# So much to find out....



## Al Homan (Aug 31, 2018)

My wife and I will be moving to Portugal permanently in the second half of the year, and I will be visiting Portugal on a fact-finding mission in May, as there are many facts to find out...

I am a Dutch (EU) passport holder with permanent residence in South Africa, my wife is South African. I understand that I can easily settle there with my EU citizen status, and that my wife will qualify for a family resident visa.

Ideally, I would like to make contact with a person or firm that specialises in all aspects of emigration, i.e residency, taxation, social services, medical cover, driver license exchange, etc.

Can anyone recommend a reputable, all-inclusive advisory firm?

Many thanks,


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## Ukkram (Aug 21, 2018)

My wife and I are also from SA and she is South African and I am a Finn although I lived most of my life in SA.
The procedure for you is very simple and takes 30 minutes. Your wife however will have a bit tougher time and could take 3 months waiting for the correct papers from SA and the local SA embassy.
You will not find an immigration lawyer in Portugal to do it for your wife as she will land up getting all the correct papers from SA herself anyway. Once she has all the papers needed she merely needs to hand it over to SEF. Why pay someone to hand over papers to SEF on her behalf?

If you wish, I can guide you through the process.


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## Al Homan (Aug 31, 2018)

Thank you very much Ukkram, this is most helpful.

With regards to registration, should you be able to advise which are the correct papers my wife will require for registration in Portugal, this would allow us to obtain them before we leave SA.

By the way, were you (and your wife) able to exchange your SA driver license for a Portuguese one, or did it involve lessons and driver tests?

Muito obrigado!


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## Ukkram (Aug 21, 2018)

Before you arrive in Portugal you may need to Financially Emigrate via SARS and SARB. This will enable you to withdraw your RA's, pensions or any future inheritances you may receive. Any bank will assist with that for a fee of a few hundred Rands. 

Documentation for wife:

1. Unabridged Marriage Certificate.
2. Apply for Police Clearance at your local cop shop. They will send the application off to Pretoria.
3. Proof that your marriage was registered in NL. This may have been an afterthought by the SEF official that was new to this and made her own rules as some countries do not issue this. SEF is known to do this.
4. Portuguese bank statement. Either yours or your wife's. No cash balance required.
That's it until you arrive here.
5. No private medical insurance required anymore.
6. Proof of Portugal address.
7. Fiscal (tax) number in Portugal.
The unabridged marriage certificate must be sent off to the SA embassy in Lisbon for translation and certification. This you do when you arrive. They are quick strangely.


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## Al Homan (Aug 31, 2018)

Awesome, many thanks Ukkram, your help is much appreciated!

Did not know I had to register my SA marriage with the Dutch authorities but I will check it out when I visit Holland in May.

Take care.


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Al Homan

For some strange reason I seem unable to send you a PM but if you'd care to send me one I'd be grateful. 

What part of SA are you in? 

We were just outside White River near the SW corner of the KNP


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## Ukkram (Aug 21, 2018)

I forgot to answer your question about the drivers license. Cars here are very expensive so I chose to not buy one. The public transport system here is top notch and I can get anywhere in my city within an hour and intercity trains run about every 1,5 hrs. I can fly from Porto to Lisbon for € 9.00. Shops and supermarkets are all within a short walk.


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## Ukkram (Aug 21, 2018)

Al Homan said:


> Awesome, many thanks Ukkram, your help is much appreciated!
> 
> Did not know I had to register my SA marriage with the Dutch authorities but I will check it out when I visit Holland in May.
> 
> Take care.


I did not register our marriage but when I registered the birth of our kids the system automatically registered my wife as my spouse.


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## Al Homan (Aug 31, 2018)

TM, I am new to the Forum this week. It appears one needs a number of posts before one can PM... not sure how it all works yet...not the brightest bulb when it comes to IT...

Based in Claremont, Cape Town, planning to move in September once property sold.

Cheers


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

We were near White River near the KNP & have been here for 7 1/2 years................ & love it!

Good luck with the move


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## Ukkram (Aug 21, 2018)

Al Homan said:


> TM, I am new to the Forum this week. It appears one needs a number of posts before one can PM... not sure how it all works yet...not the brightest bulb when it comes to IT...
> 
> Based in Claremont, Cape Town, planning to move in September once property sold.
> 
> Cheers


So you based in Cape Town and will have to get a visa for your wife at the Portuguese embassy there. You are in for a tough time with that lot. We had to re book our flights at a cost and travel to Jhb then catch the Gautrain to Pta to get a visa for my wife. The CT embassy does not follow EU regulations at all.


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## Al Homan (Aug 31, 2018)

Ukkram, my wife has a Schengen visa and will need to register in Portugal once I have registered there, which according to emigration attorney in Lisbon is no obstacle... He advised the ".....You as EU citizen, I can live and work in Portugal, buy or rent property, and register without any restrictions, you will have 90 days to do so. All EU citizens spouses under the EU law and the EU Citizens Parlament Act have the right to family reunification, after your registration as EU citizen living in Portugal, you can book an appointment for your spouse for her registration within the Portuguese legal system...."

I am new to this Forum and not sure how I can PM you? May have many more questions and no need for endless public threads?


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## hktoportugal (Feb 25, 2019)

I am also moving to Portugal this summer (early August) and Ukkram's contact at SEF was very helpful. So @Ukkram thanks for that. SEF didn't tell me though that I had to get the marriage registered in Holland (I am also a Dutch Citizen, my wife is from Hong Kong where we currently live and got married). SEF told me that the Hong Kong marriage certificate, certified as a true copy, and with apostille by the high court in Hong Kong under the convention of The Hague is proof of the status as family member of an EU citizen. Perhaps you have a similar option in SA?


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## Ukkram (Aug 21, 2018)

You can PM me as I can PM you but knowledge shared and not hidden in PM's is not shared. You can just click on my name and select "Send PM".

The Portuguese embassy in CT refused to give my wife priority over normal tourists for a visa. The EU regulations state that spouses of EU country citizens must be dealt with speedily and jump the queue and without charge.

They tried their best to discourage us from relocating to Portugal and gave us a 3 week waiting period. Our flights were in 2 weeks so off we went to Pretoria and got the visa within 2 hours. This was without an appointment.

Great to hear that your wife already has a visa.


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## Al Homan (Aug 31, 2018)

Ukkram,

I'd be grateful if you'd share your SEF contact with me, as I will be in Portugal in May and can verify procedures and documentary requirements with him/her when there.

Muito obrigado meu amigo!


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## Ukkram (Aug 21, 2018)

Al,
I can give you his email address but bear in mind that he is based in Viana do Castelo in the far north. What is required there will most likely be different in other areas from what I hear from people on the forums.


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## yozzi (Aug 30, 2012)

Al Homan said:


> TM, I am new to the Forum this week. It appears one needs a number of posts before one can PM... not sure how it all works yet...not the brightest bulb when it comes to IT...
> 
> Based in Claremont, Cape Town, planning to move in September once property sold.
> 
> Cheers


Small world it is as I'm a UK expat living in Hermanus, Western Cape and looking at moving to Spain or Portugal in the not too distant future so any info you can share on here will be most welcome! Maybe we should start our own forum for SAers moving to Europe? 

Can I ask how you decided on Portugal as your destination as apposed to other countries in Europe?


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## Al Homan (Aug 31, 2018)

Feel free to call me on 082-7842211


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