# Portugal here we come



## Alwaystravelling (Jun 6, 2016)

Hi

I have researched a bit and read several threads on this site about moving to portugal but i am still a bit confused. 

I am British and my wife is a non eu national. We like Portugal a lot and we are planning to move here but there are a few things we are uncertain about.

I hope you are happy to help me with a few questions

1. Some countries such as Spain/Hungary want you to have a certain amount in the bank and a regular monthly income over a certain amount. I cannot find any information anywhere about this for Portugal. Is there such rules?

2. I have read that i have to apply for things after i have been here three months and i have read that i can apply straight away. Which is correct please?

My wife is on a schengen visa because of her nationality so i am hoping to get the ball rolling straight away really so that she can start her application before she is forced to leave the country. 

i really appreciate any guidance you can give me on this. Many thanks


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## SpiggyTopes (Feb 1, 2015)

1. You will need to provide proof that you will not be a burden on the State. I don't know if there is an exact figure but several tens of thousands of Euros.

2. You can apply for immediate residency which you will need in order to sponsor your wife's residency. You will need a NIF number and an address.


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## Alwaystravelling (Jun 6, 2016)

SpiggyTopes said:


> 1. You will need to provide proof that you will not be a burden on the State. I don't know if there is an exact figure but several tens of thousands of Euros.
> 
> 2. You can apply for immediate residency which you will need in order to sponsor your wife's residency. You will need a NIF number and an address.


Thank you for you reply. Not saying at all that i doubt your answer and i completely agree that you should prove you will not be a drain on the country but this is the first i have read anywhere online about you needing 10's of thousands of euros in savings so would be interested to know more. Is this from personal experience? 

i have read this evening that you would need the following as a percentage of minimum wage for a period of 12 months

a) first adult 100%;
b) Second or more adults 50%;
c) Children and young people under the age of 18 and
adult dependent children 30%.

But this only makes about 10,500 euros.

I am more than happy to say i might be completely wrong though as i am still trying to get my head around it.


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## SpiggyTopes (Feb 1, 2015)

I had transferred cash for house purchase which was handy and I don't know if there is a fixed figure. We also got private health insurance for the first year. 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 dual sim using Tapatalk


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Bureaucracy in Portugal is a nightmare & it's not uncommon for individual bureaucrats to interpret the rules any way they like. 

However, the rules are that if the applicant has a UK or other EU passport he/she has the right to reside here & is not required to provide proof of income or net worth but it's not unheard of for some Camaras to ask for this because they don't know the rules. Penela for example asked a friend of mine for proof of income.

The NIF/Fiscal Number can be applied for as soon as you arrive and you need this for most things including buying a car and/or opening a bank account so the sooner you get it the easier life is for you.

After you've been here 3 months you can apply for your first Residencia/Residency permit & you must apply before you've been here for 6 months & this is usually valid for 5 years and usually takes about 20 minutes to obtain. 

Your non EU wife is a bit more complicated & I don't know much about that side of it but I think she can come in under the reunification of family rules....... However, I think you'll need to get an apostille attached to your marriage certificate by the home affairs dept of whatever country you got married in.

Shortly before your 5 year Residencia is due to expire you need to apply to SEF for renewal & this is usually valid for a further 10 years.

There's a small fee to pay for each of these documents but none are significant.

Regarding NHS care: A UK citizen is entitled to the same care as any Portuguese citizen & the standard of that care is very good indeed but I'm not sure about the non EU wife & you might need private cover for her...... probably the best thing to do is ask at your nearest health centre. 

It should also be noted that some areas seem to make it harder to get NHS registration than others...... seems to me that it's often harder to get registered in the Algarve & other coastal areas than in the northern & central zones. 

You might also like to use the search function here because these issues have been extensively discussed in the past.


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## Alwaystravelling (Jun 6, 2016)

Thank you Travelling-man for your detailed response. I appreciate the time you took to respond. You have put my mind at rest on various parts of the process. I did read a lot of threads and other websites before asking on here but was unable to find exactly what i needed. 

I would not be surprised if we do need to get an apostille attached to the marriage certificate back in Thailand which would be a real pain. 

The final part of my checks is to try and find out how you are supposed to wait to apply for three months if the person you are with is on a schengen visa so cannot stay for more than three months. I appreciate that you are ok to stay once an application has been lodged but if you have to wait before you can apply it seems to be a bit tricky. I am sure there is a simple answer i can find to that


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

I don't much about the reunificaton of family but think it was discussed recently & from memory, I get an idea the rules changed to say your wife now has the right to enter and stay in the EU with you but again, the search function might prove useful. 

As for the apostille, I understand it's pretty much essential and whilst it'll be a royal PITA to get you'll have no choice but to get it........ that said, it might be worth asking the Thai embassy in whatever country you're currently in (UK?) if they can do it to save you returning to Thailand just to get it done?


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## Naaling (Apr 9, 2015)

I am in essentially the same situation as you. While I agree with most of the advice Traveling-man has given you, I would like to make the following comments.

1. Don't wait 3 months before going to the Camara for your residency. Go as soon as you have your NIF and proof of address (signed lease). You will probably get it - I did. If you do decide to wait for 3 months then you only have 30 days to apply

2. You will need an EU address to easily get a NIF. If you don't have one, then you will need to find a fiscal representative.

3. I wasn't asked about income when I applied for residency. If they do ask, then I believe that the amount required is based on Social security payments. If you have sufficient funds to live comfortably in Portugal, then there should be no problem. The 10,500 euros you quoted earlier seems reasonable.

4. Don't worry about your wife's situation. She only needs the visa to get on the plane and speed up the process of getting through EU immigration. Once in the EU she is not a tourist, but the spouse of an EU citizen who is exercising his right to free movement within the EU, Her rights are guaranteed under both EU and Portuguese law. She can remain in the EU for up to 3 months with just a valid passport. If she stays longer then she is required to apply for residency within 30 days of the 3 months expiring. All you have to do to satisfy that requirement is to phone SEF before the end of the 3 months and make an appointment. Be prepared to wait for months!


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## Naaling (Apr 9, 2015)

5. Your marriage certificate will need to be authenticated by the Thai Dept of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok. After that it will need to be authenticated for use in Portugal by either the Portuguese Embassy in Bangkok or the Thai Embassy in Lisbon.


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## Alwaystravelling (Jun 6, 2016)

Naaling said:


> I am in essentially the same situation as you. While I agree with most of the advice Traveling-man has given you, I would like to make the following comments.
> 
> 1. Don't wait 3 months before going to the Camara for your residency. Go as soon as you have your NIF and proof of address (signed lease). You will probably get it - I did. If you do decide to wait for 3 months then you only have 30 days to apply
> 
> ...


Thank you Naaling. I really appreciate you sharing your experience. I think i am now clear on everything. Just need to find out now if i need to get our marriage cert stamped back in Thailand by the MFA and Portuguese Embassy. I fear we do and i hope to find that info shortly. That will be a complete PITA as travelling-man said earlier as we would have to fly to Bangkok (we are in Turkey now travelling so cannot do) get that and then fly back to Portugal. My wife would then have to start her three months again.


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## Naaling (Apr 9, 2015)

If your marriage certificate hasn't been stamped by the MFA in Bangkok, then you probably have no choice but to go back to Thailand. If you already have the MFA stamp then the Thai Embassy in Lisbon should be able to authenticate it for use in Portugal.


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