Donatella G. Says:
I was thinking of moving to Portugal after reading your articles about it. I have Italian and American passports. Should I use the Italian one in order to live in Portugal? Would it be easier?
IL Chief Global Diversification Expert Ted Baumann Says:
Hi Donatella,
Happy to hear that you are planning a move to Portugal, the country that IL named the No. 1 place to retire in 2023 via our Annual Global Retirement Index.
Your Italian passport will make the process much, much easier. As an Italian citizen, you have the right to live and work anywhere within the EU. That means all 27 member states, including Portugal.
As an EU citizen, you’re allowed to live in Portugal for up to three months without any conditions or formalities other than holding a valid identity card or passport.
If you’d like to stay for more than three months, which I imagine you would, you’ll need to get a certificate authorizing residence from the Portuguese government.
One of the most important things you will need to prove in order to get such a certificate is that you have “sufficient resources” to not be a burden on the Portuguese state. This means an income equal to or more than the Portuguese minimum wage, which is about €760 ($825) per month.
You’ll apply for your certificate at the local town hall of the community you decide to live in. In general, you’ll need to show proof of income, a photo ID (such as your Italian passport), and proof of address in Portugal.
The cost for registration is €15 ($16.30), and the certificate is valid for five years from the date of issue.
Of course, this is a simplified version of the process to fit in this mailbag answer. You can find a more detailed breakdown on the Portuguese government website here.
And for anything else you’ll need to know to plan your move to Portugal, I recommend you consult our detailed guidebook, Escape to Portugal.
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