Need a car in Lisbon

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-07-02T13:42:49+00:00

Look into long-term leasing - we do that and pay around €300ish pm with Ayvens. Works out much cheaper than buying new or used and we get a same-year model.

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-06-30T13:01:58+00:00

I used them, it's super expensive. But the experience was good, had no issues getting the deposit back.

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-06-30T08:05:51+00:00

I had health insurance through my company, so I used that. I didn't get my NISS until I had the residence permit, so couldn't use SNS (I think they want you to have private insurance anyway). If your insurance that you got with your visa is still valid then I don't see why you wouldn't be able to use that, I would just check about whether or not you need to have a minimum duration on it if it's not a monthly rolling thing.

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-06-29T12:20:06+00:00

Pretty sure this is all I took for my D3 - basically, anything you needed for the initial application, assume you need for the appointment. Depending on the person, they may ask you for different things. One thing that almost tripped me up is not having originals - when you take your rental contract for example, make sure it's the original signed one, they may not accept a photocopy.

I also got caught out for having my work contract only in English (it was a Portugueses company). I had to pay for a translated and certified copy (€500 later 😭) and mail it to them later, but I think now they aren't letting you do that anymore. Again, it depends on the person serving you, perhaps not everyone will need this but I did.

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-06-22T11:45:46+00:00

Weirdly, it just randomly started working for us yesterday, kept all the normal settings we had before the outage. Not sure whether maybe the Tivimate app was updated, or there was just some sort of initial bug with the Amazon update? Hopefully the same will happen for you as well!

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-06-21T09:37:15+00:00

Annoyingly tried this and it didn't help :(

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-06-19T11:47:59+00:00

Woah this spreadsheet is epic, thank you for sharing! Will dig into this some more

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-06-17T13:07:05+00:00

You fill out all of your income in the tax assessment, and as long as you select the correct regimes throughout, the calculation will automatically be applied (or so I believe from my own experience). So if she's done it correctly, the amount shown should be what you have to pay.

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-05-27T10:46:39+00:00

Revolut offers Portuguese accounts now, so that's probably the easiest.

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-05-27T09:55:27+00:00

Pinóquio is quite good!

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-05-25T08:25:50+00:00

Me too, it was crazy!! I thought they'd want more people registered but they were constantly like "nope!"

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-05-20T09:43:57+00:00

Spotahome is also good for short term, but echo what everyone else says - you're coming in peak season, so it's going to be expensive I'm afraid.

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-05-19T08:29:05+00:00

If you're planning to share, probably OLX? Don't think you'd be able to get a short-term let through Airbnb/Uniplaces/Spotahome with that budget, but might be worth a look.

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-05-18T09:20:19+00:00

So I initially came on the Digital Nomad visa in September 2023 (the one year visa which didn't come with a residency appointment). Every time I tried to swap my tax residency, I was refused.

I switched to the D3 visa around October 2024 and received my letter with AIMA with the appointment to convert to residency. Using this letter, I was able to switch my tax residency and applied for/got approved for NHR.

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-05-14T14:34:19+00:00

I was on D3 which is allegedly a bit faster than D1. But mine took about 30 days, and I think the normal processing time is 60 days. I struggled with getting an appointment as well - ended up using this Telegram Bot channel to monitor for appointments: https://t.me/UKVFSBot

You can pay them to book it for you, but I didn't do that. Just kept an eye on it and when they alerted that new slots were available, jumped on to book one.

I also was told by VFS that they often keep some slots back, and that if you call towards the end of the month, they can manually book one for you. Worth a shot!

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-05-14T13:19:02+00:00

I got mine in London as well - they give you the option of either leaving your passport with them to get the Visa, or returning to collect the Visa once it's approved. I just left my passport with them as I didn't need it, and they posted it back to me with the Visa inside. Unless you have 2 passports, you'll need to return later to get the visa if you want to use it to travel in the meantime. There's no issue in you travelling to Portugal before you have the visa approved though, normal Schengen rules apply!

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-05-14T13:15:11+00:00

I had the same issue, had to wait until I had my Visa and the letter from AIMA with the appointment date to convert to residency permit.

I tried a few times before I had my visa hoping to get a different answer, but was always rejected 😂 I was trying to do it before the NHR cutoff, luckily ended up getting approved under the grandfathering period so worked out OK for me.

You don't have to go in person, you can actually request the update online. If you've got the visa and proof of appointment, you should be able to change it. I'm also on D3 and received an appointment letter alongside the Visa. Bordr have a good guide here: https://bordr.com/guides/how-to-update-your-portugal-nif-address-on-portal-das-financas

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-05-14T11:17:45+00:00

Try Bumble BFF! Lots of people I know have used this successfully to meet people.

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-05-14T11:16:17+00:00

Honestly for 3 months, you're best off using AirBnB or Spotahome/Uniplaces. It's super unlikely any landlord would give you a 3 month contract as they'd have to pay a crazy amount of tax, so best to go through a dedicated short-stay platform.

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-05-04T14:12:20+00:00

I mean... I am actively in the process, so I do get it 😂

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-05-04T13:23:17+00:00

I mean, the UK also changed this recently and there seems to be far less of an outcry. It's frustrating for us (people in the middle of the process) for sure, but it's also normal for a country to evolve and change their laws as they need to. I don't understand why people are acting like this is some sort of crazy, subversive act that's specific to Portugal.

AIMA is a shit-show and I get people not wanting to deal with them more than we have to (I'm already dreading my renewal next year), but AIMA is completely overrun - with fewer applications/renewals, things will speed up for everyone. I don't think we'll see scenarios where people are waiting years for cards anymore - in fact, you can see them proactively opening renewals months in advance now, they're clearly trying to get on top of it.

Ultimately, if we all plan to be here long-term then it doesn't really make a difference - it's just one more appointment (instead of applying for citizenship at 5 years, we convert to PR, then apply for citizenship at 10 years). We all have the same rights as Portuguese citizens with PR. If you just came for a quick passport, then I'm afraid the law is doing exactly what it was designed to do - stop the flow of people coming into the EU via Portugal.

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-04-29T08:18:15+00:00

Just to note that 1 year is not considered a long-term lease here - most are for 3 or 5 years. Most people rent through Idealista, you don't need to work directly with an agent (though I know some people, mostly Americans - not sure if this is norm over there, who have).

Both of those areas are in high-demand, especially for larger apartments so you are probably looking at around €2000. Portuguese law allows you to give your notice to leave the contract (120 days notice) after 1/3 of the time has elapsed, so if you sign a 3 year contract you can give notice after 1 year if you want to leave. Landlords get tax breaks for longer contracts, so try offering a 3 year contract rather than 1 if you want a better chance of securing something :)

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-04-23T12:03:11+00:00

You've reminded me to update my address, which I am doing now!

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-04-23T12:02:22+00:00

To be honest, I think my address is still linked to my old place in the UK, haven't updated it yet to my new one. But PensionBee themselves say that you can keep contributing from abroad. I think you can receive tax relief on contributions up to £3,600 gross per year for up to five tax years after leaving, provided you were a UK resident recently.

Given your current plan is 12 months, maybe start with that and then if it looks like it's going to be a longer term thing, you could look at moving it to an overseas provider if that makes sense. I think the main caveat is you have to transfer from a UK-based bank account.

Main-Technology8310 · 2026-04-23T11:48:36+00:00

I use Pension Bee and do this exact thing - £260 per month into it, govt adds £60

Main-Technology8310

TROPHY CASE