About Edomshep

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Some Forum Posts:

Portugal: Cascais vs Lagos:

Hello, I live in California as well...Dana Point (Orange County) but grew up near the Bay Area. We are planning to move Portugal this year. My parents are from Portugal and I am actually a Portuguese citizen. The Algarve is a very popular area for retirees, especially from the UK. Cascais is beautiful and has slightly cooler water temps but not cool like SF. All of Portugal's coastal climate is comparable to the coast climates of central to southern CA. Cascais is very close to Lisbon, which I think is a bonus since Lisbon is an amazing city. There are some amazing property in Cascais which are expensive but also many affordable ones...believe a little more than Algave but maybe be very comparable depending on he area of Cascais. Areas a bit inland like 10 minutes from the beach are less expensive. You might want to also consider Sintra. It is up in the hills from Sintra. Only about 15-20 minutes to beach depending on what area you live in and less tourists although it can get busy a little in the summer. It has numerous castles and palaces...feels like a fairytale village. It is very artsy there as well. Cascais gets pretty crowded around beach areas in the summer. Sintra is one of our areas we are considering as well as Lisbon. There is an expat community in the Cascais/Sintra area but I believer less than the Algarve. I have lots of family in both areas and grew up visiting there often. Portugal is an amazing country and a hidden gem since most people don't think of visiting or living in our small country. I think you will love it. Let me know if you have any other questions. Feel free to private message as well- Elizabeth

Portugal: Dual Residency:

Hi-I am a U.S. Citizen born here but actually also Portuguese citizen via my parents. I will advise you to ask a tax person about this but I don't believe you can legally do that. You are required to pay taxes just like you are here. What happens is you pay taxes there and then some taxes here in the U.S. After those taxes of Portugal....how understand it. We are moving this year to Portugal so, although I am a citizen, I need to pay taxes in both places too. You aren't paying full taxes here when you pay taxes in Portugal...it is a much lesser amount is what I have been told. However, to stay in Portugal past 183 days you need to pay taxes. However, you cannot stay in Portugal legally past 90 days without a visa. Once you are a legal resident, you are eligible for national healthcare and other services which is what taxes pay for. Here is a link that might help you. Feel free to private message me as well. http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/work/taxes/income-taxes-abroad/portugal/index_en.htm

Portugal: Los Angeles to Portugal:

Hello, I am too American born and raised in California. I currently live in Dana Point (Orange County). We are planning to move to Portugal with our young daughters this year and cannot wait! I won't exactly be an expat in the true sense of the word since I am a Portuguese citizen as are my daughters. My husband is not. My parent are Portuguese so I am a citizen by birth right. It will be a different culture for me as well but I do speak the language and have many family members there . I encourage you to consider Portugal. It is a beautiful country with great food, clean eating is possible and organic food is there as well. The country has amazing festivals. In fact, I believe there is a jazz festival in Lisbon every year. There is quite a music scene in Lisbon. If you haven't heard of fado (our blues) in Lisbon, it is a must! You don't even have to speak the language to understand the beauty of the fado. As far as corruption, I believe it to be much less corrupt than the U.S...let's not pretend American politics isn't corrupt because it is . There was a corrupt politician in Portugal some years back but unlike the U.S., he was removed from his position and I believe imprisoned. We are a newer democracy and have had economic struggles but with this new leftist prime minster and administration, ware bouncing back quicker than expected! Portugal has had the highest GDP growth of any country in Europe for the last two quarters! As far as safety, I look at research often and follow annual reports. On the Global Peace Index which is research based on over 20 variables, the U.S. is ranked 103 and had been declining. Portugal is at number 5! The UN has also identified Lisbon as the safest capital city in Europe. We will be living in Lisbon. Most people in Lisbon speak English, like 80% but there are also lots of expats in Cascais area, Algarve and Oporto. Also, I don't think retirement income is taxed in Portugal...not certain but believe this to be true. You can see how proud I am to be Portuguese...people are kind, it is a gem of a country with beautifully protected areas and even the capital is relatively safe. Let me know if you have any questions!

Portugal: Recommendations for books to learn Portuguese?:

Hello, I am moving to :Portugal (American born) but also a Portuguese citizen via my parents. I speak Portuguese but also need some practice. The grammar and verb conjugations can be very complicated. If you are going to visit, there is one app that is useful for basic words and phrases. I believe the first language download is free. Is it called Memrise. Also, make sure you are studying European Portuguese and not Brazilian Portuguese. The dialects are different. Rosetta Stone doesn't have European Portuguese but Brazilian Portuguese. Another language software that is less expensive and I heard pretty good for European Portuguese is Pimsleur. What area of Portugal will you be visiting? It is a beautiful country! I live in California is very similar to here. There might be some rain in October but the weather should still be nice. We are planning to move this year to the Lisbon area. I have been there several times because I have a lot of family there. You will have a wonderful time!

Date Joined:

3/29/2017

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5

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0.55