There is always a moment, somewhere between the third box and the fifteenth form, when the plan of moving to Portugal looks less like a postcard of the Alentejo than like an administrative mountain. The good news: you can climb that mountain in order. Some steps are done before you leave, others only once you are there, and a few have deadlines you had better not miss.
Here is the relocation checklist, month by month, on the home-country side and the Portuguese side, for relocating to Portugal without forgetting the essentials.
Moving to Portugal: where do you start, six months ahead?
Six months is the right pace. Enough time to think, not enough for the project to get bogged down.
Choose the city, for real. Lisbon, Porto, the Algarve, a medium-sized town in the Centre: the differences in rent, climate and atmosphere are huge. If you are torn, our comparison Lisbon or Porto asks the right questions. A one-week scouting trip, out of season if possible, is worth more than a hundred videos.
Work out your budget. Rent, deposit, removers, first purchases, possible months without income: it all adds up quickly. Our article on the cost of living in Portugal helps you put realistic figures on paper.
Think about the children. Enrolment in French or international schools is often decided months in advance. Our guide to schools in Portugal reviews the options.
Start learning Portuguese. Even thirty minutes a day changes your arrival: with the landlord, at the Câmara Municipal or at the café. Our tips to learn Portuguese are a good starting point.
What should you do three months before you leave?
This is the time for contracts and notice periods.
- Your current home: if you rent in France, a tenant's notice period is in principle three months, reduced to one month in high-demand areas or for a furnished let. In Belgium and Switzerland, the rules depend on your lease: reread it now, not in the month you leave.
- The NIF: you can apply for it before you leave, through an authorised representative, or on the day of a scouting trip, by appointment at the Finanças (the tax office). It is free, and almost everything in Portugal depends on it: lease, bank, contracts. Our guide to getting your NIF in Portugal explains both options.
- Removal quotes: between Paris and Lisbon, there are more than 1,700 km of road. Ask for several quotes, and compare groupage (your belongings travel with those of other customers, cheaper but slower) with a dedicated lorry. For many people, selling some of the furniture works out cheaper than moving it.
- Pets: dogs and cats travel within the European Union with a European pet passport, a microchip and an up-to-date rabies vaccination. Book an appointment with your vet.
- Papers to gather: birth certificates, family record book, diplomas, medical records, pension and career statements. Keep the originals with you, not in the lorry.
The month you leave: what do you need to do in your home country?
What to do before moving to Portugal varies depending on your country. Here are the essentials for France, Belgium and Switzerland, then what applies to everyone.
If you are leaving France. Report your new address to your public finance centre from your online account; create the account before you leave if you have not done so. The following spring, you declare your income for the year you left. Also tell your employer or your pension fund, check your rights with your health insurance fund and your top-up health insurer, and arrange for your post to be forwarded.
If you are leaving Belgium. You must declare your departure to your municipality no later than the day before you leave; it gives you a certificate of removal from the population registers. You will need this document to register afterwards with the relevant Belgian consulate.
If you are leaving Switzerland. If you will be away for more than three months and are giving up your home, report your departure to your municipality; the arrangements depend on the canton. If you are leaving for good, the municipality gives you your certificate of origin (acte d'origine). You then have 90 days to register with the relevant Swiss representation.
For everyone. Cancel or transfer your contracts (energy, internet, home insurance), give your bank your new address, and keep a bank card from your home country for the first few weeks.
The first weeks: what to do when you arrive in Portugal?
The steps on arrival in Portugal follow a logical order, because each one unlocks the next.
- A home. Many people start with a short-term let while they visit flats. Our guide to renting a flat in Portugal covers the application, the deposit and the pitfalls.
- The NIF, if you do not have it yet.
- A Portuguese bank account, almost indispensable for rent, direct debits and MB Way. Our guide to opening a bank account in Portugal explains how.
- A Portuguese SIM card, electricity and internet: everything is explained in our article on electricity, internet and phone.
- The NISS, your social security number, if you work in Portugal: here is how to register with Portuguese social security.
- The número de utente, to access the national health service: follow our guide to the utente number and the SNS.
For daily life, one last tip: learn quickly how people pay here, between Multibanco and payment references. Our article on paying in Portugal will spare you a few awkward moments at the till.
This is often the stage when everything piles up: appointments, documents, overlapping deadlines. That is exactly what Moovy organises with you, step by step. Moovy prepares your file; the NIF itself is requested from the Finanças, either directly or through a tax representative.
What do you need to do after three months in Portugal?
This is the deadline many people forget.
The residence certificate. EU citizens who stay more than three months must apply for their certificado de registo de cidadão da União Europeia within 30 days after those first three months, at the Câmara Municipal of their municipality. According to the gov.pt portal, it costs €15 (€7.50 for children under 6), it is valid for five years, and forgetting it can lead to a fine of €400 to €1,500. The whole procedure is explained in our guide to the EU residence certificate.
The address on your NIF. Your NIF was probably issued with an address abroad. Switching it to your Portuguese address means declaring yourself tax resident in Portugal, with consequences for your taxes in your home country. Do it at the right time, consistently with the departure declaration you made at home.
Your driving licence. A licence issued in the European Union remains valid in Portugal. But once you have settled, you must register it with the IMT within 60 days. A licence with no expiry date must, for its part, be exchanged within two years. Everything is explained in our article on your driving licence in Portugal.
How much does moving to Portugal cost?
There is no single price, and be wary of figures that circulate without context. The cost depends mainly on four things: the volume (a studio or a house), the distance, the formula (dedicated lorry or groupage) and the time of year, summer being the busiest season.
A few reflexes to pay less:
- sort ruthlessly: every cubic metre counts, and household appliances are easy to buy again once you are there;
- ask for at least three quotes, with a visit or a video inventory, to avoid nasty surprises on moving day;
- check the insurance included and the declared value of your belongings;
- keep a margin for the first few months: deposit, rent in advance, basic purchases, and one or two double bills while the old contracts come to an end.
Moving to Portugal with your car: is it worth it?
The question deserves to be asked before you leave. A car registered abroad cannot be driven indefinitely once you are a resident: it must be switched to Portuguese registration, which in principle means paying vehicle tax (ISV).
There is an exemption for a transfer of residence. According to the gov.pt portal, it requires in particular that you have lived abroad for at least six months and have owned the vehicle for at least six months before the transfer. The application is made online on the Portal das Finanças, within twelve months of settling, and it applies to one vehicle only.
Should you keep your car? If it is recent and you meet the conditions, often yes. Otherwise, do the maths: selling before you leave and buying again once you are there is sometimes simpler. And for your first weeks behind the wheel, our guide to driving in Portugal explains tolls, Via Verde and roundabouts.