Hello Thomas,
Thanks for your message. Timelines are tricky and I suggest you keep things as fluid as possible and give yourself enough wiggle room to made adjustments along the way. That's what we did - we modified our timeline as we needed to. We wanted to be in Portugal by August 28th (really, it was just a random date based on how lo…
Thanks for your message. Timelines are tricky and I suggest you keep things as fluid as possible and give yourself enough wiggle room to made adjustments along the way. That's what we did - we modified our timeline as we needed to. We wanted to be in Portugal by August 28th (really, it was just a random date based on how long we thought it would take to get our documents in order for VFS while keeping the validity of those documents in mind). Then we worked backwards with trying to time the validity of the documents that we would need. We modified the timeline a few times - it's not a perfect science.
Some timelines to keep in mind for a D7 Visa:
If you are submitting your application to a VFS Global office, you can submit your application no earlier than 3 months of your intended date of arrival in Portugal.
This means that most of your documents cannot be dated any later than within the last 90 days of your Visa application and cannot be any older than 6 months for your SEF appointment in Portugal. Financial statements cannot be any older than 3 months and the FBI reports cannot be any older than 6 months.
To break this down as an example, we had our VFS appointments on June 2, 2021. We indicated on our application that we planned to arrive in Portugal on August 28, 2021. Our temporary (4-month) Visa stamp showed that the temporary Visa was valid from August 28, 2021, to December 25, 2021. Within that 4-month timeframe, we each had appointments with SEF in Portugal, where we received our temporary resident Visas (good for 2 years and renewable).
Some tasks took longer than we thought. For example, our bank application was lost in the shuffle when one banking rep left and another one took his place, which delayed starting our documentation process by a couple of months.
VFS SF is known to process Visas in as little as 3 weeks and as long as 2+ months. so you can't rely on booking an appointment now for August and assume you'll get your Visa by the end of October. Of course, you can try to do that and make an appointment and cancel if you don't have everything ready - it's your choice. A lot depends on VFS' workload (and summer is vacation time not only for people in the US but August is very much a vacation month in Portugal with many services closed or with limited staff), as VFS not only processes documents for Portugal but for many other countries. Personally, I think a 6 week lead time is too tight.
Keep in mind that we had already sold our house (in early 2020) and we were renting a smaller home in our community, so we had downsized quite a bit before we even began the process for a D7 Visa.
Regarding the lease – Your lease/property deed must have an effective date of on or before you plan to arrive in Portugal. In our case, we leased a condo with an effective date of June 1, 2021. We were required to pay one month security deposit and three months advance rent (normal terms for rentals in Portugal). So effectively, we were paying for a rental that we didn’t plan to live in until nearly the beginning of September (we landed in Portugal on August 30th).
We did not do any scouting trips to Portugal beforehand. Covid was still a serious concern and we felt that if we went on a scouting trip, we’d probably get even more confused. Instead, we chose an area that we felt would be a good place to land, and then, once we were in Portugal, we would have the time to explore the entire country to see where we ultimately want to live. We also felt that by being “boots on the ground” and meeting other expats and Portuguese citizens, we’d have a better idea of living in this country (this has benefitted us by doing just that).
So, we hired a relocation person in Portugal to find a suitable apartment based on our criteria (understanding that we would have to make some compromises). We saw virtual showings (they walked the rooms and showed us everything by video) of about 8 furnished apartments/condos and we found one that we thought would be a good fit (we’re still in this condo and just signed another 12-month lease as we’re still exploring this country). Our relocation person handled the lease agreement with the landlord's realtor (we did hire a Portuguese attorney to review the lease on our behalf). She also set up the utilities in our names for us before we arrived, arranged for the condo to be cleaned, and purchased some necessities for us (we didn’t ship a lot) such as a Smart TV, hair dryer, fan, iron/ironing board, house cleaning supplies and a 3-day supply of food/wine just before our arrival. The process for finding a property and signing and executing a lease took us in total about 3-4 weeks. With rentals now at a premium - especially during the summer in the Algarve - you may have to give yourself extra time to find something.
As far as a delayed start date on a lease, I think you’ll have a difficult time finding a landlord who would be willing to hold a place until you arrive or closer to your arrival. I know that our landlord was not willing to wait and that was last year when rents were a little cheaper and the market was not as tight as it is now. I’ve heard of people bidding up the asking price of a monthly rental just to get it. So, if I were you, I would be prepared for this.
Rental laws are a little different in Portugal than in the States. You can terminate your lease I believe after 120 days with advance written notice. I do know people who didn’t like what they rented once they arrived and did this. A Portuguese attorney can assist you (or even a relocation specialist or realtor).
My humble suggestion would be to try to get as many of the critical documents taken care of first. Definitely the NIF. The Portuguese bank account may be a bit more difficult as recently some Portuguese banks are refusing to give foreigners a bank account until they see some proof of residency (such as a 1-year signed lease). Items like the Passport pages, FBI report, US bank statements, proof of income, etc. can be done after you make a VFS appointment. There is risk involved and expense. It’s not cheap nor risk-free to move to another country.
I know it's confusing. Try not to rush it and take it a step at a time and I think you'll be okay.
If I can answer any other questions, feel free to reach out anytime. - Carol.
Thank you so much. This is all brilliant information. I know they won’t hold a lease for me I was just wondering when to start looking. Maybe Sept 1 and yes. Just accept that we will pay rent for a place we aren’t using. Thank you again T
Hello Thomas,
Thanks for your message. Timelines are tricky and I suggest you keep things as fluid as possible and give yourself enough wiggle room to made adjustments along the way. That's what we did - we modified our timeline as we needed to. We wanted to be in Portugal by August 28th (really, it was just a random date based on how long we thought it would take to get our documents in order for VFS while keeping the validity of those documents in mind). Then we worked backwards with trying to time the validity of the documents that we would need. We modified the timeline a few times - it's not a perfect science.
Some timelines to keep in mind for a D7 Visa:
If you are submitting your application to a VFS Global office, you can submit your application no earlier than 3 months of your intended date of arrival in Portugal.
This means that most of your documents cannot be dated any later than within the last 90 days of your Visa application and cannot be any older than 6 months for your SEF appointment in Portugal. Financial statements cannot be any older than 3 months and the FBI reports cannot be any older than 6 months.
To break this down as an example, we had our VFS appointments on June 2, 2021. We indicated on our application that we planned to arrive in Portugal on August 28, 2021. Our temporary (4-month) Visa stamp showed that the temporary Visa was valid from August 28, 2021, to December 25, 2021. Within that 4-month timeframe, we each had appointments with SEF in Portugal, where we received our temporary resident Visas (good for 2 years and renewable).
Some tasks took longer than we thought. For example, our bank application was lost in the shuffle when one banking rep left and another one took his place, which delayed starting our documentation process by a couple of months.
VFS SF is known to process Visas in as little as 3 weeks and as long as 2+ months. so you can't rely on booking an appointment now for August and assume you'll get your Visa by the end of October. Of course, you can try to do that and make an appointment and cancel if you don't have everything ready - it's your choice. A lot depends on VFS' workload (and summer is vacation time not only for people in the US but August is very much a vacation month in Portugal with many services closed or with limited staff), as VFS not only processes documents for Portugal but for many other countries. Personally, I think a 6 week lead time is too tight.
Keep in mind that we had already sold our house (in early 2020) and we were renting a smaller home in our community, so we had downsized quite a bit before we even began the process for a D7 Visa.
Regarding the lease – Your lease/property deed must have an effective date of on or before you plan to arrive in Portugal. In our case, we leased a condo with an effective date of June 1, 2021. We were required to pay one month security deposit and three months advance rent (normal terms for rentals in Portugal). So effectively, we were paying for a rental that we didn’t plan to live in until nearly the beginning of September (we landed in Portugal on August 30th).
We did not do any scouting trips to Portugal beforehand. Covid was still a serious concern and we felt that if we went on a scouting trip, we’d probably get even more confused. Instead, we chose an area that we felt would be a good place to land, and then, once we were in Portugal, we would have the time to explore the entire country to see where we ultimately want to live. We also felt that by being “boots on the ground” and meeting other expats and Portuguese citizens, we’d have a better idea of living in this country (this has benefitted us by doing just that).
So, we hired a relocation person in Portugal to find a suitable apartment based on our criteria (understanding that we would have to make some compromises). We saw virtual showings (they walked the rooms and showed us everything by video) of about 8 furnished apartments/condos and we found one that we thought would be a good fit (we’re still in this condo and just signed another 12-month lease as we’re still exploring this country). Our relocation person handled the lease agreement with the landlord's realtor (we did hire a Portuguese attorney to review the lease on our behalf). She also set up the utilities in our names for us before we arrived, arranged for the condo to be cleaned, and purchased some necessities for us (we didn’t ship a lot) such as a Smart TV, hair dryer, fan, iron/ironing board, house cleaning supplies and a 3-day supply of food/wine just before our arrival. The process for finding a property and signing and executing a lease took us in total about 3-4 weeks. With rentals now at a premium - especially during the summer in the Algarve - you may have to give yourself extra time to find something.
As far as a delayed start date on a lease, I think you’ll have a difficult time finding a landlord who would be willing to hold a place until you arrive or closer to your arrival. I know that our landlord was not willing to wait and that was last year when rents were a little cheaper and the market was not as tight as it is now. I’ve heard of people bidding up the asking price of a monthly rental just to get it. So, if I were you, I would be prepared for this.
Rental laws are a little different in Portugal than in the States. You can terminate your lease I believe after 120 days with advance written notice. I do know people who didn’t like what they rented once they arrived and did this. A Portuguese attorney can assist you (or even a relocation specialist or realtor).
My humble suggestion would be to try to get as many of the critical documents taken care of first. Definitely the NIF. The Portuguese bank account may be a bit more difficult as recently some Portuguese banks are refusing to give foreigners a bank account until they see some proof of residency (such as a 1-year signed lease). Items like the Passport pages, FBI report, US bank statements, proof of income, etc. can be done after you make a VFS appointment. There is risk involved and expense. It’s not cheap nor risk-free to move to another country.
I know it's confusing. Try not to rush it and take it a step at a time and I think you'll be okay.
If I can answer any other questions, feel free to reach out anytime. - Carol.
Thank you so much. This is all brilliant information. I know they won’t hold a lease for me I was just wondering when to start looking. Maybe Sept 1 and yes. Just accept that we will pay rent for a place we aren’t using. Thank you again T