Travel
Score 1 for Team Expat
It’s on paper, so it must be a win
When we started our five-year plan, the idea was to travel full-time. We would spend a few months at a time in different places getting to know the people and the culture. I never thought it would involve it would involve becoming expats in any one country.
So then, how is it we are trying to get residency with an eye toward citizenship in Portugal?
I wish I had a simple answer. One of the reasons for wanting to travel was to be outside the United States. With everything going on there, politically and socially, it stopped feeling like a safe place. I’m not sure it ever really felt safe, to be honest. Being Queer in the U.S. doesn’t lend itself to safety or security.
We started talking about getting citizenship someplace else. We thought we’d travel for a while and see what place clicked. Instead, we settled on Portugal sight unseen. It checked a lot of boxes for us. It’s in the EU. It has a low crime rate. It’s Queer-friendly. It’s beautiful. It has a good climate.
So, here we are. We’ve been here for 25 days, and we’ve already gotten our Números de Identificação Fiscal (ID numbers issued by the tax authorities of Portugal) and are opening up bank accounts. Next up is finding a 1-year lease on an apartment. We still need to hand in our applications for residency, but we are working on getting all the pieces we need to do that.
Personally, I consider it quite a feat to have gotten the NIF. We had to arrive at one Fiscal Office at 8am to wait in line to get an appointment to get our NIFs. The person at the desk was completely unsure about helping us, and my Portuguese currently consists of the ability to name several different common grocery items, ask where the bathroom is located, and, if it’s not complicated, actually be able to understand the directions I am given. I can also say hi and good afternoon like a native.
The person at the first office insisted we needed a Portuguese citizen, with a NIF, to vouch for us. Legally I know we didn’t, but one thing you learn very quickly from observing people here is that you don’t try to argue. If they say that’s what needed, you figure out how to comply. Luckily, our Airbnb host was willing to give her his name and number in order for us to be able to get an appointment.
The first office was 11 minutes from where we are staying. We were given appointments for a week later at an office 45 minutes away. It would make sense that the four of us would want appointments close to each other. Needless to say we got 4 appointments: 9am, 11am, 1 pm, and 4pm. OK, I can work with that. I know how to find a café. (There is one on almost every block here.) What I didn’t know was how to communicate to the next person that we didn’t need a fiscal representative to get NIFs.
Most of the people we know suggested using a service that helps people with all the steps of relocating to Portugal. Those cost around US$2500. The next thing we could do was use an online service for about US$400. That would take about 2 weeks.
Neither option seemed like a good one since we already had an appointment a week away. Enter the translator. We went online and found a translator site the hooks you up with freelance interpreters. Usually, I try to hire women when possible, but I thought that in this circumstance, a young, good-looking man was what was called for. I am not above using male privilege to get what I need.
Enter Felipe. He was wonderful. He met us at the office and translated everything. Bonus round: He listened when I said we didn’t need a fiscal representative and that I would love it if he could manage to get us all seen at the first appointment. That is exactly what happened.
After an hour, we walked away with our NIFs in hand. Next we went to the bank. I was hoping it would be easy since we Felipe with us, but 3 banks in a row said they were no longer opening accounts for non-residents. There’s acatch-22. You need a Portuguese bank account to apply for residency, and we were being told we need residency to get a bank account.
Felipe was patient as we took him from bank to bank. Finally, at bank number 4 (Abanco), we were told to leave copies of our documentation, and we’d hear back in 10 business days. I truly think this will work because when I asked how long it would take, the bank rep said, “The last one took 10 working days.” Clearly this bank has done this before.
Getting residency in Portugal will fulfill part of what we want, but it doesn’t mean we’ll stop traveling. Once we get our residency cards, we’ll spend 8 months each year here and 4 months on the road. It will open up new opportunities for us and for our kids. College is much less expensive in Europe, and when we are citizens, the kids can get citizenship as well. In the meantime, we’ll get to be in a beautiful country with great people. Portugal isn’t perfect, but it’s a great place to slow down and enjoy.