Portugal Relocation Checklist

Phase 1 · 12–18 months out

Decide with real numbers

Take a scouting trip — you get 90 days visa-free per rolling 180 (the EES system is counting your days since October 2025) Pick your visa route: D7 (passive income, €920/mo) or D8 (remote work, €3,680/mo) Shortlist regions with the Where to Live guide — prices differ 2.4× between Lisbon and the national median Build a monthly budget from the Cost of Living data, not from YouTube optimism Book a consultation with a cross-border tax adviser — before you trigger anything (pensions, IRAs and Roths have traps) Start Portuguese lessons — A2 level is required at year 5 (permanent residency) and year 10 (citizenship)

Phase 2 · 6–12 months out

Build the paper foundation

Get your NIF (Portuguese tax number) — free at Finanças, or remotely via a lawyer under power of attorney Open a Portuguese bank account and fund the savings buffer (commonly ~€11,040 per adult; consulates vary) Request your FBI (US) or RCMP (Canada) criminal record check, then have it apostilled — these expire, so time it Secure 12-month accommodation — a lease or deed; short-term bookings are increasingly rejected Gather income evidence: pension/SS award letters (D7) or contracts + 3 months of payslips and an employer remote-work letter (D8) Buy travel medical insurance — €30,000 minimum coverage incl. repatriation; some consulates now want 12-month validity

Phase 3 · 3–6 months out

Apply — from home, not from Portugal

Book and attend your appointment at the Portuguese consulate or VFS centre covering your state/province (since Oct 2025 there is no move-first-regularise-later route) Submit the full file — since April 2025 incomplete files are rejected outright, not queued While you wait (statutory 60 days, often 2–6 months): plan the physical move — see Living for pets and driving-licence rules Pets: ISO microchip → rabies shot ≥21 days before travel → EU health certificate endorsed by USDA-APHIS or CFIA Receive your visa — valid 4 months, two entries — and book travel

Phase 4 · Arrival & first 90 days

Become a resident, properly

Attend your AIMA biometrics appointment (wait: typically 1–3 months, sometimes 6) and receive your 2-year residence permit Register at your local Centro de Saúde for your número de utente — free, usually same-day (Healthcare guide) Exchange your US/Canadian driving licence — no test required, ~€30, but there are deadlines (Living guide) Set up utilities and internet (~€100–150/month for a couple, indicative) Register with Segurança Social if working; diarise the IFICI registration deadline (15 January) if eligible Mark year 5 (permanent residency, A2 Portuguese) and year 10 (citizenship) in the calendar — the clock started when your permit was issued

Rules moved three times in just over a year — the manifestation-of-interest abolition (Oct 2025), the complete-file rule (Apr 2025), and the 10-year citizenship change (May 2026). The newsletter below is how we tell you when this page changes.

The whole move,in order.

Decide with real numbers

Build the paper foundation

Apply — from home, not from Portugal

Become a resident, properly

This checklist updates. So should you.

The whole move,
in order.