David and Suzanne have bought what they call their “first and last house together” in Portugal.
The couple from Hertfordshire, who went to school together, bumped into each other 40 years later, got together and decided that their future lay on the Silver Coast north of Lisbon.
A screen test that changed everything
Their journey started with a screen test at A Place in the Sun Live at London's Olympia in 2022. “We did it as a joke, but four months later we were flying out to Lisbon with Ben Hillman,” says David, who is 57, like Suzanne.
With a healthy £240,000 budget, they were seeking an area of authentic Portugal for a full-time move. They looked at areas such as Cela, Nazare, Salgueiro (where another recent TV house hunter found a home), Porto de Mos and Serro Ventoso.
They ended up buying a three-bedroom property in Ataíja de Baixo, which is 10 minutes from the inland city of Alcobaça and 20 minutes from Nazaré, the famous surfing town, and around an hour from Lisbon’s airport. It cost £234,000.
They purchased after a long completion – they wanted to sell a rental property in the UK first, and had buyers pull out – and signed for the property in August 2024.
Applying for the D7 visa
They moved out to Portugal in April this year, after starting the process to apply for a D7 visa – the visa designed for non-working, non-EU nationals moving to Portugal.
“We knew we qualified for the visa in terms of the minimum income required and used the same lawyer to help advise us as the one we used to buy the house,” says David.
For the visa, €10,440 per year is required for a single applicant, or €870 per month. For a married couple, it’s €1,305 per month. Because the couple are not married, they did two separate applications, which were linked. The initial application is made in the UK.
Income must be passive, which includes rental income from UK property, so David had to show proof of ownership of two buy-to-let properties back in Hertfordshire, plus the inflow of funds.
Of the experience of getting the visas, the couple say it was less easy than the property purchase. “The bureaucracy is unbelievable. It is very hard to contact AIMA," [the Portuguese government’s migration agency].
“We waited for our appointment in Portugal and then we got only five days’ notice of the appointment in Lisbon. We booked an overnight stay in Lisbon and when we arrived at the office, we were told it was too busy – we had to come back the next morning. But we finally got it done the next morning,” says David.
The visas cost around €2,500 each, but it has been worth it. “We love life here. The climate is lovely, the people are super friendly, and we have had a non-stop flow of relatives visiting,” adds Suzanne.
Adjusting to life in Portugal
They’ve settled in well and love the lifestyle, yet they are honest about the transition. “It’s a massive change and I think on the first day we could have gone home. There is more of a language barrier on the Silver Coast as it is not a tourist place here. The locals quite often give us vacant looks when we try to ask for something. We’ve signed up for Portuguese lessons and had some private tuition.”
They have made a few English friends, though, and are keen to try fostering dogs. “We are finding our feet. We love the house and are pleasantly surprised by the lower cost of living.”
They say a haircut costs €5. Six drinks in a local bar, €9. It’s less than one euro for a coffee. The Flexibus to Lisbon costs €4 each return.
To anyone thinking of making this move: “Be precise in gathering all your required information regarding your visa before leaving the UK and be prepared for the amount of bureaucracy and how slow things move in Portugal,” says David.
“Plus learn a little Portuguese before arriving, especially if you plan to be rural.”
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