Removals to Portugal: mainland, Madeira and the Azores.

Settle your right to live in Portugal first

Residence depends on your nationality and your reason for moving. A third-country national who intends to stay more than 90 days normally needs a long-stay visa, and the national visa portal lists residence visas for employment, remote work, independent work, family reunification, retirement and passive income, among others. A residence visa is followed by an application to AIMA, the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, within the visa's validity. EU nationals and their families use a separate section of the AIMA website. AIMA also keeps a separate Brexit section for people covered by the withdrawal arrangements. Appointment availability has changed over time, so check the current notice before booking travel.

Official guidance: Portugal national visas: types of visa · AIMA: EU nationals and family members · AIMA: Brexit section

Check whether your belongings can enter without duty

Portugal applies the EU rules on household goods moved by someone transferring their normal residence from outside the EU. In general you need at least 12 months of previous residence outside the EU customs territory, six months of possession and use of the goods before leaving, and the same intended use at your new home. Entry is normally within 12 months of establishing residence, and relieved goods should not be lent, hired out or transferred for 12 months after release without notifying customs. Alcohol and tobacco are excluded. Ask the Portuguese tax and customs authority to confirm your own case before the shipment is packed. Belongings that are already in free circulation in another EU country are a different question from an import from the UK, the USA, Canada or South America.

Official guidance: EU household-goods duty relief: Articles 3 to 8

Name the island if you are going to Madeira or the Azores

Madeira and the Azores are listed by the European Commission as inside the EU customs, VAT and excise territory, like mainland Portugal. For removals the difference is practical. An island home needs its own delivery stage after the main sea or road leg, so give the island and the town rather than only the country. Island ports, ferry connections and local road widths can change how the final delivery is planned, and we assess that from your address and inventory.

Official guidance: EU customs and VAT territory boundaries

Ask the school about equivalence before you travel

For a child of compulsory school age, the Portuguese education directorate says the receiving school makes a conditional enrolment while the equivalence of foreign qualifications is processed, and the request is made at the basic or secondary school in your area of residence. Foreign certificates generally need authentication by a consulate or Hague Apostille, a Portuguese translation, the years completed and final marks. The directorate describes the certification as free. Vocational qualifications follow a different route. Keep school reports together and make sure they are in your hand luggage, not in the shipment.

Official guidance: DGE: equivalence of foreign qualifications (FAQ) · gov.pt: requesting equivalence for basic and secondary education

City apartment, coastal villa or village house

Lisbon and Porto apartments often sit in older buildings with narrow streets, steep gradients and small lifts. Tell us the floor, lift size and where a lorry can stop. In the Algarve, Alentejo and the north, a rural property may be reached by a narrow lane, a gate or a track that a large vehicle cannot use. Photographs of the approach help us decide whether a smaller vehicle or a shuttle is needed. Ask the building administrator or the local council about any permission needed to reserve parking outside the door.

Pack for a warm, humid or coastal home

Wooden furniture, musical instruments, leather and books can react to a change of climate. Tell us what is valuable or delicate and what packing you would like us to quote for. Measure large pieces against the doorways and stairs at the Portuguese end, because tiled stairwells and tight turns are common in older houses.

• Large furniture with dimensions, and anything to be dismantled.
• Fragile, valuable or climate-sensitive items.
• Collection access, the Portuguese address or area, and who will meet the delivery.

Keep your own dates separate

The day you leave, the day you arrive and the day someone can receive the belongings in Portugal are three separate dates. Say if you will not have keys on delivery day, and who can sign on your behalf. Ask what the proposal includes for collection, transport, delivery and any customs paperwork, and which items are quoted separately.

Moving out of Portugal instead?

Tell us the receiving country and the Portuguese collection town. A return to the UK or a move to another country has its own residence and import checks, so describe the real direction and dates in your enquiry.