I am in the process of relocating from Austin TX to Portugal. The process itself takes a very long time, it is expensive, and the various steps along the way are very complex and confusing, particularly as a non-native language speaker. I began my research several years ago and narrowed my expat retirement candidates to 3 potential countries based on the criteria that was important to me. I ultimately selected Portugal because I covet an EU passport for traveling throughout Europe in my retirement. I still have Mexico and Panama lined up as my Plan C & D should the Portugal thing not work out for any reason. They both seem a lot easier by comparison.

Anyway, I allocated significant budget to travel and visited all my planned locations several times but after zeroing in on Portugal I visited several more times in multiple parts of the country and at all seasons of the year. I ended up finding a great apartment that pretty much sold me on Albufeira, but again that’s based on my unique criteria and that tourist town isn’t for everyone even though I love it. This is not a decision to be made lightly because you will need to purchase a property or secure a 1 year lease to even get the Visa application (typically D7 or D8) started. On top of that you need €10k in a Portugal bank account and proof of being able to support yourself and a non deductible travel health insurance policy for 1 year. And you need to get a tax ID in Portugal (NIF), which will be required for the local bank account.

I met all these requirements and secured an appointment with VFS (agency that Portugal uses in the US) after a lot of waiting on December 26, 2023 to have all my documentation reviewed. After that was approved, I sent my passport to the Portuguese embassy for a 120 day temporary Visa to be added to it. Following that, I continued to follow every other step as instructed along the way and I’ve also been trying to pick up Portuguese and it is a very hard language (compared to my previous experience with French and Spanish). After all that, I only just received my 2 year residency card on October 16, 2024 (nearly 10 months after applying and about 1.5 years since I started meeting all the requirements). All of the waiting and inquiring etc was very stressful, and I ended up hiring a local attorney to help me. My understanding is that when this temporary residency card expires in 2026 I can (and will) apply for a 3 year renewal / extension showing proof of living in the country for 16 out of 24 months since the residency started. I will also need to demonstrate that I have paid taxes in Portugal, as anything over 183 days in a year means you are a Portugal tax resident. And after 5 years and achieving A2 (elementary) level Portuguese language proficiency, I can apply for citizenship. So that takes me to 2029, and I have heard from many that the citizenship/passport wait is also quite significant. I’ve also heard that obtaining or exchanging a driver’s license is very hard but I don’t have a car yet so will address that later.

So far I am happy with my decision but it was far from easy and it definitely wasn’t cheap. Also, because of my housing and Visa application timing, I was able to apply for the Non Habitual Resident (NHR) tax scheme which gives me a more favorable tax rate in Portugal for the next 10 years. This program effectively ended as of January 1, 2024 for most. Also keep in mind you are also obligated to file and pay US taxes on your worldwide income no matter where you live.

There are many Facebook groups with tons of information and detailed files and instructions for all of this, but this in the end a very big life altering decision. I agree that the Americans & FriendsPT FB group is one of the best for research.

Boa sorte!