News
Portugal continues to establish itself as a leading global destination for digital nomads, having granted over 2,600 visas to remote workers in just one year. Considered a “rising star in the remote work universe”, Portugal is also seeing several cities and towns ranking high in global lists of the best locations for digital nomads.
Ahead of the next Moving to Portugal Show in London on 19th October 2023, in the autumn edition of Abode2 - The essential guide to the finest in global luxury property, the UK’s leading luxury property magazine, Christina Hippisley, General Manager of the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in the UK, reflects on the reasons behind Portugal’s continued appeal to British second- home buyers and – more recently – why more British residents are now looking to move to Portugal in order to work remotely.
October 14th and 15th are the dates for the 23rd annual Better Living in Portugal Exhibition (BLiP EXPO) organised by afpop.
In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked the Portuguese healthcare system number 12th in its overall ranking of world healthcare systems. The World Index of Healthcare Innovation has also ranked Portugal among the top 10 in healthcare quality due to its patient-centered care and health outcomes. Reflecting these impressive ratings, Chamber member Global Citizen Solutions, a leading provider of relocation and visa solutions worldwide, in partnership with the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in the UK , is now giving a helping hand to expats looking to navigate the Portuguese healthcare system.
Five Portuguese business schools have made the Financial Times ranking of the 50 best executive education schools in the world – Nova School of Business and Economics (Nova SBE), Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics, Porto Business School (PBS) and ISEG – Lisbon School of Economics and Management.
Portugal’s diversified offer and connectivity inside Europe is proving to be a crucial driver for the British buyer
New data from the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in the UK has revealed what Londoners are looking for when they move to Portugal.
The Portuguese real estate market continues to be dominated by national buyers, but overseas purchasers now represent 12% of all house sales.
“Portugal is still very much open for business. There are visa options available to those who want to live there, from entrepreneurs and digital nomads to families, students and retirees. If a life in the Portuguese sunshine is what you are seeking, that is still entirely achievable.”
New figures released by the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in the UK have revealed detailed insights into Britons’ plans to move to Portugal.
Linhares da Beira in Celorico da Beira is one of the 12 “Historical Villages of Portugal”
Portugal’s Douro region is the European Wine Capital in 2023, with dozens of initiatives planned throughout the year to showcase the region to Europe, promote wine tourism, culture, heritage and wine.
Housing prices rose 13.1% in the third quarter compared to the same period in 2021.
Forbes magazine has voted Portugal as the country which offers the best value for money for relocaters out of 10 countries worldwide.
The 2022 edition of the EF English Proficiency Index ranks 111 countries and regions by their spoken English skills. Portugal ranks 9th overall, with Braga being the Portuguese city where English is best spoken.
Investment in Portugal’s Golden Visa scheme stood at €65.6 million in November, an increase of 40% like-for-like on 2021.
Lisbon has been declared as the second happiest city in the world for expats according to the latest Internations Expat City Ranking 2022.
Five new restaurants joined the elite Michelin Guide (Spain & Portugal edition) in 2023, with the country now boasting 45 Michelin stars.
The Portuguese Resorts Market Report is the outcome of the Resorts Information System (SIR-Resorts) launched by Portuguese Chamber members Confidencial Imobiliário and APR - Portuguese Resorts Association.
The Chamber’s Moving To Portugal Show & Seminars have had a recent surge of new registrations after the Bloomberg news services highlighted the October launch of Portugal’s new Digital Nomad Visa, which allows workers to live and work for up to a year in Portugal.
Portugal’s national news agency LUSA has reported that between January and August 2022, investment into the country raised through the Residence Permit for Investment (ARI), also known as the Golden Visa program, totalled €397.7 million, 34.7 percent more than in the same period last year.
Why not move to Portugal to further your business education?
The Financial Times reports that five of Portugal’s business schools are now top ranked in their prestigious ‘Masters in Finance 2022’ list, which ranks the 55 best Masters in Finance degrees worldwide.
The Financial Times reports that five of Portugal’s business schools are now top ranked in their prestigious ‘Masters in Finance 2022’ list, which ranks the 55 best Masters in Finance degrees worldwide.
A recent report from international real estate consultancy Savills highlights a new trend in family living, which is now attracting the attention of investors looking for new business sectors.
Airbnb announces it will collaborate with 20 destinations to attract digital nomads.
The Chamber’s Moving to Portugal team are delighted to announce their new strategic partnership with Confidencial Imobiliario, who are the leading providers of independent market statistics about Portugal’s residential real estate market.
As several of Portugal’s private and public universities achieve higher and higher international rankings, the number of foreign students coming to complete their university studies in Portugal has been dramatically increasing.
In 2021 in Portugal, around 205.000 dwellings were sold, 26% more compared to 2020 and 20% higher than 2019.
After five months in limbo, Portugal’s golden visa platform is back on track, accepting applications for ‘ARIs’ (authorisations of residency for investment).
There are now close to 3,000 properties in Portugal that can be bought with crypto currencies.
Lisbon tops the table of the best locations for an executive nomad to live, according to new research from Savills as part of its Impacts 2022 programme.
According to its official statement, "the Immigration and Border Service (SEF) operates four new generation e-gates at Lisbon Airport, ensuring a faster and more functional border control at arrivals for nationals of the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore."
The Chamber’s recent Moving to Portugal Show and Seminars, held on 31st March 2022, revealed some surprising changes in the profile of the many UK residents now researching their move to Portugal, as the restrictions caused by the pandemic recede.
The number of property sales in Portuguese resorts increased by 70% in 2021 compared to 2020, with prices also rising in tandem, says an influential recent report
From 1 January 2022, Portugal has introduced new changes to its Golden Visa Program, which will boost interest in interior areas of the country along with the islands.
Here Chamber members Global Citizen Solutions explain the changes in depth
Here Chamber members Global Citizen Solutions explain the changes in depth
Portugal is the fourth best place to retire in the world in 2022, according to the Annual Global Retirement Index prepared by editors at International Living magazine.
Since 2021, Portugal moves up one spot from fifth to fourth to overtake Colombia in this year’s survey.
Since 2021, Portugal moves up one spot from fifth to fourth to overtake Colombia in this year’s survey.
Last night (2nd December 21) the Portuguese Chamber co-hosted a Private View Networking Reception at Galeries Bartoux in central London with luxury property and lifestyle publishers Abode 2. The event was sponsored by leading developers in Portugal Reward Properties, and the Portuguese law firm MATLAW.
by Carolina Maia 1st November 2021
Despite surging coronavirus cases in the UK last week, visitors (suitably masked) arrived in force on Thursday, October 21 for the first live Moving to Portugal Show and Seminars organised by the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in the UK since November 2019.
by Carolina Maia 8th October 2021
• British migrants to Portugal up 34.6% from 2019 to 2020
• First Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in the UK event since 2019 will respond to emerging trend
• Portugal voted the best place to live in 2022 in latest Expats Exchange survey
• First Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in the UK event since 2019 will respond to emerging trend
• Portugal voted the best place to live in 2022 in latest Expats Exchange survey
by Carolina Maia 20th September 2021
Are you interested in a detailed breakdown of the way house prices in Portugal are changing across the regions?
Property finder José Cabral from A House in Lisbon has just published his exhaustive analysis of house prices across the country, compiled from official statistics that are rarely publicised.
Property finder José Cabral from A House in Lisbon has just published his exhaustive analysis of house prices across the country, compiled from official statistics that are rarely publicised.
The Times reports on the latest reasons to move to Portugal, and talks to our Chamber Corporate member John Mather from Émigré
Fibre broadband, low taxes and sun, could these Portuguese islands make you happy ever after?
Fibre broadband, low taxes and sun, could these Portuguese islands make you happy ever after?
In the word of wine, few countries are as interesting as Portugal. Here, wine buff, cork expert and Chamber member Geoffrey Kelly extols the virtues of Portuguese wines
Tate Britain's recent opening of its Paula Rego exhibition is the largest and most comprehensive retrospective of the world famous Portuguese artist's work to date.
Despite gloomy predictions, it is onward and upward for the Algarve’s property market The property market in the Algarve is booming and is likely to remain on an upward path as travel restrictions ease and prices catch up with other prime European real estate markets, say leading agents in the area.
The UK’s Sunday Times recently covered bargains for Brits on the island of Madeira, explaining how Brits are being lured to Portugal’s ‘island jewel’ with the promise of working remotely at the island’s digital nomads village and also accessing European citizenship via Portugal’s golden visas. Read more…
The leading website Investment Migration Insider reports on Portugal’s recent approval of a fund offering the country’s first Cultural Heritage Golden Visa.
by Namrata Majithia 9th June 2021
Portugal’s prime minister António Costa has addressed the implications of the shock decision by the British government to remove Portugal from its ‘green list’
by Namrata Majithia 9th June 2021
Chamber members Global Citizen Solutions and Goldcrest Properties launch a comprehensive step-by- step guide for foreigners investing in Portuguese real estate
by Namrata Majithia 14th May 2021
Holidays to Portugal will resume from May 17, after the Portuguese tourism minister confirmed on Friday May 14 that the country would be welcoming British tourists from Monday.
British inquiries for Portuguese holiday homes are up 70pc as buyers look to make longer stays abroad
by Namrata Majithia 10th May 2021
Portugal is one of just 12 destinations on the 'green list', announced by transport secretary Grant Shapps last week – meaning that holidays can resume from May 17, and travellers returning to the UK will not be required to quarantine.
by Namrata Majithia 5th May 2021
• New Algarve Tech Hub harnesses ‘technological fervour sweeping the country’
• Digital nomads, entrepreneurs and tech start-ups being welcomed to Portugal
• Algarve eyes up title of world’s #1 lifestyle tech hub
• Digital nomads, entrepreneurs and tech start-ups being welcomed to Portugal
• Algarve eyes up title of world’s #1 lifestyle tech hub
Portugal's Ambassador tells the UK's Sky News that Portugal is 'hoping to welcome British holidaymakers from mid-May'
Portugal ‘reopens’ flights between UK and Brazil – but only for essential reasons
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Last week, Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in the UK members Global Citizen Solutions – a boutique migration investment firm headquartered in Lisbon – held a webinar to discuss the upcoming changes to the Golden Visa scheme as well as alternative forms of acquiring residency.
by Namrata Majithia 30th March 2021
UK residents from England, Scotland and Wales can now claim a VAT refund on retail purchases (over €50+VAT)they make in Portugal, effective from 1st January 2021.
The new world-class and innovative International School is now open in the Park of Nations (Parque das Nações/ Expo) area, in Lisbon.
Portugal will be removed from the "red list" of countries from where travel to England is banned after 04:00 GMT on Friday 19th March, the British Department for Transport has announced.
British buyers looking to move to Portugal have been given extra time to buy a property to qualify for the golden visa, the quickest and easiest route to residency after Brexit.
Contrary to a controversial law passed at the end of last year (click here), restrictions to Portugal’s money-spinning ‘golden visa’ regime will not now come into effect on July 1.
The Chamber and its Corporate members Vilamoura World, Martinhal, Edge International and Ombria are all quoted in The Times today in a lengthy story about Where to Buy Property in Portugal to Get a Golden Visa by Zoe Dare-Hall. See the full story below
by Namrata Majithia 8th January 2021
If you are a British resident and thinking of moving to Portugal in 2021, there are several options open to you.
The Brexit deal has finally been agreed. Now the rules on travelling between the UK and European Union countries, including Portugal, change on 1 January 2021.
Below we cover the main things you must consider on your next trip to Portugal.
Below we cover the main things you must consider on your next trip to Portugal.
Portuguese Government Confirms Changes in its Golden Visa Programme: Not Necessarily Bad News, Say Stakeholders
Natasha Donn in the Portugal Resident reports on Portugal’s approach to ensuring high numbers of Brits continue to move to Portugal or visit for extended periods of time.
by Namrata Majithia 1st December 2020
Many of the 1.8 million British expats living in Europe will have their UK bank accounts closed imminently because of Brexit - and they should urgently seek alternatives to "sidestep avoidable issues," Nigel Green, CEO of deVere Group, warned this morning.
by Namrata Majithia 23rd November 2020
Chinese buyers have rushed to buy homes in Lisbon to beat year-end deadline under Portugal’s ‘golden visa’ scheme; purchases in Portugal topped foreign purchases of flats in Singapore
by Namrata Majithia 10th November 2020
The pandemic is forcing some older workers to confront painful financial realities and revise their financial planning for retirement. One option some may be considering is retiring abroad to a destination that is more tax efficient and offers other important lifestyle benefits, like Portugal.
by Namrata Majithia 22nd October 2020
With just over two months before the UK leaves the EU, property search agent Sebastien Niccolleau (who specialises in Portugal) takes a closer look on how this will impact Brits wanting to travel, buy or relocate to the continent.
by Namrata Majithia 19th October 2020
Portugal’s SEF border and immigration agency and British Embassy launch joint information campaign
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Portugal’s leading property fair SIL 2020 (which opens on 8th Oct 2020) goes for hybrid format.
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by Namrata Majithia 7th October 2020
With so many events being cancelled this year, to the frustration of both businesses and visitors, afpop, Portugal’s largest association for foreign residents and property owners, has taken the initiative to move the 20th edition of its annual Better Living in Portugal Exhibition (BLiP EXPO) on-line this October.
by Namrata Majithia 5th October 2020
There’s no doubt that Portugal is a fantastic place to call home, but did you know it can also offer financial advantages?
With early, careful financial planning, you can make the most of tax-efficient opportunities and avoid potential mistakes.
With early, careful financial planning, you can make the most of tax-efficient opportunities and avoid potential mistakes.
by Namrata Majithia 25th September 2020
Searching for a better life abroad after a heart attack last year, James Reynold-Payne, 49, chose the Algarve in Portugal. Besides the plentiful beaches, excellent food, widely spoken English and easy access from the UK, it was the tax breaks that appealed.
by Namrata Majithia 25th September 2020
Holidays cannot not be deemed “essential” travel. The prospect of six months of 'shutdown' restrictions may, to many, make overseas breaks seem frivolous. Yet, in my experience, even briefly swapping gloom-laden Britain for somewhere with a sunnier disposition delivers a much-needed shot of positivity.
The Chamber team is back in the office after a few precious days on the ground in Portugal...
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News that Greece is to offer a ten-year tax incentive to foreign pensioners means they now join Portugal in offering retirees an very attractive tax regime. But MoneyWeek magazine explains why the EU may not like it...
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by Namrata Majithia 21st July 2020
The Socialist Party (PS) of the Algarve today publicly celebrated Prime Minister António Costa's commitment to the historic Covid- rescue agreement reached last week in Brussels by the European Council.
by Namrata Majithia 21st July 2020
As reported by Natasha Donn in the Portugal Resident newspaper, Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa returned from the marathon negotiations in Brussels this week waving the promise of €45.1 billion in much-needed post-coronavirus recovery funding for the country.
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17 July 2020
Our General Manager, Christina Hippisley, recently joined Dylan Herholdt of Chamber members Portugal Realty as a guest on his popular podcast called Portugal: The Simple Life.
Our General Manager, Christina Hippisley, recently joined Dylan Herholdt of Chamber members Portugal Realty as a guest on his popular podcast called Portugal: The Simple Life.
by Namrata Majithia 9th July 2020
The recent exclusion of the Portuguese mainland from the UK’s newly issued travel list of ‘green’ and ‘amber’ countries has caused consternation in the Portuguese government.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) recently announced that it will provide support for British citizens and their families in their applications for residence in Portugal.
by Namrata Majithia 27th May 2020
The Times reports today that Britain is in talks with Portugal over plans to create an "air bridge" that would allow holidaymakers and potential property buyers to travel to the country without quarantining on their return.
Since late 2017, over 6,000 people have attended the Chamber’s Moving to Portugal Shows and Seminars in the UK and Ireland, and the demand for more information about retiring to Portugal or moving your business and family there for lifestyle reasons grows each month.
Chamber members EDGE International Lawyers have now created a dedicated website giving pragmatic updates about Portugal’s Covid-19 response and how legal and practical matters can continue in the meantime.
Portugal’s Algarve Resident newspaper and website reports on the ‘second wave’ of complimentary articles in the international media over Portugal’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Here you can learn about the state of emergency and all the measures enacted by the Government that are mandatory as of Saturday, March 21st
British Tourists, visitors and residents can continue to enjoy freedom of movement, travel, access to healthcare and recognising driving licenses in Portugal, as normal, until the end of the transition period, foreseen to be the 31st of December 2020
After 6 successful events, the demand is still high!
by Namrata Majithia 1st May 2019
Everything you need to know to prepare for a new life in the tranquility, beauty and warmth of Europe’s most westerly country.
All that’s left is to pack your suitcase.
All that’s left is to pack your suitcase.
The Portuguese are coming! In response to popular demand from Irish property buyers, the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce is bringing its Moving to Portugal Show and Seminars to Dublin on 15th May 2019.
by Namrata Majithia 22nd February 2019
As the subject of the meeting was ‘Brexit’, the main points made by Augusto Santos Silva were: