- No changes to the process or cost of buying a property in Portugal.
- Unless you have a visa/Portuguese residency you can spend a maximum of 90 days in each 180 in Spain every year.
- In due course the Portuguese government might agree to these 2 x 90-day periods being rolled together (consecutive), as per rights of Portuguese citizens in the UK.
- If you spend more than 180 days (6 months) at a time in Portugal you will automatically become tax resident in Portugal. Tax residency is not the same as legal residency.
- Unless you can prove that you were settled (living permanently) in Portugal before 31/12/21 Britons must now apply for a visa if you want to move stay for longer than 90 days or move there.
- The D7 visa is an option – it’s available to anyone with a regular, prefer ably passive, income that is equal to or more than the Portuguese mini-mum wage (which is €750 per month). Also known as the ‘retirement’ and ‘passive income’ visa, it’s available to anyone who can prove they have a form of income for outside Portugal: a pension, salary from remote working for a company based in the UK, rental income or freelance work.
- It allows people not working in Portugal to stay there for more than 90 days. You must apply to the Portuguese Consulates in the UK (London & Manchester ) before you go and have private medical insurance. Each family member must apply.
- This visa allows you to remain in Portugal but once there you must apply for a residents permit. The visa is renewable after a year.
- If you are hoping to work in Portugal you must apply for a different type of visa - a work permit - providing a business plan for approval; or your employer applies. A D2 Visa is for entrepreneurs and self-employed people - begin the application process at the UK Portuguese Consulates.
- The golden visa is available to those who buy a property (or properties) in Portugal worth at least €280,000 (in low-density areas) up to €500,000 in cities and coastal areas. But it will be restricted to certain areas after December 31 2021. There is no limit on days spent there. Each family member needs to apply and you can work, study or live in Portugal but will need private healthcare.
- If one of a married couple has an EU passport then the process can be easier: the British citizen can piggyback on the EU citizen’s application for residency. Common-law partners might need to provide proof of status.
- Healthcare is a resident based system, and you can contribute to the system to access state health services, although often residents supplement this with private healthcare.
- Over-65s moving to Portugal will continue to enjoy the same access to Portuguese state healthcare as Portuguese citizens, via the UK-issued S1. This is a healthcare entitlement certificate available to those in receipt of a UK state pension. Once you have an S1 form (from the Department of Work & Pensions), you must register it on the Portuguese social security system, as per be-low.
- Pensioners can draw their pensions whilst living in Portugal - UK State pensions will be uprated - but both private and state pensions will be taxed in Portugal if they are tax resident there.
- The Non-Habitual Residents scheme (not a visa) is a vehicle for high-earning people to pay low tax rates for 10 years if they become tax resident (spending over 183 days a year in Portugal). This means pensions are taxed at 10 per cent. Seek specialist advice about type of assets/exemptions.
