All you need to know about Moving to Portugal
Whether you are buying property in Portugal for holidays, rental returns, or somewhere to live permanently, you are likely to have a number of payments that need to be made between countries to help you set up in Portugal, as well as ongoing payments.
For example, you may need to pay for property management or maintenance, utility bills, mortgage payments, or receive an overseas salary or pension payment. Speak to a currency specialist who can guide you on the best ways to make these international currency transfers and the best available rate, as well as helping you with specialist tools to protect your exchange rates for planned payments in the future.
Find out why a currency specialist is important to your Portugal property purchase, even after you’ve bought it.
Residency
Due to the EU’s Freedom of Movement pact, if you are planning to move to Portugal as an EU citizen, there is no need to apply for a specific visa. Providing you can provide proof that you can support yourself financially, and not be a burden on Portugal’s welfare state, then deciding to live in Portugal should not be an issue.
However, in order to live in the country and enjoy the same benefits as any other Portugal resident – including those pertaining to healthcare, employment and your child’s education – you will need to be in possession of a Certificado de Empadronamiento. This is a resident’s card, which you will be given when you register with your community’s padrón (city roll). This can be done at your local town hall. To register to become a resident you will often need ID – such as an EU passport and proof of your new address.
You should register as a resident within three months of arriving in the country. The current uncertainty over the UK’s future relationship with the EU means it is currently unknown exactly how residence requirements will change for Brits looking to move to Portugal post-Brexit – or indeed for those expats already living there.
Whether UK nationals will be subjected to the non-EU rules, or whether freedom of movement pact will be included as part of the exit negotiations, is as yet unknown. It’s worth remembering that Portugal does offer a Golden Visa scheme, which offers residency to non-EU nationals who purchase a home for more than 500,000 Euros.
Currently, non-EU residents who are planning to live and work in Portugal will need to qualify for an EU Blue Card. To qualify for this, you will need to have higher professional qualifications, such as a university degree, and an employment contract or a binding job offer which offers a salary higher than that of the average for the same position.
If you are a spouse or partner of a Spanish citizen, then you will be required to prove you have ‘reasonable prospects’ of staying permanently in that country. In other words, the onus is on you to prove that your relationship is genuine.
Removals
Whether you’re moving to Portugal in search of a sunnier climate, or you’ve made a career move, it is essential that you send your belongings safely and securely onto your new destination. Having a reliable international removal firm on board is one way to avoid any mishaps along the way. Give yourself plenty of time to research companies that offer the service you require and gather quotes. Whilst many may offer a similar service, or indeed cheaper quotes, it’s worth doing your research. International removal companies are governed by an array of official bodies, which make their service adhere to strict rules and regulations.
You should always lookout for the following accreditations before making your final decision:
- FAIM Accreditation, the only independent Quality Assurance standard for the International Moving Industry.
- Membership of the FIDI Global Alliance, which sets a quality benchmark for its members.
- Membership of the British Association of Removers Overseas Group. BAR Overseas is covered by the IMMI Advance payment guarantee scheme for your financial protection.
Choosing the right removals company can take some of the steam (and stress) out of the move. Once you have decided which company is going to take care of your move they should take you through each step of the process. If you have moved house before, then much will be familiar – you will be working towards a date, deciding whether to have someone pack for you, or whether you will be doing it all yourself. Removal Companies will assign you a move coordinator, who will advise you on the process and dates and timings. As the moving date moves closer, you’ll be kept informed of what’s happening and when. If you’ve decided to pack your own belongings, you’ll be given professional boxes, material and cartons in which to do this. Remember to give yourself plenty of time to pack up. It’s easy to underestimate what you’ve got to do. If professional packers are completing the process, you’ll be given a moving date and they will arrive and make sure everything is safely packed away. They’ll give you an inventory of what has gone onto the lorry.
Providing you are an EU member, you will need the following documents to move your belongings to Portugal:
- Passport
- Certificate of residency confirming they have been working and living for more than 12 months in the current country of origin.
- European Certificate or NIE number.
- Removal inventory in Spanish
- Valuation form for Shipment Protection Cover
- Purchase receipts (only applicable if you are importing any newly purchased goods)
Please note, this could change as the ongoing Brexit talks take shape. Check with your international removals firm for exactly what you need to provide. When shipping your personal belongings to Portugal, the transit time between removal in the UK and arrival at your new home will be approximately three to seven days for dedicated loads and one to three weeks for part load shipments
Healthcare
In Portugal, most basic healthcare is provided for free – or at least at low-cost – throughout the country for all residents, providing they are contributing towards the social security system. This usually means that you will need to work for a company or be registered as self-employed. If you are self-employed, you can apply for your social security number at your local Social Security Treasury Office (Tesorería de la Seguridad Social). If you are working for a company, then your employer should sort this out for you. Once you have a social security number, you will need to visit your local medical centre to obtain a medical card. You will then be assigned to a particular GP and that will be the person you see from that point on.
Residents from some EU countries who are over 60 years of age may be able to get their country’s health system to cover them for any treatment providing they are in possession of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC); formerly known as E111 health insurance. The EHIC can also be used to cover any EU residents for emergencies that may occur in the time between arriving to live in Porutgal and receiving the medical card – although it should not be used as full-time cover! It’s worth noting, that even if you don’t have a social security number and are younger than 60 years of age, then you will still be entitled to free emergency care in any public hospital, providing you have a Certificado de Empadronamiento – this is a resident’s card which you will be given when you register with your community’s padrón (city roll). While those who are eligible to take advantage of Porutgal’s public health system will receive most healthcare free, there will still be costs (albeit subsidised) for things such as prescription medicines, dental care and eye care.
It is worth noting that healthcare standards do vary depending on where you live and some rural areas – especially those that are inland – provide only very basic medical facilities. If you are not entitled to free public healthcare in Porutgal, which could potentially be the case for British residents post-Brexit, then you will need to look into taking out private healthcare. There are a number of providers throughout the country. Many expats – whether they qualify for free healthcare or not – do choose to take out at least some form of private healthcare. There are a number of reasons for this, such as to avoid the often lengthy waiting times for non-emergency treatment that exist through the public healthcare system and to ensure they will be treated by an English-speaking doctor (this will not necessarily be the case in the public system).
Education
While many children in Portugal attend pre-schools from the age of three, children don’t actually start compulsory education at primary school (Educación Primaria) until the September of the calendar year in which they are six years old. Some children may be allowed to start primary school before this, but that will often be down to the discretion of the Government in the region that you live.
In Porutgal, education is overseen by the regional governments, although the system is similar throughout the country. Primary school lasts for six years – typically between the ages of 6 and 12 – after which children move on to Compulsory Secondary Education (Educación Secundaria Obligatoria – commonly referred to simply as ESO).
ESO lasts for four years (12 to 16). At the end of the fourth year, children will take exams in an attempt to earn their Graduado de Educación Secundaria (Secondary Education Graduate certificate) at which point they can then choose to leave school. Most Spanish families choose to send their children to free state schools. However, the standards of state schools vary dramatically.
Generally, if your child is of primary school age, they will simply attend the school closest to where you live, although there is a little more choice at secondary school level where you will be able to apply to any schools located within a certain geographic zone. Halo Handy Hints It is essential to note that the teaching language used in all state schools will be Castilian Spanish, alongside any co-official languages that may be used in the particular region in which you live (for example, Catalan, Basque, Galician, or Mallorquin).
Therefore, if your child struggles with the Spanish language, they will find school hard going at first; you should also not assume that their teacher will speak any English, especially if you are not moving to a popular expat spot. There are other options aside from state schools, including international schools (which will teach in English) and private schools (which are sometimes bilingual). It will cost parents money to send their children to either of these types of institutions, but international schools will almost certainly be more affordable than their private equivalents. There are also faith-based schools while home schooling is another option.
Last minute checklist
No doubt you will have remembered to have handed in your notice at work, book your one-way flights and other such essentials. However, there are a host of other tasks that can easily be forgotten about in the excitement of emigration. It’s an obvious point, but it’s worth checking your passport is in date; this will save any unwelcome surprises at the airport. On the subject of important documents, make sure you also keep all relevant paperwork in one place and in a clear order so it can be easily accessed. These documents include:
- all correspondence with immigration departments
- your medical records
- school reports
- references from employers
- anything else you think you may be asked for. Make sure all bank accounts and similar services that you will no longer need have been closed and cancel any direct debits.
Finally, and it may sound obvious, but take time to say goodbye to all friends and family that you may be leaving behind. The stress of moving to a new country and sorting out all that needs to be done could mean that you run out of time to say proper farewells.
Need more help?
Since 2005, Halo Financial have helped thousands of customers to take control of their currency when emigrating, so we understand the process that you’re going through. Get in touch to see how our team of experts can help you.
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