Moving to Portugal as an American or a Briton, step by step
A blog of sourced, dated articles on visas, housing, banking, healthcare and taxes, written for U.S. and UK citizens. When reading is not enough, the Portugal Navigator turns them into your own plan.
Moving to Portugal as a British Citizen After Brexit
One date, 1 January 2021, splits Britons in Portugal into two groups. What each group needs, from the UK and Portuguese government pages.
Americans and Britons can stay in Portugal 90 days in any 180 without a visa. How the days are counted, what the new EU border system records and what happens after 90.
Residents register at a health center and get a user number. What the Portuguese and British government pages say about documents, fees, S1 and cover for visitors.
The NIF is the nine-digit number that banks, landlords and employers ask for. Where to request it, what to bring, when a fiscal representative is required.
There is no separate retirement law, only the general residence visa with its own proof of income. What the ministry lists, how pensions and investments are proved, and what follows.
Featured
View all
Browse by topic
All topics
Your whole move to Portugal with the Portugal Navigator
Months of scattered forums, replaced by one app that knows where you are today and tells you what to do next.
- Every step ordered, sourced and dated: no more guessing
- Adapts to your situation, family, region and timeline
- Trackers, templates and a document vault in one place
Written by people who do this for a living
The two co-founders and the writers they work with each sign their own articles, from the visa file to the tax return to the school form.
-
Co-founder, immigration and relocation
-
Co-founder, legal, tax and cross-border finance
-
Writer, healthcare, education and daily life
-
Writer, banking, housing, work and driving
-
Writer, administration, citizenship and integration
-
Writer, work, business and driving
How an article is made
Official pages, cited inline
Every rule, fee and deadline links to the ministry, consulate or agency page it comes from, and each article lists the pages it was checked against.
Three dates on every article
When it was published, when it was last updated, and the last day someone re-read every source behind it.
Both sides when pages disagree
When two official pages say different things, the article shows both with their dates and tells you which one to plan on.
Latest
View all
Moving to Portugal as a British Citizen After Brexit
One date, 1 January 2021, splits Britons in Portugal into two groups. What each group needs, from the UK and Portuguese government pages.
The 90/180 Rule for Americans and Britons in Portugal
Americans and Britons can stay in Portugal 90 days in any 180 without a visa. How the days are counted, what the new EU border system records and what happens after 90.
Healthcare Access in Portugal for Newcomers
Residents register at a health center and get a user number. What the Portuguese and British government pages say about documents, fees, S1 and cover for visitors.
How to Get a Portuguese NIF as an American or Briton
The NIF is the nine-digit number that banks, landlords and employers ask for. Where to request it, what to bring, when a fiscal representative is required.
Portugal Residence Visa for Retirees and Passive Income
There is no separate retirement law, only the general residence visa with its own proof of income. What the ministry lists, how pensions and investments are proved, and what follows.
Portugal's Remote Work Visa for Americans and Britons
Two versions exist, one for stays under a year and one for residence. What the law says, which documents the ministry lists and how the income test is worded.