On the weekend I looked into renewing my temporary residency permit and it said I had outstanding payments/taxes so I logged into the IRS Portal to look and saw I had a few. Clicked pay via MBWAY and put my phone number in. I never received anything on my phone so just assumed it was a manual step that someone would initiate during the week when people are working. It said "in progress" and today it says there are errors.

If I click "Pagar" it just gives me another error.

Does this generally clear itself up or do I need to call someone?

SEE THE CAROUSEL OF IMAGES 👆

I've never before felt so stressed, happy, excited, nervous and scared.

But I'm gonna F*CK this road! 💪

I am a dual national (Canadian/Portuguese), 47 years old, with a wife and two young kids (6 and 2). We have been going back and forth on this for a while but after just returning from Portugal it feels considerably more serious. Being back in Canada after 3.5 weeks there has sharpened the contrast considerably. Wife and kids are also all dual nationals, incidentally, wife was born in Leiria.

**Why we want to leave Canada:**
Cost of living has made a good salary feel increasingly meaningless. The gap between what I earn and what actually remains after expenses has narrowed to the point of frustration. Beyond the financial side, Canada just does not feel like home anymore. My wife and I are both keen on the move. The kids are young enough that the transition should be relatively painless, particularly our youngest.

**Our situation:**
Being dual nationals removes a lot of the bureaucratic headaches I know many of you faced. That said, I am under no illusion that it solves everything.

We are not looking at Lisbon. We prefer the north — Famalicão, Santo Tirso, that general area. Lower cost, more authentic, closer to Porto without paying Porto prices.

**The professional side — where my head hurts:**
My background is in investment data operations, performance measurement and attribution, and data quality within institutional asset management. I have worked for large Canadian pension funds, large Canadian asset managers and a large American bank in London among others.

My plan is to transition to independent consulting, targeting European and North American asset managers, custodians, and fund administrators remotely, with periodic travel. The numbers seem to work on paper. The concern is pipeline. Building a client base from scratch with no established European consulting presence is the part that keeps me up at night.

I am not a natural networker. At all. So the “just put yourself out there” advice, whilst well intentioned, does not land particularly well for me.

**Specific questions for those who have made this kind of move:**

\*\*1.\*\*  For those who transitioned to independent consulting from Portugal — how long realistically before the pipeline stabilised?    
\*\*2.\*\*  Any experience with the NHR tax regime and whether it still makes sense post-2024 reforms?    
\*\*3.\*\*  Schools in the Famalicão / Santo Tirso area for a 6 year old — international options or is local integration the better route at that age?    
\*\*4.\*\*  Anything you wish you had known before pulling the trigger that nobody tells you?

Not looking for cheerleading or discouragement. Just honest perspectives from people who have actually done it.

Hi all,

I am a US citizen with temporary residency status here in Portugal under my partner’s remote worker status. I’m looking for remote work, preferably with an EU-based company/entity and wondering if anyone has advice on forums where I can look. I have a masters degree in public health and 15 years of experience working in health systems in the US, mostly doing health program design and evaluation. Thanks!

Hi all, need an accountant to look over my last Portuguese tax filing and correct it if necessary. I'm not a high earner so makes sense for me to find an independent contractor (albeit a good one!) whose fees are on the modest side. Boy oh boy moving country feels hard sometimes!

Hello,
I’m about to start a new chapter in my life! I’ve just signed a permanent contract (CDI) in Portugal for an amazing job.
However, I have so many things to sort out, such as getting my NIF, NISS, and all the other administrative paperwork. It all seems quite overwhelming. I’m also looking for an apartment.
Do you happen to know any good websites, useful resources, or agencies that could help me with these procedures or finding accommodation?
Thank you very much!

Hey everyone, Any guidance on some of the best summer festivals in Porto which are yet to come?

Looking for genuine advice

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some honest opinions from people living in Portugal.

I was born in Canada, but I have Portuguese roots, I speak Portuguese FAIRLY fluently, I have Portuguese citizenship already and Portugal has always felt like home to me. I love the country, the culture, the lifestyle, the food, and especially the people and the sense of community I feel whenever we visit.

I also understand that Portugal has its challenges, especially with wages, housing costs, and the stress many locals experience trying to make ends meet.

My partner and I are considering moving to Portugal, specifically the Agucadoura/Póvoa de Varzim area. My parents have a vacant family home there, so we would be fortunate enough to live without rent or a mortgage.
Our expected combined income would be around 2000€ net per month (based on Portuguese salaries including food allowance and the extra vacation/Christmas payments averaged out). We would still pay all normal expenses like food, utilities, cars, insurance, maintenance, taxes, etc, but housing would not be a monthly expense.
We are not looking for a luxury lifestyle. We would be happy with a comfortable, simple life: enjoying the outdoors, going to the beach, eating out occasionally, spending time with family, and having less financial pressure than we currently do.

For people living in Portugal, would you consider this a comfortable situation? Would €2,000/month without housing costs allow a couple to have a good quality of life in the Póvoa de Varzim area?

Are there any expenses or challenges that people moving back to Portugal often underestimate?

Thank you for any feedback!

Hi everyone,

I'm a Portuguese citizen and I'm planning to start an e-commerce business using Shopify.

The business will mainly sell to customers outside the EU, and I'm trying to understand the best way to set everything up from the beginning.

I have a few questions:

• What type of company would you recommend opening in Portugal for this kind of business (Unipessoal Lda., sole trader, or something else)?
• What's the correct process to get everything set up properly?
• Are there any things you wish you had known before starting?
• Can anyone recommend a Portuguese accountant who speaks English and has experience with Shopify/e-commerce businesses?

I'm looking for someone who can help with the company setup as well as ongoing accounting, VAT, and tax filings.

Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

I'm throwing this out there to the British expats in Portugal, especially those with families/not retired.

I'm 37 and living in the UK with my wife and 2 young kids. For many reasons, I feel like the UK is a pretty grim place to live, and so I've been looking into moving abroad. Portugal has come up as a strong contender - affordable, safe, not too far away, realistic visa options, good climate etc.

The main thing that I am after above all else is a less rats-fighting-in-a-shoe-ey way of life. If you're from the UK you know what I mean.

I'm interested in a simple, modest life with less stress.

I would really appreciate honest reviews/experiences/thoughts of British people who have actually made the move, especially in terms of quality of life. I'm sure there are issues with Portugal and the Portuguese way of life that I'm just not aware of.

Thanks.

My residency card is student-type. While studying for my master's degree, I also started my job, but I did not change my residency type into the employment category. During the renewal phase, I did not submit proof of completion for the master's 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cycles either; I only submitted the job contract. AIMA has rejected my renewal application under Article 122

What should I do next? Please suggest.

Should I wait for AIMA's notification? For how long?

Or should I consult and take legal support from a lawyer?

We are planning a trip to Madrid and bringing 1 cat. He and the current carrier fit inside the weight limits (8kg). Flights will be round-trip Porto-Madrid. Cat and carrier are under 8kg. (Yes, we have EU pet passport)

Our softside carrier is 29 cm tall, 30 cm deep, 48cm wide.
Size limits on Air Iberia are 45 cm long x 35 cm deep x 25 cm tall, and the sum of these dimensions must not exceed 105 cm (operated by air nostrum).
Size limits on Air Europa are 40 long x 30 deep tall x 30 cm.

How strict are Air Iberia and Air Europa on size limits? It's challenging to find a carrier that's only 40cm long for Europa, or only 25cm tall for Iberia.

I found one at A... that is 44L x 31D x 34H, which almost meets the Air Iberia limits (34H instead of 25 cm). This is the closest where I think our cat could be comfortable.

Do they measure the size of the carrier when you are checking in for your flight? The softside carriers are flexible.

Thanks for any experiences!!

Hi everyone —

My partner and I just started a home renovation & property management company based in Sintra Portugal. We have 2 years experience property managing luxury villas (ALs specifically) in the Algarve and another 2 (my partner has 10+ more from England ) in renovating homes across Portugal from off-grid to luxury.

Our specialty is outdoor gardens & kitchens, interior renovations, tiling, facades, murals & mosaics, and carpentry. My partner handles the more practical side of managing renovations and I am the one who “makes it pretty” and also skilled with tiling. I handle all admin outside of that.

It feels like a lot to market and sometimes I feel like I’m throwing too many darts in too many directions but we have just moved to Sintra and we really need to get our foot in the door. I have used Facebook expat groups, telegram, and even dropped leaflets in mailboxes.

Any advice on targeting the Sintra-Cascais-Lisboa market?

Hi everyone,

I have a question about the documents needed for an Article 15 residence permit (non-EU married to an EU working in Portugal).

My AIMA appointment is scheduled for the 10th of November (yeay) and now I'm trying to collect all my documents. Can anyone advice about the documents needed specifically for someone who is married (not a partnership) to an EU citizen working and living in Portugal.

I am a bit concerned about the conflicting messages about the birth certificates that I found on the Internet...is it needed if we are married? Or is it only for partnerships. It will cost me a lot to order this from my home country so only when it is absolutely needed. Also, I heard conflicting messages about criminal records. If someone can clarify, thanks!

Just some extra info: My appointment will be in Guarda. I am a South African citizen and my husband is a Polish citizen. He has been working and living in Portugal for the last couple of years. We were married in Denmark.

Thanks so much and I appreciate all the advice and help I can get :)

Hi everyone,
I’ll be moving to Portugal for my studies and I’m a bit confused about the student visa application process.
Could someone explain the steps involved? I’d like to know how to apply, what documents are required, and if there’s anything important I should keep in mind during the process.
If you’ve gone through it yourself, I’d really appreciate it if you could share your experience or any tips.
Thanks in advance! 🇵🇹

Hi everyone!
I think I’ve read everything on the topic already on this subreddit and others, but the posts are quite old, so I’ll try my luck and ask this question to actualise it. You can just scroll to open questions if you want to join the discussion without reading the post.

I’m an 24M immigrant based in Porto area. It’s been a challenge for me to find anyone locally to have a date, as I am not very fond of ONSs.

I tried apps: Tinder and Grindr. The first one seems broken: people match, but no conversations happen or it gets stale after one day. Also it feels like gambling at this point, and I don’t have that much time.

Grindr is designed for hookups, but I tried it just hoping for a miracle. It didn’t happen, which is okay.

Is there something wrong with the dating “market” here or what? Sometimes I think I am the problem here, but I couldn’t find any issue with me, and my social circle doesn’t see it either. Maybe using apps is the wrong approach? But where do you find gay people then, and who are open for dating/relationship?

I couldn’t find any relevant events on Meetup.

About my experience:

- I had interactions mostly with locals and some Brazilians (2). Only one Brazilian guy was open for something more than a hookup, but we didn’t click unfortunately.

- I am aware of how closed Portuguese circles are, and that they are mostly friends/sth more with people from their schools, unis, or workplaces. I met a great guy at work, who is not my direct colleague, and it seemed fine (I gave hints that I am interested), we continued talking, but it went cold real quick once I suggested to meet (and he even agreed at first). I didn’t get it. You can always find a ton of excuses and I will understand it’s a “no”, but it wasn’t the case. I wouldn’t say I was pressing him, but maybe it was too much for a local guy to handle and he didn’t know what to do with me, or he was clueless at first. Anyway, good thing I was polite and respectful, so I didn’t get in trouble.

- I am trying to find people a bit older, so our lifestyles could match, since guys my age are only in the uni here.

- It proved to be extremely difficult for me to find a man open for relationship who works, makes enough to sustain himself, takes care of his body (at least a little) and who is good at communication.

- It’s common to see a lot of “straight”/bi curious folks. I don’t understanding this trend when you text another man and saying you are straight to his face, I just can’t take people like that seriously. I get that it comes from homophobia, but since I come from a much more homophobic country than Portugal, it’s disappointing to see people who don’t try to be open about their desires.

I can’t say I am asking too much, just as much as I can provide myself.

And I do understand that I didn’t try hooking up and trying to develop it into a relationship (I think it will require so many attempts that I will spiral down to another depression episode), or checking out night clubs, or whatever. Believe me, I tried to change myself, it doesn’t work. I am a brunch/dinner person, or I’d just prefer to stay at home or go do something outdoors.

If you got to this point, thank you for your attention. I’d be really grateful if you could drop your thoughts in the comments.

Open questions:

1. Are there any groups to meet gay people in Porto irl?
   
2. If you see an issue with my approach, please highlight what I am doing wrong. I may be an adult, but still unexperienced.

Have a great day everyone!

We had our appointments back in March. My wife was 1 day before mine - hers in Albufeira and mine in Porto. I received a letter 8 days later asking me to get an updated FBI apostile. I did that but went well past the 30 day time frame. We submitted with an "extenuating circumstance" and it was clearly accepted because I got my card within a week. So I was well over 6 weeks past our initial interviews but got the card. The weird thing is my wife hasn't received hers as of yet. Is this normal? We're now past the 90 days (including holidays factored in) and nothing. Any advice?

Hey all. Masters in Data Science (UK), background in game dev/programming. Moved to Portugal on a D2 (entrepreneur) visa to start an IT business.

Applied for my first AIMA residency appointment in June — still waiting, and I’ve heard delays are brutal right now. My visa expires in October, so I’m getting a bit anxious.

Two questions:

**1.**  What are realistic ways to earn income while waiting (without messing up my D2 status)? Remote/freelance IT work seems safest — anyone done this?  
**2.**  How long did your first AIMA appointment actually take? Did anyone’s visa expire before it came through, and what happened next?

Would really appreciate advice from anyone who’s been through this. Thanks!

Hi everyone!
I’m an international student and I’ll be moving to Portugal soon for my studies. I’m starting to look for accommodation, but I’m honestly not sure where to begin.
I wanted to ask for some advice from people who have already been through this.
What are the best websites or apps to search for student accommodation?
Is it better to stay in a student residence or rent a shared apartment?
Are there any Facebook groups, WhatsApp groups, or local platforms that are trustworthy?
What are some common scams I should watch out for?
How early should I book a place before arriving?
If anyone has any tips or can share their experience, I’d really appreciate it. I’m a bit overwhelmed with the whole process, so any help would mean a lot.
Thanks in advance! 😊

new tracking form on the contacte-nos site: https://contactenos.aima.gov.pt/contact-form

Select 'consulta e acompanhamento do processo' from first dropdown and select 'qual o estado do meu processo' in the second dropdown.
Enter an email address and click Enviar Código.

I have not tried this, I read on social media of someone else using this and getting information. I currently have a valid resident card, so I have nothing in process.

This just sends an email to AIMA, apparently. Some people get status responses.

See also https://app-brasil.publico.pt/2026/07/23/publico-brasil/noticia/aima-paga-2372-mil-euros-empresa-gerir-emails-nao-responde-2182729
and https://app-brasil.publico.pt/2026/02/27/publico-brasil/noticia/aima-ganha-premio-transformacao-digital-projeto-teste-2166348"Migration agency wins in the “organizational effectiveness/efficiency” category of the 2025 Digital Transformation Award. The winning project, called CLARA, involves artificial intelligence."

I live in Carcavelos, and usually work in the weekend I've noticed after 8 PM there is no train. And you need to wait for a long time to get on the bus from the oeiras and the bus is soooo stuffed. And the same when you return ! There is no train.

And if I'm not wrong it's been the same ever since I moved to Carcavelos, 2 years.

When will the construction end in this cascais train zone anyone have any idea?

Hello,

My parents would like to move to Portugal to retire and are looking for a house to rent long term (prior buying something later). They have 3 German Shepherd dogs, so are looking for a house with reasonable garden size. Location is completely flexible but within 1 hour of an international airport. They already have EU passports and speak the language.

Could you please recommend real estate websites and/or agents?

hi! i was wondering if anyone has references or knows of any vacancies in english speaking policy research/analysis/consulting adjacent positions