Help

To Hell With America · #1 (**permalink**) 15th January 2008, 04:42 PM

My wife and I went to Portugal last year and have wanted to move there. We had put a reservation down on a home and lost it due to the company was b.s. (M.R.I. is the company). We are currently going back over in March for 90 day's. Can anyone tell me what you have to do to obtain a Visa to live there permanently? What are the guidelines as far as, do you have to go back to America to keep your citizenship? and how often? We really need all the help we can get and while we read over the net it's very hard to believe what is being put out thier. If anyone can advise us on how we need to go about this that would be great. Obrigado.

Jon and Lori

Bevdeforges · #2 (**permalink**) 15th January 2008, 06:45 PM

Hi, and welcome to the forums here.

Someone a bit more familiar with Portugal will have to explain the visa situation, but generally it isn't easy for US citizens to just pick up and move to the EU. If you're going to work, you have to show that you aren't taking a job away from a Portuguese citizen, and if you aren't going to work, you have to prove you can manage without working (and provide your own health insurance).

Don't worry about losing your US citizenship. It's getting more and more difficult to lose it, or even to give it up voluntarily. You will have to continue to file US income taxes, though there are tax treaties to try to avoid double taxation of your income. You may want to try and find the website of the US Consulate/Embassy in Portugal. They usually publish quite a bit of information for Americans living in the country.
Cheers,
Bev

Mamacats · #3 (**permalink**) 16th January 2008, 02:50 PM

Welcome to the forum,

Here is the site for the US embassy in Lisbon, hope it helps.
U.S. Embassy Lisbon, Portugal

Diane aka Mamacats
Ragdoll Breeder
Portugal

omostra06 · #4 (**permalink**) 21st January 2008, 04:37 PM

Hi welcome to the forum, where are you thinking of moving to?

del stevens · #5 (**permalink**) 26th January 2008, 08:18 AM

hi im del i live in ourique portugal in answer to your question you can obtain residency quite easy now if you have an address in portugal you have a fiscal number, you never lose your country of origin any problems contact me