# The path to resedencia



## anunusedusername (Jul 23, 2018)

Hello all. New here, pleased to find such an active community and hope to be able to contribute in the future.

For now we're still in the planning phase. My wife and I are in our 40s and dual citizens of UK & Oz. we're reasonably able to show we're ordinarily resident in either, and currently tax resident in Oz.

We're looking at early retirement, and like the look of Portugal. We're visiting for the first time sep/oct and intend to put the wheels in motion, but likely not going to spend more than 6 months per year there before 20/21. We're financially independent, but not minted - a half mill investment under the golden visa terms would be doable but a bit of a stretch, and of course we have as yet no idea where we'll settle.

I've been reading about simply registering as resident during our holiday pre-brexit, and am quite prepared to do so. Proof of address is going to be tough however. The I read about this NHR visa, and of course the golden visa. 

I'm also a bit puzzled about what's going to be for the best in terms of tax residency, do we have any Aussies who've made the move to PT here?

Would be grateful of some thoughts on which path/s to residence is/are good choices for us.

Cheers,
Alex


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Your UK passports give you both right to enter, remain & work anywhere in the EU as long as you get in before Brexit is Complete & once you're domiciled here then (as I read it) you then have the right to remain under the Acquired Rights & Atricle 70 of the Vienna Convention. 

Full details are: 

As you have a passport from an EU member state, you have the right to enter & reside. 

Once here, you need to go to a Fiscal Office (usually in the Camara/Town Hall) and get a Fiscal number/document & to do that you need to provide your passport, some kind of ID to show your address & a few Euros........ this should take about 20 minutes. 

After you've been here 3 months & before 4 months, (it can be before 3 months if you wish) you go to your local Camara & register your residency status with them. This document is called a Residencia & is valid for 5 years. You need to provide your passport, Fiscal Document (AKA NIF) address in Portugal & a few Euros.

Then you go to your local Junta/Council & get your Attestado and for that you need passport, NIF & Residencia. 

NOTE: 
Some Camaras require the applicant to get their Attestado before they’ll issue the Residencia but the Attestado attests that you are a resident & if you’re not yet resident how can it attest to that? However the easy answer to that is just to go with the flow & give them what they want. - If the person issuing the Attestado refuses to issue it before you have the Residencia just have one call the other & sort it out amongst themselves. 

As Portuguese NHS entitlement is now SOLELY based on residency, you're then entitled to register with a Doctor & get the same care as any Portuguese person. 

Now the variables........ Portugal sometimes suffers from variable bureaucracy where individual civil servants misinterpret the rules. 

A couple of examples are some Doctor's surgeries ask you to provide a social security number before you can register but this is no longer required.......... but if you're going to work, you need one anyway so easier to go with the flow & just get one from the SS office. 

If your not going to work then just tell the person at the Doctor's office to call the SS office & let them sort it out between them. 

Some Camaras (notably Penela) try to ask EU passport holders (sic) to provide proof of income or financial security but this should only apply to non EU passports & they have no right to ask for that. 

Some EU legislation does suggest that holders of EU member state passports do need 'sufficient funds' to gain residency but I can find no mention of having to actually prove 'sufficient funds' or what amount of funds is sufficient therefore assume that if the individual says he/she has sufficient funds then the funds they say they have are sufficient. 


Right to reside EU PPT holders & partners

http://www.sef.pt/portal/v10/en/aspx/apoiocliente/detalheApoio.aspx?fromIndex=0&id_Linha=4351 

UK entitlement to PT NHS with/without SS number 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-portugal 


How to register on the PT NHS in Portuguese & English

https://www.ers.pt/pages/438?news_id=1203 

If you need to complain about not getting registered on the PT NHS system: https://www.ers.pt/pages/356


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## anunusedusername (Jul 23, 2018)

Thanks for that detailed response. Do you think it's achievable to become a registered resident without a fixed address?


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

anunusedusername said:


> Thanks for that detailed response. Do you think it's achievable to become a registered resident without a fixed address?



It's possible if you use the address or a friend, relative or lawyer etc & then change the address when you do get settled.


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