Getting set up in 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.

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).

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.