The underlying message in the video is POSITIVE! We are simply sharing our experiences. The Portuguese people have been incredibly helpful while we have been settling in. A few tiny challenges but nothing that a positive attitude, patience (and a little help) could not fix. Just to be clear, any small admin challenges mentioned were resolved before making the video and done so much quicker than we could have anticipated.
Hi. Congratulations on reaching the 6 month mark. I'm portuguese, lived for 4 years in the UK and am currently in Finland, the first months are always the most exciting. I've watched some of your videos and it warms my heart to hear you guys speak so well of my country. I hope you keep feeling welcomed there and wish you guys all the best!
Your attitude and willingness to look within to consider other ways to look at specific, complex situations is heartening. I can only hope to have this level of humility when I make my journey. The virtual assistant seems a great approach to issues that can be overwhelming, even without the language barrier. The view behind you in this video engenders calm and peace. I hope there are such places one could live (fairly easily) without need of a car, though that has not been my experience anywhere else I've lived in the US. Thank you for sharing your journey (the ups and the downs).
Thanks so much for your kind words Scott 🙏🏽 There are many places that you could live comfortably without a car here. Public transport is pretty good in many areas (and not only in the tourist spots)😊
I've used to live in London with my husband and I congratulate your positiveness regarding your experiences! Regarding utility bills try to pay via pagamento de serviços and not via direct debit. I do apolot for the property industry but there are really good professionals out there that can help. I really love London to bits although We're not living there anymore due to Covid. Loving your positiveness and how you cope with your experiences! Hope you can receive the best that Portugal has to offer! You have a lovely channel!!
Good afternoon & hello! When it comes to NIF's and Bank accounts, for non-EU residents, you now have to get the NIF & Bank account before you can apply for your D7 (or other) Visa. Most specifically from the Americas or Australia / New Zealand ... It's a much bigger deal and more work now than it was before 2021. :) It's a great idea to hire a bilingual Portuguese VA (Virtual Assistant)!!
Hi Jen, well that’s a good thing to know! It’s certainly easier when you are a EU citizen as you can drop in without much preparation :) Yes, a Virtual Assistant can be a life saver as it’s so much cheaper than to the route of lawyers and relocation experts that are busy or expensive.
Hi Regarding electricity and gas, you should know that you can give the readings monthly (i do that every month) so you dont have a surprise each 6 months. Just look at your monthly invoice and look the explanaition about how to give the readings
Hi Alexander, Yes that’s also our learning now. However we didn’t know how to do it. We were paying the bills on automated direct debit. So it’s definitely a good one to look out for.
Yes, Yes, Yes... please do the follow up video. I have learned so much from you. I'm living in Caldas da Rainha but planning to move to Algarve soon. But I think there are geographical anomalies with all of this buying, renting, dealings.... Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and learnings.
Have in mind that gas central heating in portugal is the most type of heating available, always look for a house either with AC or electric central heating, you will see a ridiculous price difference.
I wonder how you organized your arrival in Portugal? We arrived a while ago and had to get our NIF and all the other paperwork sorted and it all happened within a few days. If you don't know how to do it right, why not contact a relocation agent that can assist with all the paperwork and even with finding accommodation. It doesn't cost much (way below the 5000 EUR you mentioned) and helps a lot. Most of the problems you state seem to be related to inexperience in moving between countries. If done in the right sequence then opening a bank account and getting yourself established is really easy and quick. Here in Portugal central heating isn't cheap, but if used in the right way it provides comfort at a reasonable cost (I would say). A bill of 800 EUR sounds completely ridiculous unless one lets the heating run 24/7 at maximum. However, it is really a good idea to take meter readings when moving into a new place. I also agree that the Portuguese real estate market is difficult and very unregulated/undocumented compared to other countries. So ... good luck and looking forward to your next video ...
@T in Portugal thanks for your feedback😊 It’s interesting to hear about other experiences. We did extensive research and prep before arriving and had explored the possibility of utilising a recommended relocation agent. We looked at several options but they didn’t seem to offer good value for the exorbitant fees! Luckily it’s not our first rodeo so we decided to do it by ourselves (with a little help from our VA on translations). I’m pleased to say that we have managed to achieve a lot quite quickly. We already have our NIFs, CRUE, SNS numbers, Bank Account etc. Our aim is just to offer a bit of encouragement those who might want to do it themselves 😊 It’s all part of the experience for us. We are learning a lot. We are glad that you agree with some of our tips. Oh and yes, the €800 utility bill is crazy. We are challenging it as we definitely didn’t have the level of usage that would warrant such a bill. Stay tuned and please keep your feedback coming👍🏽
Hello! What an adventure you are having :) You are right about the weather, it's a bit cold in the winter (january and february mainly) specially because our houses are not very well equiped to the winter...the new ones are better because the constrution regulations are different now...but yes, it's very expensive to keep a house warm in the winter. In the summer we have very, very hot temperatures (sometimes up to 40 degrees or more), so you will find the wind from the ocean very welcome. But generally from march to october, mid november we have good wether :). About the burocracy, there are many things that we can do online now, and we have Loja do Cidadão, where you can do many things at the same time (the water, electricity, citizen card, car registry etc). Generally there is one in the big cities, but sometimes you have to exercise all your patience, bring a book and wait...it works for me...And offcourse, now with covid everything is even a bit slower. I hope you'll be very happy here...feel free to ask if you need any doubt.
Hi Paula, thanks for your sweet comment 🙏 Yes we will definitely figure things out. And yes, there are many new build houses popping up, so hopefully it will all get better 👍
You two are adorable! I’m so glad I found you. In this video you addressed exactly what I was needing in regards to idealista. 😆 Now I will go back and watch all the ones I’ve missed. I’m moving over in September from California. Muito Obrigado!! 💓
I’m glad you like it Elizabeth! Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel there is a lot more coming up during May of similar content. Good luck on your move :) 👍🇵🇹
Hi José, Yes it feels overwhelming in the beginning. But actually not too bad at all. But Portugal is probably also my 6th country :) I don’t think paperwork process would be any easier if a foreigner moved to Denmark
First time viewer, now subscriber. You seem like great people, and you definitely have the right attitude - approach things with a growth mindset, and every setback is just a learning opportunity. We’ve been in Spain for about the same amount of time you’ve been in Portugal as of this video (6 months), and have taken the same approach. I appreciate the suggestion of using a VA for translation courtesy of a coworking space. I hadn’t thought of that! So far we’ve been able to get help from school associates, but in a pinch, I know who we will call for help. (Also as you probably know, it’s the same up here wrt pastelerías. And panaderías, and confiterías. Yet almost not one person we see seems to have put on weight. We think it’s down to all the walking people do here in the course of a day.)
Hi Luis, Yes we love Madeira as well. However, as a young family we prefer Mainland as it gives us more things to discover without having to use an airport. But no doubt, Madeira is a fantastic little island.
@@HyggeJourney I agree with you there. Madeira is beautiful but you ae dependent on a plane to get out. Also, in my case, I would see everything on the island in a week and then, what would I do? I love to travel and being on the mainland you get drive all over Portugal, and then Spain, and after that, France. The possibilities are endless. Madeira also has serious ecological problems with massive storms and landslides and also devastating fires.
Thanks for another great video.Yes... please post more on opening a bank account & finding an apartment. Also on how to get a virtual assistant. That idea sounds great. Thanks for what you do!!
Thanks for the level of details you are going into guys! The bureaucracy and energy is something that I would love to compare it to other European countries such as Czech Republic, Montenegro, Croatia and Andorra
Great advice and I look forward to your video on renting..We are currently trying to find an appartment in Lisbon and have run into some recommended sites which when you look into the comments appear to be rip offs!! Any info on the renting process will be so helpful!
Thanks for the useful video! Will probably make use of the suggestion to contact different municipalities if that makes NIF registration easier. If one tries to get all the registrations necessary for living in Portugal and being able to use the healthcare system done as fast as possible, how long do you think it should take, including waiting for the public authorities to do their part? Here I am thinking about for example Certificado de Residência, NIF, Certificado do Registo de Cidadão da União Europeia, Cartão do Cidadão, Número de Utente, SNS, etc.
Each of these things depends a lot on if they are effected of lockdown or covid 19 measures etc. CRUE = 1-3 weeks NIF = 1-3 weeks if you use our trick SNS = 1-3 months But all of these are just guesstimates. It depends on where you live, how much pressure they have on etc. So find a good Portuguese speaking person that can help you with calls, and hustle through it :-) There is simply no set answer to all of this. Also one last thing... SNS numbers takes long, if you are NON EU - simply because they have to get over SEF to be approved. (SEF = Immigration authorities)
Hi! I'm Portuguese but live abroad so I have experienced some of the setbacks you mentioned regarding relocating to a foreign country. I can only imagine how daunting opening a bank account must be in Portugal when you don't speak the language, haha. I have two pieces of advice on that matter: a) Try ActivoBank. They are a mostly online-based bank (25 years ago they provided services over the phone) owned by one of the big banks. They have some physical branches, usually located on shopping malls, and they are open from 10am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday (10 to 1pm on Saturday). Both their website and app have an English version and, from my experience, they literally "print" the bank cards real-time as you are opening the account, so you only need one trip to their branch if you bring all the required paperwork. Also, they do not charge any monthly fees, contrary to most other banks in Portugal. b) If all you need is a Portuguese IBAN and/or a Portuguese bank card to access all the services at ATMs, there is a new online bank called Moey. They are also owned by a more traditional bigger bank. I was able to install the app and open a bank account in around 5 minutes, using my citizen's card (I'm not sure if you have one, but I'm sure you can also show the regular paperwork). Since my phone's OS is in English, I did everything in English and still use their app in English. Everything works flawlessly and their customer support is quite helpful. For day-to-day banking services it is more than enough. The only limitation is that you cannot deposit cash into your account. Also, it's free. Best of luck and kudos for your positive attitude.
This is AMAZING advice! Thank you so much for sharing 😊 it’s so helpful. We really appreciate it 🙏🏽 Fees is definitely something to be aware of. Especially the hidden ones 😬 Did not know about the new online bank, Moey. We will check it out 😊
Hi. I am Portuguese and I live in Lisbon and I am happy that you are pleased with this experience. Portugal is a peacefull, sunny and safe country & perfect to live and visit. Children are important and they are a priority in every way for us (because they are the future!). Happy, free and safe children are balance adults... I want you to know that all the difficulties you have experienced are common, and even us (natives) speaking the language face the same challenges.... Social Security services are "living hell" and Covid is teaching my Country to step in the new Millennium 😅 by using emails and internet (public services in Portugal sucks because is were most of the corrupted put their familiy and friends...). It is a matter of having luck with the person who receives your affair 🤷♀️. Pacience, resilence and persistence normally solves the lasyness... I hope you be happy here with us. Much Love 🌻🌞
Hi Sandra, Thank you so much for your comment. I'm glad that also Portuguese enjoy our videos :-) I must admit, there has been few frustrating moments - but as I also admit in the video, I think Portugal has probably been the easiest to move to at least for us. Things are generally working well - and when you have a positive attitude, even the public employed people seems to be very happy to welcome new foreigners. I can't say the public system in Denmark where I am from works smooth - so definitely nothing to complain about ;) So far, we love your country! 👍😎☀
Hi! If the houses in Portugal were as much isolates as in northern europe countries, you could not bear the summer! That´s what happened last summer in England with 30ºC, but in the summer we could reach 39/40ºC...
Sara, as the "alentejanos" would say: What protects you from cold, protects you from heat! ;) The problem is that construction in Portugal is now starting to discover the benefits of good insulation. Then you must consider other things besides insulation also.
If you wouldn't mind telling us....what town/city did you choose to settle in? It looks really peaceful and lovely. BTW I started laughing at the same time (couldn't get through on the phone because it was in Portugese)
Hi Shari, Glad you like our videos! Well, we don't share our exact location in public, just down to safety for our kids etc. The internet can be full of a lot of weird people, so therefore, we don't disclose that exact location. But it's roughly 30 min north from Lisbon towards the Silver Coast. There is a lot of nice calm areas in that stretch :) Feel free to connect on Facebook if you need more information. Link is in the description :)
For the pronunciation of pastelaria you need to put the stess on the i of ia. (pastelaría). There is no written accent but it is there. Spanish is different because a written accent is placed on the word. Not in Portuguese. In your pronunciation there would be an accent on the "a" so it would be pastelária. As for the ability of the Portuguese to speak English, they are obviously not at the level of the Danes, Dutch, Swedes, Norwegians, Flemish Belgians, and Finns but compared to most other countries the Portuguese do well. In the EF English Proficiency Index Portugal ranked very high (7th), much higher than Spain, France, and Italy. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EF_English_Proficiency_Index
Wow this is great! Thanks for the tip Ray😊 We are definitely impressed with the level of English spoken here. I’m often complimenting Portuguese people who don’t think their English is very good.
@@HyggeJourney we surely take advantage from the fact that movies, TV series, etc, are all broadcasted in their original languages (except the ones which are aimed to children), unlike Spain, France, Italy and others, that dubb everything into their language. Glad you feel welcomed in Portugal!
Most of what you say makes perfect sense, except for the part regarding Real Estate. I find it very odd that people don't answer your emails. My guess (but I'm not sure) is that, unlike other sites, Idealista features many adverts by the owners themselves (as opposed to real estate agents). So they may behave unprofessionally, and leave the ads on even after the property is sold, or pay little attention to the ad they put up. Answering ads put up by realtors should get fast answers by professionals who are really interested in selling. I must confess I had an ad running for ten years on Idealista for a garage I own, for a price which was apparently higher than the market is willing to pay and I did have a careless attitude of "just let it run, the ad is free anyway..." Also during those ten years I twice received an email in English which was clearly a phishing attempt (it was the same email, years apart). Maybe that scam appears regularly on Idealista, and your English emails were misinterpreted as spam.
Hi Pedro, I think there is a number of reasons why we have experienced what we have. 1) Some of them thought we weren't in the country yet and couldn't get here because of lockdown, simply because we didn't have a Portuguese phone number to being with. 2) I'm not sure if they are not good to follow up on leads - or if Idealista simply don't notify them - but often there is a delay. That is where we are trying to contact them on Whatsapp with much greater success. 3) We have also chosen areas without many expats/foreigners - which mean that it's not always these Real estate agents even get a request in English. So our advise is just to tell, that you shouldn't give up - and that once you have managed to get contact you are able to view the house. Again, it's just a small thing, that can feel frustrating when you don't speak the language so you can't call them. Maybe other portals are better - we have mainly used Idealista for our search so far. Thanks for commenting and contributing to the debate :-)
Believe me what they are saying is true. I have had the same problems which I really took it personally. Realtors usually don't get back to you ! They are not professional for the most part, and don't know much about the place they are renting or selling. That can get really frustrating. Even one I dealt with before didn't even bother answering me. What a waste of time. I thought they would be more serious in small towns then but I was wrong. So far not lucky with real estate agencies. And yes, you are right about scams on Idealista, most of those properties are 'ghost properties' so of course they do not answer, because many of them are just there for decoration. Result 2 months wasted trying to rent a place in the Algarve. I changed my mind and went up north. Found a place in a couple of days and moved in immediately.
Thank you for your video , very informative. We are hoping to arrive in August . Could you explain a bit more on how virtual assistant work? Do you have a link on where we might recruit these kind of services ? Thank you !
Hi @Fred Wang, Many places offers it, I would probably try to find someone who is close to where you think you are going to live, so this person can assist you when you are settling in. Virtual Assistant in Portuguese is: "ASSISTENTE VIRTUAL" so try to see if you can search a bit around and you should probably find something you are happy with. We found ours through a CoWorking space that offered it - but you also find some business centers etc in the local area that might offer this. August is a good time to come then you have some months of great weather :) If you haven't already, don't forget to subscribe. We are coming with many other useful videos.
I think you get what you expect, no matter where you live. You two expect things to go well, and don’t put out the energy of entitlement,so no wonder people want to be supportive and helpful.
Hi Ingrid, Thanks so much for your comment. We record most of our content between the areas north of Lisbon and on the Silver Coast. So that will be the areas you are seeing in the background :)
I had 5 blankets this winter and still very cold.... Afraid to move in my bed for fear of being even colder. Never been so cold in my life in the winter.
Well, that's what we have to admit... Portugal has the Atlantic ocean which is just a lot colder than the Mediterranean ocean :-) But at least we can see many surfers has a lot of fun!
@@HyggeJourney yes, I also would be interested in this comparison. When you mentioned that you "tried to live in Spain" I got instantly intrigued: why "tried", and what went wrong?
Hi @Zato, What we would do is to either look for CoWorking spaces or Business Centers in the area that you are planning to move to. Many of these companies will have someone that you hire per hour. We are considering if we can make a guide for this, as we have had the question a few times since uploading the video. Let me know how it goes for you, so we can try to add some value to one of our next videos or blogs about this. Thank you.
How did you deal with buying a house? Were you able to hire your own agent, or are you renting. I’ve kept an eye out for actual real estate companies when I watch real estate content on UA-cam. Great tips!
We have attempted to buy a house but not yet found one that we are willing to go ahead with. Due to lockdown it has slowed us down a bit. But it is something we want to cover into much more depth because I don’t think many do it.
Thank you for your video. I am on a scouting trip at the end of the year. Would it be easier to set up a bank account before the move which we are going to do Spring/Summer 2022?
This all depends on where you are moving from. I think if you are moving from EU then save the headache - and do it when you are here. But if you are Non-EU - then I think it's a VISA requirement that you have done it before you come. (I'm not a visa expert, so check this!!) :-)
Thanks for the input. We will definitely go much deeper with property. We got a good bit lined up for May in this regard... Importing cars is something we’ve never tried, so I doubt we will cover that 😅👍
Yes. But in the U.K. you can’t start an account without providing meter readings. But what happened for us was they didn’t take the meter readings when they started the contract. So they continued on the landlord’s estimates on the landlords account. So just something to look out for.
@@HyggeJourney Absolutely! It has occured quite a few years ago in the UK, the new tenant has inherited the former tenant's bill but things have changed now.
If you think bureaucracy is bad in Portugal, try living in Italy or even Spain. I've lived in Brazil and Mexico and it is much worse. No comparison. Nobody in his right mind would send an email to Finanças and expect an answer. Live and learn. Portugal is not that bad actually. Of course I went through all those hurdles years ago, when there weren't many foreigners wanting to come and live here. I must have already been vaccinated after Brazilian red tape because the Portuguese variety was a doddle. What you have to do immediately is learn the basics of the language. If not, you will always be dependent on others to do things. I was lucky because when I arrived here in 1991 I had been living in Brazil for almost 20 years so the language was the same even though the Portuguese variety was very different from the Brazilian one. It was a bit like an American, speaking standard American English, being thrown into Glasgow and trying to understand the locals. By the way, Jannik, half of my heritage is Danish, with my grandfather coming from Hoptrup, a village in Jutland between Haverslev and Aabenraa. We've been there to see the house where the Vogensens (or Vonsens) lived for centuries. It was an amazing experience.
Noteworthy advice. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us. We enjoyed reading about them. Well south Jutland is a lovely area as well, I've been there many times. I'm glad we also have Danes following our channel :-) /Jannik
@@HyggeJourney Well, I'm not really a Dane; just the name actually, although I really admire your country. In fact, if there is a new TV series, I watch it. A lot of Danes immigrated to the region just north of San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma counties. I think most of the Vogensens went to the same area, maybe to work in the dairy industry. When I was a kid my father worked on a dairy ranch owned by a man named Vonsen, who probably was a distant relative.
Do you prefer the small town over Lisbon? We have a toddler and a baby and plan to visit in October, and relocate next year. I’m seriously considering the country, within an hour of Lisbon.
Yes, especially because of COVID it’s good to get out of the city. Try to look at places like Mafra, Ericeira or the Silver Coast. There is a lot of hidden gems :) And properties are much more reasonable priced than Lisbon.
Thank you for sharing your insights! Would you let us know which virtual assistant you recommend/used: When I search I get a bunch of results for freelancers and seems all over the place.
Thank you! Glad you like it. Actually I'm not sure, as we are renting and wasn't presented for an energy rating. I can conclude the isolation isn't done very well, if any. The building is from around 2005.
@@HyggeJourney thanks a lot for a swift response. It's worth mentioning that Imovirtual, as opposed to Idealista, shows the energy ratings right out of the box. I wonder if it's a reliable indicator of a flat insulation.
I doubt it. I also think many of the energy ratings i've seen on houses for sale have been very optimistic... So I think you should make your own checks to if isolation is used to if it's a single layer wall for an example. Also what really matters a lot if the position of the house/flat, if you get direct sun ligth that heat up the flat for longer - which helps your cost as well.
@@HyggeJourney yeah, that's what I thought. Gotta see those flats for myself. No way around it . That's exactly what I'm planning to do in the spring. Thanks again for your time. Cheers
@@HyggeJourney at first it seems strange but when at the end of the year my parents got a refund for over 300 i understanded it ps ive been living in Nee York for over 37 yearsbut moved to PT these last few months
Hey gutys, greetings. One of the things about Portugal is that it is disorganized, especially the government services. They are completely understaffed, underpayed & short tempered. The fact u came during the Pandemic did not help. The banks are a pain; I so totally dislike them. They treat you as if they are doing u a favor, & believe me it's easier for us Portuguese. They must report to Bank of Portugal & they are really cracking up on money laundering, etc, so they feel they have to be difficult. Client service in Portugal is a joke! Most 'professionals' are very unprofessional. They don't return emails, they don't pick up the phones unless you wait for it to ring 20 times (if you are lucky), they cut u off, they don't take msgs but they tell you to call back! 🙄 I am sorry about this, but I hope the good things of Portugal kind of make up for these small irritations. RealEstate realtors can be a pest. They don't give u the time of day if ur budget is small. They show you properties that don't meet ur standards because there are just not enough properties around. Stay with the Remaxes and ERA's and PopStar. ImovelVirtual is an intermediary and sometimes does not send ur contact emails to the realtors in a timely fashion, if they do so call their cell numbets or text if u hv a cell nr . Central Heating costs here are a rip-off. I remember once going to LON in Nov, and bitterly cold. The inside of the hotel was toasty warm, u cannot afford to do that here. I only use it for a few hours when temps go to single digits, just prior to going to sleep and I paid 100€ a month in Feb. Best to use either fireplace or local heating units but use sparingly cause they are also guzzlers. Change ur heating provider based on the best rates; ur not bound by contract. Galp can be expensive, EDP is very expensive. Cheapest I found were Goldenergy and Endesa. I got a 0.14c per KW on Endesa. Do call ur reading for actual bills, not estimated . Now SAY... "PASTE (like toothpaste).. LA (as if you were calling 'Lara' ... RIIIIIA with pronunciation of the R like in "Riyadh" and accent the "I" as if you were saying India; pastelaria. Do learn some Portuguese, but ask if anyone speaks English and can help you, dont be shy. Thx for choosing 🇵🇹 & stay healthy and happy. ❤️🙏🤗
Thanks for sharing your experiences and excellent tips. The good definitely outweighs our challenging moments🙏🏽 Still working on the pronunciations haha. It’s the double r sound that we find very tricky!
Portuguese have a bad habit! (I am Portuguese): We talk very bad of our own country and our capabilities - Many times this is a wrong misconception! Good luck for you guys :)
@@HyggeJourney for sure! I do think that starts to happen in Portugal also but the idea of a bad working country in general is mingled in our culture. Anyway there are many things that evolved alot but you will allways see people saying otherwise. Even if we lack many things I think portuguese people compensate that for their way of being. (living abroad right now so all experiences have goods and bads - as long as the goods are more important were 🆗️ 😅)
I am Portuguese and I absolutely know what you are talking about here .. I have lived abroad for 13 years now, and when I go to Portugal and I have to deal with something in public services, get into stress.. 😅😅😅
Haha yes! I think all government has the weaknesses in processes. I can think of stress giving situations in all the countries I have lived in ;-) But you get far here by the Portuguese friendliness 👍👌
Me too especially that I don't speak Portuguese except a few words. I spend my time doing research because things are not always explained well. The bus stop doesn't even mention at what time it's coming and where it's going so you constantly have to ask somewhere to someone and hopefully the person knows a little but not guarantee.
Well, the more Portuguese you know, the easier your life will be ;) So I guess the take on this, is that if you want to move to Portugal in the future, then start learning the language now and get yourself a tutor as we also talk about in our video here: ua-cam.com/video/rVrsafYFyXY/v-deo.html
Most portuguese speak fairly well English and hopefully they are happy to help . Where there's a will there's a way and both of you definitely have a positively will you'll find your way. 🙂
It’s a difficult question to answer as it’s based on many variables e.g your lifestyle, where in Portugal you plan to live, if you already have an income, if you have dependents, if you plan to buy, if you need a car etc. Our best advise is to save as much as you can so that you have peace of mind on arrival. Take a look at cost of living tables and try to put together a rough estimate of costs for the type of lifestyle you want then save a healthy multiple of those costs (6 -12 months for example).
Many problems is because you don't speack with natives. Get portuguese native friends ask help opinions we help free if someone ask for money is scamers be careful there are some, true help with information or more is free.
Idealista properties... no replies... properties not correct price or description... wrong photos... location incorrect - sometimes not even in the correct town! Interesting process.
Hi there, We literally know nothing about visas :) But my best advise is try to contact your country’s embassy in Portugal. They will most likely be able to provide you with a overview of your options :)
I can’t understand what concerns you had with English on every service in Portugal. Try the Spanish and you will be desperate. We are very flexible and we love to help anyone. If you had some issues you had misunderstandings
Isn't this great tho ?, As it's hot !, Well i always run hot tbh even in coldest of winters lol , I'm one of the very rare British people who has a Air Conditioning unit in our apartment 😆, as I run so hot ! . Hopefully its great when we get to Portugal, I don't speak any eeek , but my bf of 10 years does as he is Portuguese lol, so we're just moving to his home town near Porto Povoa de Varzim.
There is a few that we've seen who is doing a good job. But I agree with you, it's certainly the worst experience on that account I've seen. Some of it, is also just poor products on the shelf (poor building quality). It's easier to be a good agent if the houses are on point.
@@HyggeJourney you do realize that PT has been hugel;y hyped for over 10 yrs now and very good houses and apts are few and far btwn. The market is now overinflated
@@Kimllg88 Fully agree with you. I've also blogged about this here :) hyggejourney.com/2022/12/13/why-you-should-not-buy-a-property-in-portugal-in-2022-2023/
The underlying message in the video is POSITIVE! We are simply sharing our experiences. The Portuguese people have been incredibly helpful while we have been settling in. A few tiny challenges but nothing that a positive attitude, patience (and a little help) could not fix. Just to be clear, any small admin challenges mentioned were resolved before making the video and done so much quicker than we could have anticipated.
Hi.
Congratulations on reaching the 6 month mark. I'm portuguese, lived for 4 years in the UK and am currently in Finland, the first months are always the most exciting. I've watched some of your videos and it warms my heart to hear you guys speak so well of my country. I hope you keep feeling welcomed there and wish you guys all the best!
Thanks so much for your warm message. We really appreciate it. It’s wonderful here. We feel very welcome 😊
Your attitude and willingness to look within to consider other ways to look at specific, complex situations is heartening. I can only hope to have this level of humility when I make my journey. The virtual assistant seems a great approach to issues that can be overwhelming, even without the language barrier. The view behind you in this video engenders calm and peace. I hope there are such places one could live (fairly easily) without need of a car, though that has not been my experience anywhere else I've lived in the US. Thank you for sharing your journey (the ups and the downs).
Thanks so much for your kind words Scott 🙏🏽 There are many places that you could live comfortably without a car here. Public transport is pretty good in many areas (and not only in the tourist spots)😊
I’m halfway through the NHR visa process for myself and my family..We’ll be in Lisbon soon. This advice is GOLD, thanks
Happy it’s helpful 😊thank you
Getting our paperwork together now. Anxious to start a new chapter in our lives. We're open minded and ready.
I’m glad if our videos inspire you 👍🇵🇹
You two are so lovely! I love Portugal! I really enjoyed visiting the Algarve region.
Thank you so much 😊
I've used to live in London with my husband and I congratulate your positiveness regarding your experiences! Regarding utility bills try to pay via pagamento de serviços and not via direct debit.
I do apolot for the property industry but there are really good professionals out there that can help. I really love London to bits although We're not living there anymore due to Covid.
Loving your positiveness and how you cope with your experiences!
Hope you can receive the best that Portugal has to offer! You have a lovely channel!!
Thank you so much for your kind comment. It’s definitely appreciated 👍🙏
Good afternoon & hello! When it comes to NIF's and Bank accounts, for non-EU residents, you now have to get the NIF & Bank account before you can apply for your D7 (or other) Visa. Most specifically from the Americas or Australia / New Zealand ... It's a much bigger deal and more work now than it was before 2021. :) It's a great idea to hire a bilingual Portuguese VA (Virtual Assistant)!!
Hi Jen, well that’s a good thing to know! It’s certainly easier when you are a EU citizen as you can drop in without much preparation :)
Yes, a Virtual Assistant can be a life saver as it’s so much cheaper than to the route of lawyers and relocation experts that are busy or expensive.
Hi
Regarding electricity and gas, you should know that you can give the readings monthly (i do that every month) so you dont have a surprise each 6 months.
Just look at your monthly invoice and look the explanaition about how to give the readings
Hi Alexander,
Yes that’s also our learning now. However we didn’t know how to do it. We were paying the bills on automated direct debit. So it’s definitely a good one to look out for.
Still electricity and gas prices in Portugal are a rip off
Yes, Yes, Yes... please do the follow up video. I have learned so much from you. I'm living in Caldas da Rainha but planning to move to Algarve soon. But I think there are geographical anomalies with all of this buying, renting, dealings.... Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and learnings.
Your welcome! We will definitely make many more videos 👍
Have in mind that gas central heating in portugal is the most type of heating available, always look for a house either with AC or electric central heating, you will see a ridiculous price difference.
Great advice, thank you 😊
Super helpful tips delivered with grace and style. Thanks!
I'm glad you like it! Stay tuned!
Summer is coming, enjoy traveling in Portugal. be happy
We will for sure! Thank you 👍
🙏
I wonder how you organized your arrival in Portugal? We arrived a while ago and had to get our NIF and all the other paperwork sorted and it all happened within a few days. If you don't know how to do it right, why not contact a relocation agent that can assist with all the paperwork and even with finding accommodation. It doesn't cost much (way below the 5000 EUR you mentioned) and helps a lot. Most of the problems you state seem to be related to inexperience in moving between countries. If done in the right sequence then opening a bank account and getting yourself established is really easy and quick. Here in Portugal central heating isn't cheap, but if used in the right way it provides comfort at a reasonable cost (I would say). A bill of 800 EUR sounds completely ridiculous unless one lets the heating run 24/7 at maximum. However, it is really a good idea to take meter readings when moving into a new place. I also agree that the Portuguese real estate market is difficult and very unregulated/undocumented compared to other countries. So ... good luck and looking forward to your next video ...
@T in Portugal thanks for your feedback😊
It’s interesting to hear about other experiences. We did extensive research and prep before arriving and had explored the possibility of utilising a recommended relocation agent. We looked at several options but they didn’t seem to offer good value for the exorbitant fees! Luckily it’s not our first rodeo so we decided to do it by ourselves (with a little help from our VA on translations). I’m pleased to say that we have managed to achieve a lot quite quickly. We already have our NIFs, CRUE, SNS numbers, Bank Account etc. Our aim is just to offer a bit of encouragement those who might want to do it themselves 😊
It’s all part of the experience for us. We are learning a lot.
We are glad that you agree with some of our tips. Oh and yes, the €800 utility bill is crazy. We are challenging it as we definitely didn’t have the level of usage that would warrant such a bill.
Stay tuned and please keep your feedback coming👍🏽
Awesome inside Info! Thanks for sharing your wisdom. Many Blessings.
Glad it was helpful!! What should be cover next? :-)
Hello! What an adventure you are having :) You are right about the weather, it's a bit cold in the winter (january and february mainly) specially because our houses are not very well equiped to the winter...the new ones are better because the constrution regulations are different now...but yes, it's very expensive to keep a house warm in the winter. In the summer we have very, very hot temperatures (sometimes up to 40 degrees or more), so you will find the wind from the ocean very welcome. But generally from march to october, mid november we have good wether :). About the burocracy, there are many things that we can do online now, and we have Loja do Cidadão, where you can do many things at the same time (the water, electricity, citizen card, car registry etc). Generally there is one in the big cities, but sometimes you have to exercise all your patience, bring a book and wait...it works for me...And offcourse, now with covid everything is even a bit slower. I hope you'll be very happy here...feel free to ask if you need any doubt.
Hi Paula, thanks for your sweet comment 🙏
Yes we will definitely figure things out. And yes, there are many new build houses popping up, so hopefully it will all get better 👍
You two are adorable! I’m so glad I found you. In this video you addressed exactly what I was needing in regards to idealista. 😆 Now I will go back and watch all the ones I’ve missed. I’m moving over in September from California. Muito Obrigado!! 💓
I’m glad you like it Elizabeth!
Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel there is a lot more coming up during May of similar content. Good luck on your move :) 👍🇵🇹
@@HyggeJourney I did immediately! I can’t wait for more! Found you on IG too (Lux Amare). Obrigado! 💓
In the beginning is a little complicated. Specially if you are doing it alone. But, after you gey all the papework you need, your life will be easier.
Hi José,
Yes it feels overwhelming in the beginning. But actually not too bad at all. But Portugal is probably also my 6th country :) I don’t think paperwork process would be any easier if a foreigner moved to Denmark
First time viewer, now subscriber. You seem like great people, and you definitely have the right attitude - approach things with a growth mindset, and every setback is just a learning opportunity. We’ve been in Spain for about the same amount of time you’ve been in Portugal as of this video (6 months), and have taken the same approach. I appreciate the suggestion of using a VA for translation courtesy of a coworking space. I hadn’t thought of that! So far we’ve been able to get help from school associates, but in a pinch, I know who we will call for help. (Also as you probably know, it’s the same up here wrt pastelerías. And panaderías, and confiterías. Yet almost not one person we see seems to have put on weight. We think it’s down to all the walking people do here in the course of a day.)
Thank you for kind words and you subscribed too 🙏🏽 We appreciate it. Haha I think we have our cake habit under control at least for now ;)
Nice video with good insights! Looking forward to the apartment journey video!
Thank you 😊
The better weather in Portugal is on Madeira Island, an warmer winter, and a summer not so hot as mainland - winter 17º summer 25º.
Hi Luis,
Yes we love Madeira as well. However, as a young family we prefer Mainland as it gives us more things to discover without having to use an airport. But no doubt, Madeira is a fantastic little island.
@@HyggeJourney You should visit Madeira in the colder months not in the Summer, so enjoy mainland, there plenty awesome places to visit and discovery
@@HyggeJourney I agree with you there. Madeira is beautiful but you ae dependent on a plane to get out. Also, in my case, I would see everything on the island in a week and then, what would I do? I love to travel and being on the mainland you get drive all over Portugal, and then Spain, and after that, France. The possibilities are endless. Madeira also has serious ecological problems with massive storms and landslides and also devastating fires.
@@HyggeJourney I was referencing the weather not for you moving there, that's your choice, where you feel happy
Thanks for another great video.Yes... please post more on opening a bank account & finding an apartment. Also on how to get a virtual assistant. That idea sounds great. Thanks for what you do!!
Hi Angela
We have just made one about how to find an apartment here: ua-cam.com/video/4h4iBzv21qI/v-deo.html
We are trying to cover the bank soon 👍
Thanks for the level of details you are going into guys! The bureaucracy and energy is something that I would love to compare it to other European countries such as Czech Republic, Montenegro, Croatia and Andorra
Glad you like the video :-)
Valuable info ( especially the virtual PA idea! ) from a class couple x
Thank you 😊
Getting a VA is a fabulous idea! Thank you.
Your welcome! Glad you can use the video 👍
Thank you for the insights. Could you indicate how to go about finding a virtual assistant. Sounds like a great idea.
Pro Tip: keep a hoody or sweater in the trunk of the car for those nightly temperature drops.
Thanks for sharing. Good tip! We’ve certainly noticed the temperature drop, especially near the coast line ;-)
Thanks for watching.
Great advice and I look forward to your video on renting..We are currently trying to find an appartment in Lisbon and have run into some recommended sites which when you look into the comments appear to be rip offs!! Any info on the renting process will be so helpful!
It’s coming soon. Stay tuned 😊
Incredibly helpful advice thank you so much. 💪🏾❤️👍🏾
Glad you can use it 👍
Thanks for the useful video! Will probably make use of the suggestion to contact different municipalities if that makes NIF registration easier.
If one tries to get all the registrations necessary for living in Portugal and being able to use the healthcare system done as fast as possible, how long do you think it should take, including waiting for the public authorities to do their part?
Here I am thinking about for example Certificado de Residência, NIF, Certificado do Registo de Cidadão da União Europeia, Cartão do Cidadão, Número de Utente, SNS, etc.
Each of these things depends a lot on if they are effected of lockdown or covid 19 measures etc.
CRUE = 1-3 weeks
NIF = 1-3 weeks if you use our trick
SNS = 1-3 months
But all of these are just guesstimates. It depends on where you live, how much pressure they have on etc.
So find a good Portuguese speaking person that can help you with calls, and hustle through it :-) There is simply no set answer to all of this.
Also one last thing... SNS numbers takes long, if you are NON EU - simply because they have to get over SEF to be approved. (SEF = Immigration authorities)
Hi! I'm Portuguese but live abroad so I have experienced some of the setbacks you mentioned regarding relocating to a foreign country. I can only imagine how daunting opening a bank account must be in Portugal when you don't speak the language, haha. I have two pieces of advice on that matter:
a) Try ActivoBank. They are a mostly online-based bank (25 years ago they provided services over the phone) owned by one of the big banks. They have some physical branches, usually located on shopping malls, and they are open from 10am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday (10 to 1pm on Saturday). Both their website and app have an English version and, from my experience, they literally "print" the bank cards real-time as you are opening the account, so you only need one trip to their branch if you bring all the required paperwork. Also, they do not charge any monthly fees, contrary to most other banks in Portugal.
b) If all you need is a Portuguese IBAN and/or a Portuguese bank card to access all the services at ATMs, there is a new online bank called Moey. They are also owned by a more traditional bigger bank. I was able to install the app and open a bank account in around 5 minutes, using my citizen's card (I'm not sure if you have one, but I'm sure you can also show the regular paperwork). Since my phone's OS is in English, I did everything in English and still use their app in English. Everything works flawlessly and their customer support is quite helpful. For day-to-day banking services it is more than enough. The only limitation is that you cannot deposit cash into your account. Also, it's free.
Best of luck and kudos for your positive attitude.
This is AMAZING advice! Thank you so much for sharing 😊 it’s so helpful. We really appreciate it 🙏🏽 Fees is definitely something to be aware of. Especially the hidden ones 😬 Did not know about the new online bank, Moey. We will check it out 😊
I agree. Activo bank are great and no fees!
Thank you so much for sharing! 🙏
Agreed, ActivoBank for no fees!!
Hi. I am Portuguese and I live in Lisbon and I am happy that you are pleased with this experience. Portugal is a peacefull, sunny and safe country & perfect to live and visit. Children are important and they are a priority in every way for us (because they are the future!). Happy, free and safe children are balance adults... I want you to know that all the difficulties you have experienced are common, and even us (natives) speaking the language face the same challenges.... Social Security services are "living hell" and Covid is teaching my Country to step in the new Millennium 😅 by using emails and internet (public services in Portugal sucks because is were most of the corrupted put their familiy and friends...). It is a matter of having luck with the person who receives your affair 🤷♀️.
Pacience, resilence and persistence normally solves the lasyness... I hope you be happy here with us. Much Love 🌻🌞
Hi Sandra,
Thank you so much for your comment.
I'm glad that also Portuguese enjoy our videos :-) I must admit, there has been few frustrating moments - but as I also admit in the video, I think Portugal has probably been the easiest to move to at least for us.
Things are generally working well - and when you have a positive attitude, even the public employed people seems to be very happy to welcome new foreigners.
I can't say the public system in Denmark where I am from works smooth - so definitely nothing to complain about ;)
So far, we love your country! 👍😎☀
Hi! If the houses in Portugal were as much isolates as in northern europe countries, you could not bear the summer! That´s what happened last summer in England with 30ºC, but in the summer we could reach 39/40ºC...
Well you probably could but you need very good ventilation or A/C ;-)
Thanks for watching 🙏
Sara, as the "alentejanos" would say: What protects you from cold, protects you from heat! ;) The problem is that construction in Portugal is now starting to discover the benefits of good insulation. Then you must consider other things besides insulation also.
If you wouldn't mind telling us....what town/city did you choose to settle in? It looks really peaceful and lovely. BTW I started laughing at the same time (couldn't get through on the phone because it was in Portugese)
Hi Shari,
Glad you like our videos! Well, we don't share our exact location in public, just down to safety for our kids etc.
The internet can be full of a lot of weird people, so therefore, we don't disclose that exact location.
But it's roughly 30 min north from Lisbon towards the Silver Coast.
There is a lot of nice calm areas in that stretch :)
Feel free to connect on Facebook if you need more information. Link is in the description :)
Amazing tips!
Glad you enjoyed it
Love to hear/see more.
For the pronunciation of pastelaria you need to put the stess on the i of ia. (pastelaría). There is no written accent but it is there. Spanish is different because a written accent is placed on the word. Not in Portuguese. In your pronunciation there would be an accent on the "a" so it would be pastelária. As for the ability of the Portuguese to speak English, they are obviously not at the level of the Danes, Dutch, Swedes, Norwegians, Flemish Belgians, and Finns but compared to most other countries the Portuguese do well. In the EF English Proficiency Index Portugal ranked very high (7th), much higher than Spain, France, and Italy. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EF_English_Proficiency_Index
Wow this is great! Thanks for the tip Ray😊 We are definitely impressed with the level of English spoken here. I’m often complimenting Portuguese people who don’t think their English is very good.
@@HyggeJourney we surely take advantage from the fact that movies, TV series, etc, are all broadcasted in their original languages (except the ones which are aimed to children), unlike Spain, France, Italy and others, that dubb everything into their language.
Glad you feel welcomed in Portugal!
Most of what you say makes perfect sense, except for the part regarding Real Estate. I find it very odd that people don't answer your emails. My guess (but I'm not sure) is that, unlike other sites, Idealista features many adverts by the owners themselves (as opposed to real estate agents). So they may behave unprofessionally, and leave the ads on even after the property is sold, or pay little attention to the ad they put up. Answering ads put up by realtors should get fast answers by professionals who are really interested in selling. I must confess I had an ad running for ten years on Idealista for a garage I own, for a price which was apparently higher than the market is willing to pay and I did have a careless attitude of "just let it run, the ad is free anyway..." Also during those ten years I twice received an email in English which was clearly a phishing attempt (it was the same email, years apart). Maybe that scam appears regularly on Idealista, and your English emails were misinterpreted as spam.
Hi Pedro,
I think there is a number of reasons why we have experienced what we have.
1) Some of them thought we weren't in the country yet and couldn't get here because of lockdown, simply because we didn't have a Portuguese phone number to being with.
2) I'm not sure if they are not good to follow up on leads - or if Idealista simply don't notify them - but often there is a delay. That is where we are trying to contact them on Whatsapp with much greater success.
3) We have also chosen areas without many expats/foreigners - which mean that it's not always these Real estate agents even get a request in English.
So our advise is just to tell, that you shouldn't give up - and that once you have managed to get contact you are able to view the house. Again, it's just a small thing, that can feel frustrating when you don't speak the language so you can't call them.
Maybe other portals are better - we have mainly used Idealista for our search so far.
Thanks for commenting and contributing to the debate :-)
Believe me what they are saying is true. I have had the same problems which I really took it personally. Realtors usually don't get back to you ! They are not professional for the most part, and don't know much about the place they are renting or selling. That can get really frustrating. Even one I dealt with before didn't even bother answering me. What a waste of time. I thought they would be more serious in small towns then but I was wrong. So far not lucky with real estate agencies. And yes, you are right about scams on Idealista, most of those properties are 'ghost properties' so of course they do not answer, because many of them are just there for decoration. Result 2 months wasted trying to rent a place in the Algarve. I changed my mind and went up north. Found a place in a couple of days and moved in immediately.
Thank you for your video , very informative. We are hoping to arrive in August . Could you explain a bit more on how virtual assistant work? Do you have a link on where we might recruit these kind of services ? Thank you !
Hi @Fred Wang,
Many places offers it, I would probably try to find someone who is close to where you think you are going to live, so this person can assist you when you are settling in. Virtual Assistant in Portuguese is: "ASSISTENTE VIRTUAL" so try to see if you can search a bit around and you should probably find something you are happy with.
We found ours through a CoWorking space that offered it - but you also find some business centers etc in the local area that might offer this.
August is a good time to come then you have some months of great weather :)
If you haven't already, don't forget to subscribe. We are coming with many other useful videos.
@@HyggeJourney thank you already subscribed . Looking forward to more videos from you !
I think you get what you expect, no matter where you live. You two expect things to go well, and don’t put out the energy of entitlement,so no wonder people want to be supportive and helpful.
Exactly! When you come in with a friendly and positive attitude you get far in Portugal. Even if you can’t speak the language 👍🙏🇵🇹
Loving your videos!
May I ask in what municipality are you in? It's really lovely!
Hi Ingrid,
Thanks so much for your comment.
We record most of our content between the areas north of Lisbon and on the Silver Coast. So that will be the areas you are seeing in the background :)
I had 5 blankets this winter and still very cold.... Afraid to move in my bed for fear of being even colder. Never been so cold in my life in the winter.
Well, that's what we have to admit... Portugal has the Atlantic ocean which is just a lot colder than the Mediterranean ocean :-) But at least we can see many surfers has a lot of fun!
Go Scandinavia, England, Swirzerland, Russia, France to see what cold is all about
Great video. Good stuff begin to end.
Glad you enjoyed it! Don't forget to subscribe :-) Make sure you have seen our three other videos. #hyggejourney
Enjoyed your video, you've lived in Spain before can you compare both countries pls. Also, can you give more info about schools. Thanks
Thanks for your excellent suggestions! They are on our list 😊
@@HyggeJourney yes, I also would be interested in this comparison.
When you mentioned that you "tried to live in Spain" I got instantly intrigued: why "tried", and what went wrong?
@@mirka easy, people are more friendly, gastronomy is way better, young generations pretty much everybody speak english......😉
@@tramagacity thnx. Cannot wait to travel again, Portugal is high on my list.
Great tip on a Virtual Assistant! How does one go about finding a reputable one?
Hi @Zato,
What we would do is to either look for CoWorking spaces or Business Centers in the area that you are planning to move to. Many of these companies will have someone that you hire per hour.
We are considering if we can make a guide for this, as we have had the question a few times since uploading the video. Let me know how it goes for you, so we can try to add some value to one of our next videos or blogs about this.
Thank you.
How did you deal with buying a house? Were you able to hire your own agent, or are you renting. I’ve kept an eye out for actual real estate companies when I watch real estate content on UA-cam. Great tips!
We have attempted to buy a house but not yet found one that we are willing to go ahead with. Due to lockdown it has slowed us down a bit.
But it is something we want to cover into much more depth because I don’t think many do it.
Thank you for your video. I am on a scouting trip at the end of the year. Would it be easier to set up a bank account before the move which we are going to do Spring/Summer 2022?
This all depends on where you are moving from. I think if you are moving from EU then save the headache - and do it when you are here.
But if you are Non-EU - then I think it's a VISA requirement that you have done it before you come. (I'm not a visa expert, so check this!!) :-)
Please advise me where/how can i hire a VA for me in Portugal.
Take the link in the description, connect on Facebook and ask there… then I’m happy to share the one we use :)
Can you do a video on kid activities? I know the world is in a lockdown. 🙁 I would be coming from the US.
Thanks for your suggestion. It’s on our list 😊
I loved this video. Please i would appreciate if you could tell me how to contact a virtual assistant. I am from Peru, planning to move to portugal.
Another great topic. The estate agents 🙄 Importing a car... try that one!! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the input. We will definitely go much deeper with property. We got a good bit lined up for May in this regard... Importing cars is something we’ve never tried, so I doubt we will cover that 😅👍
Take meter readings always should be taken when you start your tenency everywhere including the UK
Yes. But in the U.K. you can’t start an account without providing meter readings. But what happened for us was they didn’t take the meter readings when they started the contract.
So they continued on the landlord’s estimates on the landlords account.
So just something to look out for.
@@HyggeJourney Absolutely! It has occured quite a few years ago in the UK, the new tenant has inherited the former tenant's bill but things have changed now.
@@alinemichele7486 Yes, Galp could use the same upgrade ;-)
If you think bureaucracy is bad in Portugal, try living in Italy or even Spain. I've lived in Brazil and Mexico and it is much worse. No comparison. Nobody in his right mind would send an email to Finanças and expect an answer. Live and learn. Portugal is not that bad actually. Of course I went through all those hurdles years ago, when there weren't many foreigners wanting to come and live here. I must have already been vaccinated after Brazilian red tape because the Portuguese variety was a doddle. What you have to do immediately is learn the basics of the language. If not, you will always be dependent on others to do things. I was lucky because when I arrived here in 1991 I had been living in Brazil for almost 20 years so the language was the same even though the Portuguese variety was very different from the Brazilian one. It was a bit like an American, speaking standard American English, being thrown into Glasgow and trying to understand the locals. By the way, Jannik, half of my heritage is Danish, with my grandfather coming from Hoptrup, a village in Jutland between Haverslev and Aabenraa. We've been there to see the house where the Vogensens (or Vonsens) lived for centuries. It was an amazing experience.
Noteworthy advice. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us. We enjoyed reading about them. Well south Jutland is a lovely area as well, I've been there many times. I'm glad we also have Danes following our channel :-) /Jannik
@@HyggeJourney Well, I'm not really a Dane; just the name actually, although I really admire your country. In fact, if there is a new TV series, I watch it. A lot of Danes immigrated to the region just north of San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma counties. I think most of the Vogensens went to the same area, maybe to work in the dairy industry. When I was a kid my father worked on a dairy ranch owned by a man named Vonsen, who probably was a distant relative.
Do you prefer the small town over Lisbon? We have a toddler and a baby and plan to visit in October, and relocate next year. I’m seriously considering the country, within an hour of Lisbon.
Yes, especially because of COVID it’s good to get out of the city. Try to look at places like Mafra, Ericeira or the Silver Coast. There is a lot of hidden gems :) And properties are much more reasonable priced than Lisbon.
Peniche, Nazaré, São Martinho do Porto, Caldas da Rainha, Alcobaça, Óbidos, Bombarral, Cadaval. Close to A8 1 hour from Lisbon.
Anadia, Aveiro, Coimbra, figuera da foz ect ect
Thank you for sharing your insights! Would you let us know which virtual assistant you recommend/used: When I search I get a bunch of results for freelancers and seems all over the place.
Thank you 😊 more on Virtual Assistants coming soon as quite a few people are interested.
@@HyggeJourney thank you! Looking forward to it! I'm moving in a week so hopefully soon pleeez
Thank you guys for a great video. Can I ask you what's the energy rating of your house? Is it a new place or a tad old?
Thank you! Glad you like it.
Actually I'm not sure, as we are renting and wasn't presented for an energy rating.
I can conclude the isolation isn't done very well, if any. The building is from around 2005.
@@HyggeJourney thanks a lot for a swift response. It's worth mentioning that Imovirtual, as opposed to Idealista, shows the energy ratings right out of the box. I wonder if it's a reliable indicator of a flat insulation.
I doubt it. I also think many of the energy ratings i've seen on houses for sale have been very optimistic... So I think you should make your own checks to if isolation is used to if it's a single layer wall for an example.
Also what really matters a lot if the position of the house/flat, if you get direct sun ligth that heat up the flat for longer - which helps your cost as well.
@@HyggeJourney yeah, that's what I thought. Gotta see those flats for myself. No way around it . That's exactly what I'm planning to do in the spring. Thanks again for your time. Cheers
Please advise how you find a VA?
great couple
Thank you 😊
Ive got central heating and 800 euros is for the whole winter you also get refunded for the over billing
Thank you. Good to know. I hope we get a refund 🙏🏽
@@HyggeJourney at first it seems strange but when at the end of the year my parents got a refund for over 300 i understanded it ps ive been living in Nee York for over 37 yearsbut moved to PT these last few months
Thanks so much for sharing. I imagine you are happy to be in Portugal now 🇵🇹 😊🙏🏽
@@HyggeJourney yup
Hey gutys, greetings. One of the things about Portugal is that it is disorganized, especially the government services. They are completely understaffed, underpayed & short tempered. The fact u came during the Pandemic did not help. The banks are a pain; I so totally dislike them. They treat you as if they are doing u a favor, & believe me it's easier for us Portuguese. They must report to Bank of Portugal & they are really cracking up on money laundering, etc, so they feel they have to be difficult. Client service in Portugal is a joke! Most 'professionals' are very unprofessional. They don't return emails, they don't pick up the phones unless you wait for it to ring 20 times (if you are lucky), they cut u off, they don't take msgs but they tell you to call back! 🙄 I am sorry about this, but I hope the good things of Portugal kind of make up for these small irritations. RealEstate realtors can be a pest. They don't give u the time of day if ur budget is small. They show you properties that don't meet ur standards because there are just not enough properties around. Stay with the Remaxes and ERA's and PopStar. ImovelVirtual is an intermediary and sometimes does not send ur contact emails to the realtors in a timely fashion, if they do so call their cell numbets or text if u hv a cell nr . Central Heating costs here are a rip-off. I remember once going to LON in Nov, and bitterly cold. The inside of the hotel was toasty warm, u cannot afford to do that here. I only use it for a few hours when temps go to single digits, just prior to going to sleep and I paid 100€ a month in Feb. Best to use either fireplace or local heating units but use sparingly cause they are also guzzlers. Change ur heating provider based on the best rates; ur not bound by contract. Galp can be expensive, EDP is very expensive. Cheapest I found were Goldenergy and Endesa. I got a 0.14c per KW on Endesa. Do call ur reading for actual bills, not estimated . Now SAY... "PASTE (like toothpaste).. LA (as if you were calling 'Lara' ... RIIIIIA with pronunciation of the R like in "Riyadh" and accent the "I" as if you were saying India; pastelaria. Do learn some Portuguese, but ask if anyone speaks English and can help you, dont be shy. Thx for choosing 🇵🇹 & stay healthy and happy. ❤️🙏🤗
Thanks for sharing your experiences and excellent tips. The good definitely outweighs our challenging moments🙏🏽 Still working on the pronunciations haha. It’s the double r sound that we find very tricky!
@@HyggeJourney Ur doing fine, the R is tricky in Portuguese the gurgling R is tough, but u will get there. Best wishes. ❤️🙏
Portuguese have a bad habit! (I am Portuguese): We talk very bad of our own country and our capabilities - Many times this is a wrong misconception! Good luck for you guys :)
Well. It’s also a problem in Denmark. But we have to address it and promote the ability of that most people can do more than they believe :)
@@HyggeJourney for sure! I do think that starts to happen in Portugal also but the idea of a bad working country in general is mingled in our culture. Anyway there are many things that evolved alot but you will allways see people saying otherwise.
Even if we lack many things I think portuguese people compensate that for their way of being. (living abroad right now so all experiences have goods and bads - as long as the goods are more important were 🆗️ 😅)
Good job.
Thanks you so much. Have a lovely day 😊
I am Portuguese and I absolutely know what you are talking about here .. I have lived abroad for 13 years now, and when I go to Portugal and I have to deal with something in public services, get into stress.. 😅😅😅
Haha yes! I think all government has the weaknesses in processes. I can think of stress giving situations in all the countries I have lived in ;-) But you get far here by the Portuguese friendliness 👍👌
Me too especially that I don't speak Portuguese except a few words. I spend my time doing research because things are not always explained well. The bus stop doesn't even mention at what time it's coming and where it's going so you constantly have to ask somewhere to someone and hopefully the person knows a little but not guarantee.
So, basically, speak the language of the country 😉
Well, the more Portuguese you know, the easier your life will be ;) So I guess the take on this, is that if you want to move to Portugal in the future, then start learning the language now and get yourself a tutor as we also talk about in our video here: ua-cam.com/video/rVrsafYFyXY/v-deo.html
Most portuguese speak fairly well English and hopefully they are happy to help . Where there's a will there's a way and both of you definitely have a positively will you'll find your way. 🙂
How much US dollars do I really need to save up to move to Portugal?
It’s a difficult question to answer as it’s based on many variables e.g your lifestyle, where in Portugal you plan to live, if you already have an income, if you have dependents, if you plan to buy, if you need a car etc. Our best advise is to save as much as you can so that you have peace of mind on arrival. Take a look at cost of living tables and try to put together a rough estimate of costs for the type of lifestyle you want then save a healthy multiple of those costs (6 -12 months for example).
Many problems is because you don't speack with natives. Get portuguese native friends ask help opinions we help free if someone ask for money is scamers be careful there are some, true help with information or more is free.
Idealista properties... no replies... properties not correct price or description... wrong photos... location incorrect - sometimes not even in the correct town! Interesting process.
❤❤
Glad you like it 👍
Is it possible to get a PR in portugal using Digital Nomad visa?
Hi there,
We literally know nothing about visas :) But my best advise is try to contact your country’s embassy in Portugal. They will most likely be able to provide you with a overview of your options :)
I can’t understand what concerns you had with English on every service in Portugal. Try the Spanish and you will be desperate. We are very flexible and we love to help anyone. If you had some issues you had misunderstandings
The helpfulness of Portuguese people has been amazing. We mentioned that our experiences have been mostly positive 😊no complaints
There's no insulation in Portuguese houses. Period
Mostly true. But there is a few exceptions
Isn't this great tho ?, As it's hot !, Well i always run hot tbh even in coldest of winters lol , I'm one of the very rare British people who has a Air Conditioning unit in our apartment 😆, as I run so hot ! .
Hopefully its great when we get to Portugal, I don't speak any eeek , but my bf of 10 years does as he is Portuguese lol, so we're just moving to his home town near Porto Povoa de Varzim.
Lol you need better relators many options
Haha 😆 that’s so true
The agents are the worst in ther world. Dont even use them.
There is a few that we've seen who is doing a good job. But I agree with you, it's certainly the worst experience on that account I've seen.
Some of it, is also just poor products on the shelf (poor building quality). It's easier to be a good agent if the houses are on point.
@@HyggeJourney you do realize that PT has been hugel;y hyped for over 10 yrs now and very good houses and apts are few and far btwn. The market is now overinflated
@@Kimllg88 Fully agree with you. I've also blogged about this here :)
hyggejourney.com/2022/12/13/why-you-should-not-buy-a-property-in-portugal-in-2022-2023/