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Cascais, Portugal
An expat who recently retired to the beautiful coastal town of Cascais, Portugal details how she made it happen. If you want to know how to retire to Europe, and where to start your journey, this is a great place to begin!
Cascais
I wanted to experience another culture than the US and wanted the adventure of living in a country with history, good food and wine and lovely people and scenery. I also wanted a more affordable retirement than I would have in the US.
All year but have not been here an entire year, yet.
It was a process of elimination between Italy, Spain and Portugal. I loved all three for the history, the sea, the people, the food and wine and the culture that is so different than the US. Portugal won out due to the lower cost of living and the ease of obtaining a long term visa.
No
Just five months.
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None
Adjusting to using public transportation instead of a car, setting up a household in a country where I don't speak the language, and starting the process of making friends and learning the language.
I love living by the sea, utilizing the Mercado for shopping, learning new things almost every day, being challenged and energized by my new home. I'm really enjoying getting to know people from many countries and seeing the similarities and differences. I'm also enjoying all the walking I'm doing since I've chosen to not have a car.
At this point, I don't know of anything I would do differently - other than change some of the things I brought with me. Of course that may change as my time here increases.
There is a very active expat community, especially for women. There are many cultural attractions in the Lisbon area with lots of recreation. Lisbon has a lot of nightlife opportunities and transport to Lisbon is very easy from Cascais.
I applied for a Type I Visa from the Portuguese embassy in the US. It was basically a Schengen Visa which enabled me to be in Portugal for 4 months. During this 4 months I was supposed to obtain my resident card. However, due to the large backlog, I didn't obtain this until I was here 5 months.
The process, starting with the Portuguese embassy in Washington D.C. was not really difficult but it was very stressful and took a long time. It started with an FBI background check - which took about 12 weeks. Then I had to obtain medical insurance, collect financial documents showing I had enough income to support myself without working, write a statement of why I wanted to retire in Portugal, fill out an application, have passport type photos taken and a copy of my passport notarized.
The biggest challenge with this was being unable to find out exactly how much money/ income was required.
After mailing all of these documents to the embassy, it look almost 5 weeks to get the approval. Then I mailed my passport to them and a request for a baggage certificate. The certificate enabled me to ship things to Portugal without paying duty.
I received my passport back within a couple of weeks with my Visa attached.
The resident card I just obtained is good for one year.
I am renting an apartment. It was difficult at first because a number of realtors didn't show an interest in helping me. When I found the right realtor, it went fairly easily. The biggest issue was having to pay for an entire years rent due to having no family in Portugal. There is also a scarcity of rental properties that are long term rentals.
It has met my expectations and I'm still amazed at the low cost of many things. But, there are other things that are more expensive than in the US.
Having a steady income plus at least $10,000 to get settled. This amount could be much more if you want a large, fancy apartment or house. Especially if you don't have family in Portugal and would be faced with paying a years rent up front, as I did. It's also important to research how you will get your money to Portugal. Be sure to have an ATM card with no foreign transaction fees.
At this point, I'm thinking $1500-$2000 per month will be plenty. I'm still buying things for my apartment so don't have a really good sense of how much I will consistently spend.
There is a CUF private hospital in Cascais. So far, the care is excellent and the prices are a fraction of what they would be in the US.
Expats living in Portugal interested in expat health insurance should take a minute to get a quote from our trusted expat health insurance partner, CIGNA.
Little crime in Cascais. in Lisbon there is a fair amount of pickpocket crime but only in certain areas.
There is good bus service in Cascais and great train service to Lisbon. I do not have a car and, so far, am very happy with the decision to not have one.
Yes. Great high-speed internet at great prices.
I'm very new to this, but, so far, it's wonderful. It's everything I hoped for - and more. I would encourage anyone with a sense of adventure and desire - to go for it!
Get a quote for expat health insurance in Portugal from our partner, Cigna Global Health.
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Expats in the beautiful seaside city of Cascais, Portugal discuss how they chose to move to Cascais. They share information about expat life in Cascais - cost of living, international schools, housing and more.
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Great thanks for sharing the great information by this article
scumbusterWould love to email the author to ask more questions. I found this very interesting as I have been researching Portugal for a couple months. my email is [email protected]
PresentMonkeyHello, Could you also post on the forum which realtor you used that was helpful? We are in the process now and will arrive in September and we will need a realtor to help us find long term housing. Thank you, Lin
guestI have enjoyed your post. We are thinking about retiring there. We plan on visiting for a few weeks and looking at the different areas before we make the move in a few years. We have thought about other areas that are also very popular but since healthcare and the ability to leave the country to go to the US for family issues is also important and the cost of living a major issue we have decided Portugal is the place. I am thinking about learning the language before we leave and wondered if you did this too.
guestI am married to a Brasilian and lived there for 8 years. Love Brasil. Was in Portugal back in the late 80's Lisboa, Cascais, Esteril etc. Loved it there too. We are thinking of living in Portugual after my wife graduates with her BA. Have you visited other cities like Porto ? How about living on the west coast farm land ? WHy don't you think of buying a car ? Too expensive ? I've always had a car when I was in Brasil, makes life easier. thanks Guy
susandauphinThese are exactly the questions I wanted to know. Thank you so much.
bfreeartistYour post is a great help. I am looking at Portugal or Spain to retire in 2018. I will have my SS and if it’s necessary I can work remotely. I prefer retirement for my creative exploration as a soft doll artist and painter. Do you know if an expat artist can sell direct or would need to be represented by a shop or gallery in Portugal? I would be looking for a small apartment to live and as you did, be arriving with very little baggage as clothing, vita mixer and art supplies. Thank you for any help from any user.
BobrunmanAre expats available to discuss their experience relocating to Portugal. My wife and I are considering early retirement there and would welcome an opportunity to discuss. We will be in Cascais arriving on June 8th for 8 days for some research. Thanks very much!
monkeybusinessThank you so much for the helpful information. I tried to email you using the prompt, but for some reason it won't go through. Would you mind giving an update if you are still living in Portugal. I am curious as to how the process works once the one year residency visa has expired. Is it difficult to get it extended for additional years? Thank you!
monkeybusinessThank you so much for the helpful information. I tried to email you using the prompt, but for some reason it won't go through. Would you mind giving an update if you are still living in Portugal. I am curious as to how the process works once the one year residency visa has expired. Is it difficult to get it extended for additional years? Thank you!
MonamiI would like to retire in Portugal. But I would rather share a flat or house, share expenses, with someone near to my age, elderly, pref. 60s or later. Someone I could get to know online first. Any recommendations as to how to find people to meet wanting to move to Portugal?
guestToo bad this person didn't read 'US Citizens Moving to Portugal', where the 'financial means' is well detailed. Also, paying a full year's rent in advance is highly, highly unusual and typically indicates that the 'realtor' was really just a 'property locater', not licensed.
Get a quote for expat health insurance in Portugal from our partner, Cigna Global Health.
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Expats in the beautiful seaside city of Cascais, Portugal discuss how they chose to move to Cascais. They share information about expat life in Cascais - cost of living, international schools, housing and more.
Expats in Portugal with a residency visa can participate in the national health care system. Here's what you need to know about the SNS and the combination of public and private services you'll need to manage your health in Portugal.
Support your favorite restaurants in Cascais as they recover from the pandemic. Submit a free listing for them on Expat Exchange to help spread the word about them to the expat community.
An expat in Cascais, Portugal talks about life in the casual, yet chic coastal town of Cascais. Locals are very accepting of most foreigners. If you're thinking of moving there, spend some time there before making the move.
Here is a wonderful, detailed report about what it's like to retire in Portugal. Written by a woman with dual US/Dutch citizenship, she has left no stone unturned!
An expat who moved to Cascais, Portugal has enjoys the kind, helpful and genuinely friendly Portuguese people. And, he appreciates the beautiful and, mainly, pristine beaches, forests, villages, towns, rivers and ocean.
Not surprisingly, expats in Portugal are very happy with the quality of the expat experience they enjoy on the Iberian Peninsula. Read on to see how satisfied and read some quotes about what it's like to live there.
Expats in Portugal with a residency visa can participate in the national health care system. Here's what you need to know about the SNS and the combination of public and private services you'll need to manage your health in Portugal.
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