We put our house up for sale this month and accepted an offer within the first week. We got through the inspection and took care of the nit-picky things on the list. Waiting for the appraisal, although the buyer doesn’t need it to come in at any specific number. Still, as long as the house is in escrow it is not actually sold yet. A pending sale is only a pending sale.
In the meantime, because there is a timetable on how we need to proceed though the immigration process in Portugal, we have our dates set. If the house sale falls through, and I hate to even put that out into the universe, it would make things more difficult for sure. But we have committed to sticking to our schedule no matter what happens.
Our meeting at the Portuguese Consulate is set for August 1st and planning on leaving the USA on September 30th. We are doing our due diligence to get ready for our meeting in San Francisco. Yes, we have to fly there for our 15 minute meeting to hand deliver our documents. FBI background check, bank records, insurance records and a slew of other pieces of paper. We do have a checklist and a facilitator. Naturally, there is no shortage of advice from internet contributors. Unfortunately, much of it is conflicting.
Some of the conflicting advice and information we get is due to the rules changing often. Also, depending on who you meet with at the consulate, or who reviews your documents, it may be the luck of the draw. The best advice is to overdo everything. And check the vfsglobal website for other requirements.
Insurance
We have chosen to go overboard on some requirements. For instance, you need health insurance before entering Portugal on an extended visa. But the coverage required seems to be a moving target. There is inexpensive travel insurance available. Some people say that is good enough. Some say that it is not. We do have insurance here that covers us in Portugal. Some say that is good enough. Some say it is not. We have chosen to get an actual policy in Portugal while we are still here in the US. We will bring a copy of our American insurance as well just as a backup.
Bank Account
Some people say that you need a bank account from a bank in Portugal. Others say that a Transferwise account in euros is sufficient. We have a Transferwise account but are trying to open a Portuguese account. Not an easy thing to do from the States. It would have been easy to do when we were there but we didn’t know at the time. A word to the wise, if you are planning on relocating to Portugal, get your NIF and bank account while you are visiting in Portugal. You will save yourself a lot of grief. In the meantime, I do look at the exchange rate every day, hoping the euro doesn’t get stronger against the dollar. It has gone up a couple of points since my last blog in May.
Income Verification
You need to have a steady income to move to Portugal. You don’t need to be rich but you need to show that you are self-sustaining. That makes sense. Unless you are a refugee needing a place to live, which is an growing problem world-wide, you don’t want to be a financial burden on your host country or take jobs away from natural born residents.
Lease
This might be the hardest thing to do on the list. You must have a six-month lease to show that you have residence in Portugal. Hotels and Airbnbs are not acceptable. A new law in Portugal says that a lease needs to be one year, even though the consulate accepts six months. So we are counting on our realtor to come through for us. We have already made a deal to purchase a home in Portugal but it has not been built yet so that doesn’t count. Although we are excited about the new home, it only complicates our move because we may have overlapping arrangements.
Panic
At some point in the repatriation process there will be panic. Guaranteed! We are not in panic mode yet but I know it is lurking. Tomorrow we will go to get our fingerprints for our FBI background check. We are waiting for our contacts in Portugal for insurance, bank account and a lease. And the clock is ticking.
Skimpy Details
If you are in a similar boat as us and are taking the steps to become an expat in Portugal, you might have noticed that my details here regarding requirements are skimpy. My main purpose is to encourage you to prepare. Plan ahead. Get help. Don’t wing it. Rules will change so even if I were to give you details, by the time you need it, details will change. The last thing I want to do is give you misinformation.
Still Easier Than Other Countries
As challenging it is to take up residence in another country, it is far easier to become an expat in Portugal than it is in most countries, even in most European countries. And trying to become a resident in the United States? Fuggedaboutit! So we are grateful for that and we will get through this! We will let you know of our progress!