Retiring to Portugal Lisbon area, VISAs, Lawyers in Portugal

1POSTS

last year

Hello, I am an American Citizen living in the US. I would like to retire to Portugal in about 2029, but wanted to start the process as I hear it takes 2-3 years for the process. Does anyone have good immigration lawyers that speak English in Portugal that specailizes in immigration VISAs for foreigners? I am thinking of moving to a suburb of Lisbon, maybe Amadora area ,if nice..

Thank you in advance

Steve

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Strontium Serial expat

431POSTS

last year

Hi and Welcome,

Based on (assumption) you do not have an EU passport, you do not have any accommodation here and you will be " retiring".聽 In which case the usual visa is D7 (passive income). There is a lot written on this forum from and about people going through this process. A couple of basics are you need accommodation to apply for the visa and when it's granted your world wide income is taxed.聽 Finding accommodation is probably your biggest challenge, you'll need a PT tax code (NIF) and PT bank account (maybe take half a day if here) and then, like a lot of people you'll find there is a lack of accommodation and there's competition. In reality it makes sense to spend time here (as a tourist you can be in EU for 3 months) and look for somewhere yourself both finding the area you want to live and looking at properties.聽 You'll also find a lot of things on the interweb are not necessary up to date nor 100% accurate, many emails to agencies etc. will not get a reply.聽 A couple of sites to try and find accommodation are OXL PT and聽 Idealista PT.

Mariza.says Active member

53POSTS

last year

Hi Steve,

You are doing the right thing by starting plannig well in advance, the success of your move will depend on good planning. First things first...

1) Have a look at the requirements for a residency visa D7 (retirement visa) which requires passive income of around 10K Euros per year minimum, plus proof of accommodation in Portugal, either as an owner or a 12 month rental contract.

2) When your visa is approved you become a resident of Portugal and a taxpayer of Portugal.

Pension income will be taxed at a flat rate of 10%. Other sources of income have different rates.

You should look at the tax implications for your personal situation by consulting a portuguese accountant experienced in expat tax.

3) The inicial residency visa is given for a 2 year period and will be renewed, with same requirements. After you get a residency visa, you are not allowed to be out of Portugal for long periods of time, or your visa will be cancelled. So... no point applying for a D7 residency visa long before you are ready to move to Portugal.

4) Have a look at the portuguese Golden Visas which require investing, but allows you to live outside Portugal or in Portugal.

5) The suburb of Amadora is 30 minutes away by train from Lisbon center but I wouldn't describe it as "nice". It's part of a huge cornubation, overbuilt, badly planned, densely populated... It's on the trainline Lisboa - Sintra. I lived there for a couple of years a long time ago.

6) Savvy Cat Realty is a portuguese relocation agency experienced with US relocations. I've never used their sevices but they sound professional & knowledgeable in all things "legal" and offer taylor made support

I'm sure others will add to this.

7) If you learn basic portuguese before you arrive, it'll serve you well and will make your stay more enjoyable.

All the best!