, just as the article states. For a couple of years, a 50,000 euro minimum was expressed; however, in the last year, the 50K is no longer stated in the regulations so we are deferring to the lower amount expressed in the article. Only the passport signature page needs notarization, nothing needs an apostille if you're working the process within the US. Refer back to the article, please, to see how recent each document must be.

brianscottpatterson

Susan - thank you for the breakdown and great information. I am beginning the process of compiling docs and will be applying for the Portuguese Visa within 2-3 weeks. I have a couple of questions and was wondering if you could answer (I knowingly risk repeating bits of previous questions - apologies in advance): 1. The San Francisco Consulate requests that you apply using the online form BEFORE sending your hard copy docs - does this mean you can print out a completed application once submitted online, or do you take this to mean that you should apply online, and then also apply using the downloadable form - also assuming that the correct form is still the Schengen Visa application? 2. Do you know the latest on income requirements and necessary documentation? The current wording on the website is: "Copy of document authorizing the transfer of private capitals (at least, $3,000 per person) to Portuguese banks, issued by the Portuguese central bank OR evidence of how the funds will be transferred to Portugal;" - In your view, are bank statements indicating liquidity and ability to access via ATM still sufficient, and what is the current amount being used as a minimum per person? Thank you very much in advance for any info you can provide.

craigandmicki

To Brianscottpatterson's post of 19 Jan 2017: Kudos to you in advance for braving the SF consul's annoying and unnecessary process! 1) The application--Yes, the form you're accessing online is the Schengen Application Form. You shouldn't have to print the online application but I encourage that you do so, printing it before you submit it, and include this hardcopy with your mailed documents. Just to be over-cautious. 2.) Financial Means: the latest official requirement equates to about 14,600 euros per year for the first person applying and 7,300 for each additional applicant. However, it appears that you are citing a new comment/requirement by the San Francisco's consul and its wording suggests that the SF office wants to know you can move $3k per person to a Portuguese bank. Were I you, I'd attach a note to bank statements that show there is at least $3k per person in the account(s) and state something like "We can transfer the required monies to a Portuguese bank immediately on obtaining our Permit and a Portuguese bank account. Until then, we have daily access to these monies while in Portugal". I suggest this because I have never known of a form or document that the US banks issue that proves it's transferrable. Please let me know what you learn on this matter.

brianscottpatterson

Hi Susan - thank you very much for your reply. I am going to come at this once more, and hope you can help. (I didn't mention, but I work in the wine business, so once I'm there, I can tip you in wine for your help, if you like!) In any case, here goes: 1. I find the Schengen application to have several questions that are either ambiguous, or do not seem to pertain to the visa pathway I am trying to take. Can you comment on the application, perhaps in a PM, or refer me to someone who is an expert in filling out the form correctly? 2. The authorization to check criminal records in Portugal, required by the SF Consulate, asks what visa you are applying for - is the correct answer "Residency/Type 1"? 3. I booked an Airbnb for 5 months in Lisbon as proof of residency. Should I go back and re-book for only 4 months so that the rental matches the visa length of 120 days? 4. SF Consul requires a reference. I have a very good Portuguese friend who would be mine. Do you know if there is a specific form she needs to fill out? Is there a specific form in Portugal for assigning power of attorney? Here is the verbiage from the SF Consulate site: "REFERENCE IN PORTUGAL, PREFERABLY THOSE WHO WOULD STAND AS GUARANTORS We only need one reference who can be your lawyer, power of attorney, landlord, Dean of Admissions etc. who are Nationals of the European Union or hold Permanent Residence in Portugal. Have them indicate their name, address, phone number and citizenship – include Copy of National ID or Residence." 5. Lastly, concerning travel arrangements, even though the intent is to remain in Portugal, does the consulate want you to have a round trip air ticket as proof of travel, so that they register your intent to depart if you do not get the visa, or is a one-way ticket to PT sufficient? Also, I have read in other forums that what they really want to see is a reservation for travel (6 weeks post application and within 90-days after that), but not an actual ticket. In today's automated world of internet ticketing, and travel sites, I wouldn't have the faintest idea on how to reserve a ticket, but not actually purchase. OK - that's it. For real! Help will be rewarded with delicious fermented grape juice upon successful arrival, if you wish! Thank you so much again in advance!

ricksiref

My wife and I currently live in San Diego, California and are planning to move to Lisbon to live around Oct-Nov of 2017. We have pension income that clearly meets the minimum requirements. According to your article a Schengen Visa application is required. I thought this was just for EU residents and not third countries - am I wrong about this? Also do I need to apply for the residence visa at the sam time? Also, we have planned a exploration trip of 10 days in June in order to determine what area of Lisbon we want to live in. We do have hotel reservations for that 10 day stay. I would like to make my application and go to the Portuguese consulate in San Francisco before our trip in June. According to your article, we will have to show the consulate where we will be staying. If we present them with the hotel reservations for the 10 day trip we are taking in June will that be sufficient? Any additional info would be welcomed. Your site is great BTW!!

jm27746

My husband and I are in Lisbon now trying to start the process and it has been completely unsuccessful. We just left our appointment to declare our entry at SEF and get our passport stamp and SEF said since we entered the Schengen on our previous visa(on December 30th, 2016) and never re-exited upon expiration(January 7th, 2017 our first Schengen 180 days ended), we have not officially entered on our new(2nd) Schengen visa(90 days). Therefore, we have to declare our entry and get our stamps on our April 20th appointment along with applying for the 2 extensions that only lasts until July 6th, 2017. They also said we might have to pay a penalty if we try and leave Portugal and we have no Schengen visa days anywhere else in the Schengen area at the moment because we came back into the EU on our first Schengen. We made the mistake of thinking since we had 10 days left on our 90 day 1st Schengen visa that we could come back into the country early and use up those days. Apparently we were mistaken and are hoping we can find some information to prove the opposite. Apparently we are only legally in Portugal right now because we have an appointment April 20th with SEF to apply for 2 tourist extensions. That being said, our Portuguese consulate is in DC and we are planning on coming home March 15th to start the process of applying for residency. Does anyone see our unresolved issues in Portugal being an issue for applying for residency? We are independent workers as web developers. We do not have enough money for the golden visa but have more than enough to prove sufficient funds during our stay. Once granted a residence permit/card for the first year. How many months out of the year do you have to be present in Portugal? I have heard 10 months total within the 6 years and then I've heard you only have to be in Portugal 6 months out of the year. Any help would be extremely appreciated. If anyone has applied through the DC embassy and would love to share the process please contact me asap :) Best, Julia

jm27746

My husband and I are in Lisbon now trying to start the process and it has been completely unsuccessful. We just left our appointment to declare our entry at SEF and get our passport stamp and SEF said since we entered the Schengen on our previous visa(on December 30th, 2016) and never re-exited upon expiration(January 7th, 2017 our first Schengen 180 days ended), we have not officially entered on our new(2nd) Schengen visa(90 days). Therefore, we have to declare our entry and get our stamps on our April 20th appointment along with applying for the 2 extensions that only lasts until July 6th, 2017. They also said we might have to pay a penalty if we try and leave Portugal and we have no Schengen visa days anywhere else in the Schengen area at the moment because we came back into the EU on our first Schengen. We made the mistake of thinking since we had 10 days left on our 90 day 1st Schengen visa that we could come back into the country early and use up those days. Apparently we were mistaken and are hoping we can find some information to prove the opposite. Apparently we are only legally in Portugal right now because we have an appointment April 20th with SEF to apply for 2 tourist extensions. That being said, our Portuguese consulate is in DC and we are planning on coming home March 15th to start the process of applying for residency. Does anyone see our unresolved issues in Portugal being an issue for applying for residency? We are independent workers as web developers. We do not have enough money for the golden visa but have more than enough to prove sufficient funds during our stay. Once granted a residence permit/card for the first year. How many months out of the year do you have to be present in Portugal? I have heard 10 months total within the 6 years and then I've heard you only have to be in Portugal 6 months out of the year. Any help would be extremely appreciated. If anyone has applied through the DC embassy and would love to share the process please contact me asap :) Best, Julia

brianscottpatterson

Quick follow up: I just completed the process of obtaining my residency visa in Portugal. It was issued on February 9th, 2017. I submitted my "dossier" on February 1st. Had my passport in hand, with visa, on February 13th. I did everything through the San Francisco consulate. The process was fairly straightforward, provided you check every box on the consulate's document request list. The visa officer in SF is very helpful and responsive. I expedited the process by sending both payments (processing and visa) ahead, and sending my passport in advance with an SASE. I used an expediter for my FBI background check - took 48 hours to get my report. I have a very close friend in Portugal who was willing to stand as my guarantor and reference. Otherwise, my only other recommendation would be to send more financial documentation than what they ask for (if you are going on income status) - make it 110% obvious what your financial status is. If you have any specific questions about my experience, you can PM me, but I can only speak to San Francisco. Now on to traveling to Portugal and getting my actual permit...

jm27746

My husband and I want to keep traveling nomadically through Europe while we are obtaining residency in Portugal. Does anyone know once you have the first year temporary residence permit, and the following 5 years towards citizenship, how many days out of the year we need to be physically present in Portugal?

Mikeywaz

Susan and others who have contributed: I have been researching these questions for months and this is the BEST information I have seen in one place. I'm sure I'll have more questions to come, but THANK YOU for this informative post!

guest

Hi Susan, Thank you for the interesting information. As a US citizen, legal resident of France (with 10 year residency card), would I need a shengen visa? My husband is French but would stay in France for his job for another couple of years and come on weekends and holidays. I would first move alone to Portugal, scout around for a place to buy and then wait for him to retire and join me. My son, a Franco- US citizen married with a portuguese citizen already lives there. Any recommendations on how to proceed?

Maia33

hello I have gotten a visa from the us and have to apply for temporary residency by June 2017- my question is after arriving in Portugal and getting a date for the SEC would I have to stay in Portugal until that date should it be months away- I have many things to attend to in the US including taking care of 2cats- So I need to find out if it is a requirement to stay in Portugal until the SEC appointment- I cannot find this information anywhere- Thank you

back2eu

I am interested in moving to and retiring in Portugal in the future so I appreciated the article. Question to anyone. I went on the website of SEF however they do not say that retirement w/o work is an acceptable reason for a long term residence visa. Have they changed the law? Can anyone point me to an official statement saying the contrary? Thanks in advance.

craigandmicki

To the question from "guest' posted Mar 22, 2017 13:15: Because you've been in France so long (5+ years), you have what is called EU-Long Term Residency. This is a directive for all EU states to respect the residency permits of fellow member states and to improve mobility within the EU. On your French permit, you can come to Portugal for as long as you wish. You can enter and leave as often as you wish. You can buy or rent property here. You can find more about this by researching the EU Long Term Residency program. Congrats to you!

craigandmicki

To back2eu's question about 'retirement' visas and permits: There is no 'retirement visa;' that's a colloquialism. A person moving to Portugal as a 'retiree' is applying for the Type 2/ Type D visa. You simply follow the steps outlined in this article.

john98103

Have recently read that a long-term stay in a hotel or airbnb will no be accepted - only a rented or purchased apartment. Is that correct?

craigandmicki

Updates to this article that reflect critical changes is soon to be posted. Updates include the new regulations with the San Francisco consulate regarding the accommodations contract and financial guarantor, and the changes by Financias requiring a guarantor for all NIF applications.

craigandmicki

To JOHN98103'S question of Jul 30, 2017 about accommodations proof: It is the San Fran Consul that simply demands that any rental contract be for more than three months and that it is registered by the landlord with Financias. They have also been turning down hotel and Airbnb contracts as they are too easily canceled. This may spread to other Consuls but SF is always more complex.

craigandmicki

Recently, consulates in California and Boston have been asking applicants for the names of persons they know in Portugal and calling those persons . This seems to be happening regardless of the applicant meeting all requirements. Many of us don't have friends in Portugal but using the person who is to be our landlord has worked.

craigandmicki

The trend of requiring your Proof of Accommodations to have been registered with the Financias (Finances) department in Portugal is growing....so be prepared to request that your landlord has submitted your rental contract to Financias. This is proven by a stamp affixed to the contract. This is being requested to force landlords to pay taxes on their rental income.

allforepar

Has anyone used the proof of accommodations option of staying with a friend at the SF consulate recently? Is there an actual "Term of Responsibility Form" that needs to be filled out, or is it just a letter? I spoke with an attorney and they called it a "Contrato Comodato". That seems like a much easier option than signing a 6 mos lease sight unseen.

craigandmicki

Another New Twist! While you won't see this listed on any of the Portuguese Consulate websites about applying for your Visa, a recent trend is to request names and contact information of persons you know in Portugal. This can be as simple as the name and email of your landlord, anyone you've "met" through social media....and yes, the inspectors in Portugal will reach the contact to confirm they know you. You might want to add a piece of paper to your application and documents that says "Contacts in Portugal: This person knows us (name) (email or phone)".

craigandmicki

Terms of Responsibility Letter: If your accommodations are with a friend or relative, your Proof of Accommodations is achieved by having the friend/relative complete this form and emailing it to you to include in your application package: http://www.sef.pt/documentos/57/TERMODERESPONSABILIDADEFronteiras.pdf

jetranger206

Hello all, Am new here. I'm way ahead of my process by asking these questions, but the answers will serve to help me get organized. First: Are the Portuguese authorities requiring the FBI Background report to have an Apostile? Second: Under the heading for Health Ins. it says this: "If you don't currently have insurance with these features, look into a travel insurance plan or an annual plan that covers you in Portugal. Many sources provide travel insurance policies to support Schengen Visa applicants. Once you arrive in Portugal, you will find several options for a low-cost, high-quality medical insurance plan with networks covering where you live. " The question is - does that mean once I'm approved and living in Portugal I can cancel the first insurance plan and get one offered in Portugal? Thank you much!

jetranger206

Hello all, Am new here. I'm way ahead of my process by asking these questions, but the answers will serve to help me get organized. First: Are the Portuguese authorities requiring the FBI Background report to have an Apostile? Second: Under the heading for Health Ins. it says this: "If you don't currently have insurance with these features, look into a travel insurance plan or an annual plan that covers you in Portugal. Many sources provide travel insurance policies to support Schengen Visa applicants. Once you arrive in Portugal, you will find several options for a low-cost, high-quality medical insurance plan with networks covering where you live. " The question is - does that mean once I'm approved and living in Portugal I can cancel the first insurance plan and get one offered in Portugal? Thank you much!

craigandmicki

To Jetranger206: 1. You don't usually need an apostile on your FBI report, yet a number of people using the San Francisco consul have recently been asked to get that. It is done by the US Department of State, I checked with the FBI, who explained: "The FBI does apply the authenticity stamp and official signature to every request that is processed. It then needs to be sent to the Department of State (DOS) in Washington DC, if you require it to be apostilized. You can obtain instructions on that process by contacting the DOS at 202-485-8000 or by going to www.state.gov" 2. Health insurance: Yes, whatever policy you use for your initial Visa can be canceled when replaced by a policy you purchase in Portugal. A Schengen Travel Policy addresses all requirements for your Visa application. You'll see advertisements from insurance providers at the Schengen Visa site as well as here, at Expat Exchange. : Are the Portuguese authorities requiring the FBI Background report to have an Apostile? Second: Under the heading for Health Ins. it says this: "If you don't currently have insurance with these features, look into a travel insurance plan or an annual plan that covers you in Portugal. Many sources provide travel insurance policies to support Schengen Visa applicants. Once you arrive in Portugal, you will find several options for a low-cost, high-quality medical insurance plan with networks covering where you live. " The question is - does that mean once I'm approved and living in Portugal I can cancel the first insurance plan and get one offered in Portugal? Thank you much!

dancebert

The law about how long one may be absent from Portugal changed in 2017. They'll cancel your temporary residence permit if you're absent "six consecutive months or eight months interpolated, within the total period of validity of the authorization." Something to consider is found in the substantial notes for the law. SEF states "These long absences indicate that the holder of the authorization no longer resides in the country, maintaining for reasons of convenience the title of resident, for the facilities that he gives him, namely for entry and movement within the European Union" How would they know? You don't go through immigration when crossing EU borders, They can track those with biometric passports, You could walk by readers and never know it. https://sites.google.com/site/leximigratoria/artigo-85-o-cancelamento-da-autorizacao-de-residencia

craigandmicki

To 'dancebert's' comment about tracking absences from Portugal....are you asking a question or answering your question by saying that biometric readers track the passport holder?

craigandmicki

Great news....persons over age 70 will be able to get private health insurance coverage as of August 2018 thru the broker Medal,. Coverage is from Allianz.

dancebert

>To 'dancebert's' comment about tracking absences from Portugal....are you asking a question or answering your question by saying that biometric readers track the passport holder? I used a rhetorical question. The one I expect most readers would be asking themselves after reading the preceding quote. about living in Portugal mainly for access to the EU. Then I answered the question. I said readers could track a passport. Actually, readers can collect data from nearby passports, You can do it with an Android app. Whomever installed the readers could then track the passport.

nikkimsiebel

Hi. Could you provide someone who could be my financial guarantor? Neither my current attorney not my real estate agent is willing to sign up for the job.

craigandmicki

To nikkimsiebel: Sorry that I'm seeing your question MONTHS after you posted it. Yes, if you still need a guarantor, there are several resources to recommend. Please send me a private message at 'craigandmicki' withe reasons why you need the guarantor, such as applying thru San Fran or insufficient financial means, and I can direct you to a resource. If I'm too late to help you, please accept my apologies.

pipefitter208

hi just have a short question where do you locate a channeler and can they help you with the complete process of moving to portugal

craigandmicki

To 'pipefitter's' question about a channeler: You no longer need a channeler to assist with your FBI Background Check/Identity Report. The FBI's technology issues have been resolved so they respond in a very timely manner. The channelers never assisted with the entire process but there are firms that can. Before I recommend a resource I'd like to encourage you to pursue the process on your own as it teaches you vital skills you'll need in assimilating to Portugal. And it's easy. But if you seek help, please do not fall prey to the many firms that are pursuing American clients and charging extortionist rates. I would recommend you reach Sonia Ribiero of Expat Solutions (https://www.facebook.com/Expat.Solutions.by.Sonia/) for quality service at the best rates.

pipefitter208

susan thanks for your help one more question the schengen visa do you apply for that at your consulate thank pipefitter

craigandmicki

To "pipefitter", question about where to apply for the Schengen visa...Yes, you will apply at the Portuguese consulate that represents your state. The list of consulates is at the end of the article. If you are applying to the San Fran consulate, let me know because there are changes that are reflected in the 2019 version of this article but not showing here yet.

pipefitter208

hi hve aquestion about health insurance will a healthy 73 year old male be able to find an insurance carrier that will sell him health insurance ? any advice would be greatly appreciated thanks Fred

craigandmicki

To 'pipefitter/Fred' comment: No. You can not get full health insurance coverage in Portugal after the age of 70. A plan is being developed by Allianz but is not yet on the market. You can obtain partial coverage, buying a policy through your bank in Portugal, after age 70. You should check with international brokers (just google "international health insurance brokers"), then reach a few to see what they can do for you. You must have a Schengen Area qualifying policy to apply for your visa to Portugal. (The brokers and insurers know what Schengen entails)

corvopreto

Thank you so much! This was super helpful to me in my process. I would add that at least at the Viana do Castelo office, if you don't make your appointment for your residence permit within three days of arriving in Portugal, you will be charged an additional 30 euros. My lawyer was surprised and a bit miffed as she had never encountered that in Porto or Lisbon.

Aleo

I am trying to apply for the residence visa in SF consulate, but all important links on their website are broken. The main link I cannot to find is the online application, which I have to submit even before I schedule an appointment (as I understand I must include the application submission confirmation number into my appointment scheduling form.) I found the application form at https://www.vistos.mne.pt/en/visa-application/apply-for-a-visa, but it seems to be only for short-stay Schengen visas - it has no mention of temporary/residence visa type and it does not allow to enter stay time more than 90 days.. Has anyone gone through this process in SF consulate recently? Any hints?

craigandmicki

To "ALEO's" question on 3 Feb 2019: The SF online application is unique; it is only on their website. It appears as a series of screens with data fields you can only fill out online. You must wait until the system is up again. You can email the consulate and advise them the application isn't accessible, ask them to let you know when it is. They are trying to be more responsive and additional staff might mean you'll get personal help relatively quickly.

Aleo

Thank you, craigandmicki. Actually, the consulate replied to my email within a day and explained many things that are not clear on their web site (for example, that if both my wife and I want to relocate, only one of us needs to apply and the other one will need to use the family reunification path). They also confirmed that I need to show a rental agreement for at least 6 months, which means that I have to fly to Portugal and find a long term rental... Three questions for this forum: 1. I don't know anyone in Portugal and it looks like I'll need a local reference twice - to be listed on my visa application, and to go with me to a local Financas to get my NIF (which I'll need to rent a flat). Any advice where I can find someone who would be willing to do it? Of course I can hire a lawyer, but I don't want to pay hundreds or thousands of euros for such a trivial purpose. 2. I can't read Portuguese except for very basic sentences, and I assume all rental contracts will be in Portuguese. As I understand that the real estate agents are not on my side, so I cannot rely on them to explain all the contract details. Is there a concept of a rental broker - i.e. someone local who knows the rental process/rules/market and can help me to ask the right questions and sign a contract that I would not regret later? It sounds like an hour of work for such person or so... 3. Regarding NHR... I am a little confused by the statement that I will be considered a tax resident after 183 days. I am planning the following timing: * May - obtain a NIF and sign a rental contract from September/October to March, and go back to the US. * by September - hopefully get a visa and move to Portugal * November/December (or however long it takes): get the temporary resident status from SEF Then I'll need to apply to NHR, but should I apply before March 2020 (for the year 2019?) Or should I wait one more year and apply for 2020? I would only be a resident for a very short time in 2019... Also I am not sure if me getting a NIF earlier that year has any impact of me becoing a tax resident. Any thoughts? Thank you very much!

SFLisboa

Hello! We are SF residents and wondering if it makes sense for us to apply for a temporary resident visa. Do you happen to know if having about $25000 cash in a US bank that is accessible to us in Portugal would be enough to prove financial capacity for a temporary residency visa? This amount would be aside from our retirement accounts that we won't be able to access yet. (we are in our late 30s). Thank you!

aarredon23

My husband and I are US Citizens, currently living in Italy. We are preparing the documentation for the Portuguese Visa, to move there in September. The Portuguese Embassy in Rome sent us the list of requirements, and there is one that I can't figure out how to get. They need a: Request for criminal record by the Immigration and Border Services (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras, SEF); Does anyone know how we can get this? They also need a Criminal record certificate from the country of origin, which I already know how to get, but the one from SEF is not so clear. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

ivyanello

We am hoping for some guidance for preparing to retire in the Lisbon area. My wife has dual citizenship with the UK and US. I am a US citizen. We are not sure if visas are required or what the process would be for our plan to relocate in July/Aug 2020 time frame. Will my wife be able to establish residence with her UK passport after Brexit date of 31/1/2020 with me being able to accompany her as a family member? Do we need to get any visas from the Portuguese consulate in the US before we leave? I have not seen any other posts similar to our unique situation and any advice would be greatly appreciated. My wife has lived in the US for the past 40 years, but she has a current UK/EU passport.

guest

Under the section: STEP 1: Visa Application at the Portuguese Consulate / VFS Global Office I am trying to understand what this means: "For example, the San Francisco VFS office offers a mail-in service to get the visa stamp in your passport and will mail your passport to you if decided to come to Portugal before getting your visa approval." How could anyone "come to Portugal"... before getting your visa approval" if the SF office "will mail your passport to you..." How is one able to travel to/ enter Portugal without the passport?

guest

> before getting your visa approval " if the SF office "will mail your passport to you..." How is one able to travel to/ enter Portugal without the passport? Prior to COVID travel restrictions, someone with an American passport could enter Portugal (or any other Schengen Zone country) without a visa. Then some who'd applied for a visa would mail their passport to the Consulate where they applied.

FourWindz

Wow, we are half way through the process (June 2021, D7 and D6) and this is the most accurate and by far the most helpful description I've found, great research. We gave up (and we speak Portuguese) and hired an immigration lawyer who is fantastic and very reasonably priced.

tim2iron

This article is so helpful. My wife and I are planning to move to Portugal late this year and since I have learned so much from this page, I thought I contribute a few pieces of information I've learned. First, I've been in contact with our consulate in Newark, NJ and they tell me that (if you are renting a residence), that a lease for one year is required to be submitted. Second, the article does say you need and NIF, though I've read in other places that you could acquire your NIF during the 'residency permit' phase, The consulate, however, does confirm that it needs to be submitted with your paperwork. I'll pass along anything else I find out as we go through the process.

irriexpert

hello, this article really helped me a lot and i already obtained my Temporary residence permit based on D7 route. Now moving forward, as a requirement for permanent residence application, SEF asking for 'Supporting evidence of compliance of tax obligations and to social security', what is this? is this applicable for D7 residence holders? how to get this? please can you guide so that i can keep up this and at the time of PR application, i will be ready with this if applicable to me. Thank you so much