Moving to Portugal: what to do?

The time has come. You have decided to live in Portugal. Are you someone who often goes on holiday to Portugal and has always dreamed about living there? Then we completely understand. Living in Portugal is also very nice and the easy thing about moving to Portugal is that it is a country within the European Union. Fortunately, this is easier when you are going to emigrate, but unfortunately this does not mean that you no longer have to arrange anything. When emigrating to Portugal, there are of course also things that you simply have to arrange properly. Think of arranging your medical care, your registration in a Portuguese municipality and what actually happens to your passport?

We have carefully put together this article to help you with your emigration to Portugal. Enjoy reading!

Prepare yourself well for a number of things

First of all, it is of course important to prepare yourself well for your emigration. Think of the small things like learning the Portuguese language and their culture. Portugal is often not unknown territory, because you have probably been there on holiday more often. But well, living in a country is different from a holiday. Therefore, always get yourself well informed.

Furthermore, you also need to arrange things properly and close them properly in the Netherlands. You also need to delve into what you need to arrange for living in Portugal. We will try to answer all these things and more in these articles regarding emigration to Portugal.

What do you need to arrange before you emigrate?

There are a number of matters that are important to arrange properly before you actually emigrate. We have tried to put together a kind of checklist for you, but pay close attention to your own personal situation. We will tell you how and what, but of course we do not know what kind of matters you have going on, so you can look into this yourself. So check this well for yourself so that you will not be faced with any surprises later.

Check your documents

The first and easiest step is to check your documents. Take a good look at your passport/ID card and driver's license. Check until when they are valid and renew them if necessary. It is true that once you live in Portugal, you naturally want these important documents to be valid for a long time. You need them for many things. To be on the safe side, you can also make a copy of these things in case of theft, loss or damage. During a move, so much happens around you that sometimes things happen that you have no influence on. When something happens that you cannot do anything about, for example the loss of one of these documents, you always have a copy at hand. This way you are somewhat prepared for all situations and you can ensure a smooth emigration.

Additional paperwork

Have you checked whether there are any other documents you want to bring with you? Think of any diplomas, for example. On the website of DUO you can easily request this. Do you want to know more about this? Then you can also find more information about this on their website.

Please note that when you emigrate your Dutch diploma must have a diploma description. You can easily do this online at Nuffic to arrange.

Legalize and translate your documents

A Dutch document does not necessarily have to be valid abroad. That is why some documents need to be legalized. In this case, the Dutch document is provided with a special stamp or sticker.

The aforementioned translation of your Dutch diploma also applies to other official documents. In some cases, it even occurs that a document must first be translated before it can be legalized.

It is best to contact the Portuguese Embassy so that you know exactly what to do. This way you know exactly what to do with which documents so that they are also valid in Portugal.

Cancelling your rental agreement in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, look carefully at your rental contract, because you often have a certain notice period. This way you can cancel the rent of your home in time, because you don't want to pay an extra month's rent unnecessarily while you have already moved to Portugal.

Your insurance in the Netherlands

When you emigrate, you must cancel your health insurance in the Netherlands. You are obliged to do this, because you are of course no longer resident in the Netherlands. For this, you must request a special cancellation form from your health insurer. You can also cancel any household contents, car, and travel insurance.

Cancel subscriptions

Your insurances aren’t the only things you need to cancel when you move abroad. You probably also have mobile and sports subscriptions that you need to cancel. Again, it’s important to look at the contracts carefully.

Deregistering from the municipality in the Netherlands

The last, but extra important and scary step is the deregistration from the Netherlands. This of course makes it all very official. You can deregister yourself from the municipality up to 5 days before your departure. Sometimes you also have to go to the town hall. However, this differs per municipality, so check this carefully on the website of your municipality. In some municipalities you do not have to go to the town hall and you can easily arrange everything online. This of course also saves you a lot of time.

If you cannot find any information on your municipality's website, you can of course always contact them by telephone and speak to a municipal employee.

Digi-D

Many people think that they no longer need Digi-D after moving abroad. However, this is not the case. You may need your Digi-D for various reasons. Think of elections or certain tax matters that arise later.

The tax authorities

Paying taxes in the Netherlands is of course no longer necessary when emigrating. However, when moving abroad, you must ensure that you have properly arranged your tax affairs for the past year. If you want more information regarding your move to Portugal, you can request a special form from the tax authorities. When you have completed and sent this form, you will later receive additional information about matters that you must arrange before you move.

Practical tips

Moving to Portugal also means arranging things properly. Of course, you have already read about this in this article. There are a number of other things that are often overlooked, but are important for Dutch people who are going to live in Portugal.

Your pension

Are you currently retired or will you be retiring soon? Then it is wise to request information about this from your pension fund. Ask about your accrued pension and the possibilities of receiving your pension in Portugal.

A benefit

If you receive benefits in the Netherlands, this does not mean that you are also entitled to them when you are staying in Portugal. Different rules often apply to receiving benefits when you live abroad. That is why it is wise to always contact the UWV or the relevant municipality. You don't want to suddenly be left without income.

Emigrate to Portugal

Finally, you are ready and can emigrate to a beautiful country called Portugal! As a European citizen, you do not have to worry about special visas that you have to apply for. In Europe, you can move to another country within the European Union without too much fuss. Once in Portugal, you must of course also register yourself as a resident.

Register as a resident in Portugal

If you have been deregistered in the Netherlands and you move to Portugal, you must of course register yourself on time.

Junta de Freguesia

The first step is to take your Dutch deregistration certificate to the 'Junta de Freguesia'. This is part of the municipality. Here you take your deregistration certificate from the Netherlands, but also proof of where you live in Portugal. This can be your rental contract or you can also use a sworn statement from the neighbours. The statement from the neighbours is quite easy and Portuguese people are often willing to cooperate. After this you will receive an 'atestado'. This is a certificate stating that you actually live at the indicated address.

Municipal Chamber

The Câmara Municipal is the town hall itself. Here you must officially register yourself. Here you show your proof of deregistration in the Netherlands again and also hand over the 'atestado'. Do not forget to bring your passport or ID card. Do you already have a Portuguese NIF number? Then you can also show this number.

After paying the fees you will receive the 'Certificado de Registo de Cidadão da União Europeia'. This is your temporary residence permit. After 5 years you can exchange it at the SEF (Serviço Estrangeiros e Fronteiras) for a permanent residence permit.

Hiring an international moving company

A move within the Netherlands is already quite chaotic, so let alone a move abroad! Where do you actually start? When you emigrate, you naturally want to move your belongings with you. Therefore, make sure that you do not just hire a moving company, but check whether it is also an international moving company. They have the necessary experience with moves abroad and can therefore help you well with this.

The average cost of moving to Portugal

The average costs for a move abroad are very difficult to estimate. Even for a move within the Netherlands this is very difficult. This has to do with the fact that moves differ greatly from each other. People not only have different wishes regarding their move, but also the amount of their belongings differs greatly from each other. The home and its accessibility also play a major role in this.

When we have some more background information, we can better estimate the average costs. In this way, we look at your wishes and your personal situation.

Free moving quotes

The best thing to do is to request multiple moving quotes from different moving companies. However, we completely understand if you don't have the time to contact different moving companies to discuss your wishes. Fortunately, we have found something for this and we can take this off your hands.

Quotes at Moova

At Moova you can easily request free moving quotes from various moving companies. You do this by taking a simple step on the website. After this, you will receive the quotes from these different companies as soon as possible. This way you can then take your time to look at which moving company appeals to you the most. This way you know where you stand and you don't have to do anything else. Except for giving your approval of course!

Finally..

As you have read, there are a few things to consider when emigrating. This means that you need to prepare yourself well and ensure that your move goes as smoothly as possible. We hope that this article has helped you a little bit.

What is good to remember is that emigration almost always involves good and bad moments. That is why it is very important to give yourself enough time during this process to get used to Portugal and the Portuguese culture. Then it will definitely work out.

Do you have any other questions regarding moving to Portugal? Then you can always check out our other articles. Here we have also tried to answer questions as best as possible so that your move can go as smoothly and as well as possible.