Expat blog about Portugal
Practical reading for people settling in Portugal: where to live, what things cost, how procedures really work. Page 1 of 3.
-
The citizenship reform: from the 2025 vote to the law in force on 19 May 2026
The nationality reform's path from the official record: Decree 17/XVII, Acórdão 1133/2025 of the Constitutional Court, the President's return on 19 December 2025, the revised decree of 1 April 2026, promulgation on 3 May, entry into force on 19 May 2026 — what the law requires and what was dropped.
-
The 23 June 2025 reforms: what was announced, what became law
The Council of Ministers' communiqué of 23 June 2025 — nationality after 7 or 10 years, culture and civic tests, loss of nationality for crimes, restricted job-seeker visa, CPLP permit after a visa, permits extended to 15 October 2025 — compared with Lei 61/2025 and Lei Orgânica 1/2026 as enacted.
-
Is Portugal the best country to live in? For and against, with official figures
The evidence-based case for Portugal — EU, euro and Schengen membership, documented visa routes, nationality in 7 or 10 years, a price level of 85, a frost-free coast, 5,3 % unemployment, a universal health service — against local salaries of 1 835 €, Lisbon rents of 17,42 €/m², red tape.
-
Portugal's most beautiful villages: Historic, Schist and UNESCO
The twelve Aldeias Históricas (Monsanto, Sortelha, Piódão, Belmonte, Almeida…), the 27 Aldeias do Xisto of the Lousã, Açor and Zêzere hills, and the UNESCO centres of Évora, Guimarães and Sintra — with INE prices, IPMA winters and the practical questions of village life: services, licences, language
-
Portugal's beaches, region by region: the 2026 Blue Flag coast
Portugal's coast read through the 2026 Blue Flag awards (438 sites: 340+ coastal beaches, 45 river and lake beaches, 20 marinas) and the IPMA's climate figures: the sheltered Algarve, the empty Alentejo coast, Lisbon's beaches, the surf of the Silver Coast, Porto's sands and the islands.
-
Nine facts about Portugal that matter if you are moving here, with sources
Nine sourced facts: 92 226 km² and 10,7 million people; EU since 1986, euro since 1999, Schengen since 1995; 17 UNESCO sites; 438 Blue Flag sites in 2026; Funchal never below 8,5 °C, Bragança's 53 frost days; price level 85; unemployment 5,3 %; nine Portuguese-speaking States; prices up 19,8 %.
-
Living in Portugal without speaking Portuguese: what works, what does not
What the law requires and when (nothing for visas and permits; A2 for the permanent permit; A2 plus the 2026 culture test for nationality), where English works in Portugal and where it does not, the free PLA courses and the CIPLE exam, and three profiles — retiree, remote worker, family.
-
Retiring in Portugal in 2026: what has changed and what still works
Retiring in Portugal after the end of the NHR: the D7 visa and its 920 € income rule, pensions taxed under the ordinary IRS brackets after a 4 587 € deduction with treaty rules on top, SNS registration and S1 cover, Eurostat's price level of 85, IPMA climate figures, stamp duty exemptions for heirs.
-
Where to live in Portugal: the regions compared with official figures
Region by region with 2026 figures: median sale prices and rents from INE (Lisbon 5 292 €/m² and 17,42 €/m²; Porto 3 510 and 14,29; Coimbra, Leiria, Braga, Guimarães far lower), the IPMA climate normals, what an equal budget buys in each city, and the questions on work, schools, health and language.
-
Porto or Lisbon? The two cities compared with 2026 figures
Lisbon and Porto compared with INE and IPMA figures: median sale prices (5 082 vs 3 510 €/m²), new-lease rents (17,22 vs 14,29 €/m²), homes sold and leases signed, temperatures, rain days and heat days, job markets and suburbs — and a plain decision guide for budget, career, weather and pace.
-
Doing a doctorate in Portugal: the law, the money and the visa
The doctorate in Portugal from the law to the residence card: access rules (master's degree or recognised record), the thesis and optional doctoral course, where research may be done, FCT studentships (1 359,64 € a month from January 2026), tuition set by each university, the D4 visa, the permits.
-
Portugal's climate, region by region: the official thirty-year averages
The IPMA's 1991–2020 climate normals turned into a guide: Lisbon (17,6 °C, 794 mm, 33 days above 30 °C), Porto (1 147 mm of rain on 105 days), Faro (455 mm, 49 rain days), the hot Alentejo (88 days above 30 °C in Beja), frost in Bragança and Guarda, Funchal and Ponta Delgada — month by month.
