There have always been a number of intrepid souls that relocated to another country, but recently, at least in the United States, that number is increasing. Faced with a higher cost of living, especially in regards to healthcare, retirees (and younger folks as well) have been looking beyond their borders for a place to live.
Portugal has many wonderful attractions, and a recent article highlighted 10 Wine Tours You Can't Miss in Porto. We certainly intend to do just that once we're settled there.
It seems that Portugal is *the* place to visit nowadays, with celebrities such as Madonna making a pilgrimage to this country's shores. In the last year we've watched Portugal's popularity soar, which is great news for their economy. Here's a recent article Is Portugal the New Iceland? that explains why you might consider a visit as well. One of the requirements for obtaining our Portuguese residency visa, which allows us to stay longer than ninety days, is to submit to a FBI background check. Actually, the official name for this is an “Identity History Summary Check,” but everyone just refers to it as your run-of-the-mill background check. One of the requirements to apply for the background check is to submit a sample of your fingerprints.
There are several steps for a foreigner to obtain residency in any foreign country, with some countries having stricter requirements than others. In general a host country is seeking to ensure that you meet the usual requirements for residency, which include:
Hi! We’re Harold and Jana and we'll be chronicling our move from Georgia (USA) to Portugal later this year. The decision to move from our native country to an entirely new one was not made lightly. There were many factors involved, and we'd like to take a minute to give you an idea of a few of those just in case you're considering something similar.
First, we are childless, so we won't be living far away from any kids or grandkids. Our parents have all shuffled off this mortal coil, so there are no elder care issues. And finally, we needed to REBOOT, as we put it. |
Your HostsHarold is a former software engineer. Jana is an author. Together they're exploring their new life in Portugal. Archives
December 2022
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