FIRE_Expat
American looking for information about Portugal
Forum posts
19
About me
American
Registration: 02 February 2025
Activity
Struggling to find a Portugal visa appointment from London 鈥� any tips? by Nicole Kidman
Hi everyone, I鈥檝e been trying for weeks to book a Portugal visa appointment through VFS, but it always says no dates available. Has anyone managed to find a slot recently? Is there a best time to check or any trusted agency that can help?
I had the same problem back in December / January / February. I finally got so fed up I did some searching online, and some people on reddit suggested signing up for Signal and hiring a bot that sends notifications when appointments open up. I did ... Read More
Visiting to explore moving to Portugal by MateoT7
Hello Everyone,I'm planning on visiting Portugal to explore moving there and would like to find meet up events. Is there someplace on this website that lists these things? I went to the Events link but it didn't look like the right place.So, flight ...
@MateoT7,I have been in Portugal for about 3 months now, and one of the best things has been the local English-speaking community. Making connections with this group has actually helped me begin to integrate into the culture. I was given advice on ... Read More
D7 Visa Question - How long for passive income? by FIRE_Expat
I applied for a D7 Visa, and had my VFS appointment in April. The passive income that I showed came from a rental property I own. My question is this - at what stages of the process (AIMA appointment, 2-year renewal, hopefully citizenship ...
One other thing - It is my understanding that the D7 visa and accompanying requirements only apply until you receive your residency card after your AIMA appointment. In other words, I would expect I need to show passive income at our VFS ... Read More
Franco Law in Lisbon Immigration attorney Yes or no? by Travelnum
Hello. I am considering moving to Portugal with the D7 Visa. I am also considering Franco Law in Lisbon. Has anyone had any experience with them? Good or bad.Also wondering, is an attorney needed, or recommended for this process of abstaining the D7 ...
Victor,I am through my VFS appointment and waiting for approval of my D7 Visa. I hired a very prominent lawyer, but after doing so I heard a lot of people tell me that it really isn't necessary and you can do pretty much everything yourself. In ... Read More
D7 Visa Question - How long for passive income?
I applied for a D7 Visa, and had my VFS appointment in April. The passive income that I showed came from a rental property I own. My question is this - at what stages of the process (AIMA appointment, 2-year renewal, hopefully citizenship ... Read More
Rentals around Lisbon needed by Xhosa1968
I am looking for a rental and it's almost impossible from the USA whether it's also language barrier not sure. I need help with this anybody. I am interested in area surrounding Lisbon. I need it by summer. Please help!
Have you tried Idealista? That's how we found our rental property. I will suggest that it's really, really important to either view the property yourself or have a rental agent look at it for you. I created a ranked list of about 12-15 ... Read More
Applying for D7 - 401(k) passive income? / Proving a relationship by FIRE_Expat
My partner and I are working with an immigration lawyer, who has failed to answer 2 questions that I think are pretty simple.聽 I am at a loss and hope this community might be able to help.聽 聽 Part 2:I retired well before 59 1/2.聽 ...
Thanks!Tax returns are tough. I'm not sure if you're US based or not, but in the US if you rent to a family member for below-market rent, you don't have to report it on taxes. So our rental income isn't on our taxes. We do have a lease with the ... Read More
Applying for D7 - 401(k) passive income? / Proving a relationship
My partner and I are working with an immigration lawyer, who has failed to answer 2 questions that I think are pretty simple.聽 I am at a loss and hope this community might be able to help.聽 聽 Part 2:I retired well before 59 1/2.聽 ... Read More
Good areas in Portugal for expats from USA? by escapers8
We are beginning to research moving to Portugal from the Seattle area. We are looking for a town or city large enough to have good health care, near the coast, moderate cost of living, good culture and art scene, and a reasonable number of other ...
@FIRE_Expat Curious about what drew you to Ponte de Lima? We're scouting at the end of May, focusing on the Silver Coast and Algarve, with a stop in Set煤bal. Leaning toward Caldas da Rainha and Olh茫o, although Set煤bal is also ... Read More
Good areas in Portugal for expats from USA? by escapers8
We are beginning to research moving to Portugal from the Seattle area. We are looking for a town or city large enough to have good health care, near the coast, moderate cost of living, good culture and art scene, and a reasonable number of other ...
@escapers8I think a visit to Portugal would go a long way towards narrowing down your options. My partner and I just got back from 10 days, and I absolutely fell in love with Ponte de Lima which wasn't on my radar at all before we went. I did ... Read More
How to Apostille - State or Federal (US)? by FIRE_Expat
I have been trying to figure out how to Apostille my FBI background check, and keep finding conflicting information. I am located in the US, in the state of Colorado.Some sources of information say that I need to work with my state's Secretary of ...
@reynbod2003Thank you! The website you sent says the following:"Follow these steps to get the apostille certificate from our office: Make sure your document is an original or certified copy A certified copy is a copy of a primary document ... Read More
How to Apostille - State or Federal (US)? by FIRE_Expat
I have been trying to figure out how to Apostille my FBI background check, and keep finding conflicting information. I am located in the US, in the state of Colorado.Some sources of information say that I need to work with my state's Secretary of ...
Thanks. I didn't get anything in an envelope, just an electronic copy. I'm looking at the FBI site now, and it appears I can request a copy to be mailed to me. Thanks for the reply! Since Apostille from the U.S. State Department can take 11 ... Read More
How to Apostille - State or Federal (US)?
I have been trying to figure out how to Apostille my FBI background check, and keep finding conflicting information. I am located in the US, in the state of Colorado.Some sources of information say that I need to work with my state's Secretary of ... Read More
New members of the Portugal forum, introduce yourselves here - 2025 by Julien
Hi all, Newbie on the Portugal forum? Don't know how to start? This thread is for you ;) We invite you to introduce yourself on this topic, to share with us your expat story if you are already living in the country, or to tell us more on your ...
My name is Rich. I live in the U.S. and retired a few years ago in my early 40s (thus the FIRE_Expat handle - FIRE standing for Financially Independent, Retired Early). My partner and I had planned to slow travel the world after we FIREd, but ... Read More
D7 application - VFS Global selections? by FIRE_Expat
I am trying to apply for a D7 VISA to live in Portugal. I have been trying to book an appointment with VFS global, but I can't seem to get a straight answer from anyone (my Portuguese immigration lawyer, VFS Global help center, online blog posts) ...
@hankinssteve This is a confusion on the part of VFSGlobal. Talk to them. https://www.vfsglobal.com/en/individuals/contact.html - @JohnnyPTWhen I had this confusion I contacted VFS. The three different people I talked to were of no help. They ... Read More