residency

e-llen · Post by **e-llen** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 1:44 pm

Did you read the post by Digger, dated 4th Feb ?

John1 · Post by **John1** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 3:34 pm

Just for reference: I got a health insurance from an AXA office in Portimao. It costs 200.37 euros for myself & my wife for a year.(we are in our mid-thirties). If you are interested I can e-mail the Name, number,address etc? Its a basic health plan but it's enough for you to get residencia. The only downside is that everything is in Portuguese so it's hard to know what you can claim for.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 3:35 pm

Thank you..Thats very good info.......I know the office and will call in to see them

digger · Post by **digger** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 11:58 am

digger wrote:The only real benefit I can think of is healthcare. You must get your residence permit before you can apply for a medical card.

when I applied for my residencia in 2001.....evidence of private medical insurance cover..... was not a requirement.
It's not getting any easier.
Perhaps what John 1 is suggesting is the answer for those on a budget

digger · Post by **digger** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 12:49 pm

I’ve just found a doc on my pc that was emailed to me from the British Consulate in 2001. It contains the following paragragh:
Persons of independent means (including retired persons) will be required to produce evidence that they have sufficient income to support themselves and their dependants without recourse to state assistance. For health care, if in receipt of a state pension, they will have to show that they have officially transferred their state pension from their last country of residence to Portugal, and should on arrival register with the relevant local social security office (Centro Regional de Segurança Social). If not in receipt of a state pension, they will have to show other means of income. (British citizens will still be entitled to register with their social security office and obtain a National Health Insurance card under the Protocol on Medical Treatment signed between Portugal and the UK on 15 November 1978). Their residence permit will be valid for a period of two years, renewable for five years.

Guesto · Post by **Guesto** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 6:27 pm

I am pretty sure that if you are a resident you are entitled to use the pt National Health System, no problem. That is plain EU working. Other thing is if you dont trust the pt system and do some private medical insurance...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 7:05 pm

Yeh...but you can't get Residencia without Med Insurance (Nowdays) and therefore its irrelivant that if you are resident you you can use the Public system......
We also used AXA ...cost about 2000 per year for two of us..but that includes Dental.....so much cheaper than UK Insurance ..Exiter was 3000 without Dental.......BUT ..If you haver a Job or sel employed you dont need Medical Insurance because the Company scheme applies..

piglet · Post by **piglet** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:00 pm

Hi Guest

Can you please elaborate on "self employed" and "company scheme"
Can I assume if you are self employed in portugal you can claim your medical insurance against tax??
Many thanks

shanagarry · Post by **shanagarry** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 3:11 pm

What happens if you do spend the 183 days in Portugal and you do not register - who knows or how do the authorities find out?

Assuming you have independent means and do not require state sponsored health care - why bother?

I know a number of people who have had to endure the bureaucratic nightmare and now wish they had not bothered. They have now resorted to bringing their car from the UK (it's a lot cheaper), they will take it back and change it before the MOT is due and nobody is any the wiser. They go to Spain 3-4 times each year (in their UK registered car) and have never been challenged.

I have noticed a few Isle of Man registered cars around Cvo for tha past 2 years and I suspect they are doing the same. Is there some form of exemption for IOM residents?

Are we not in danger of keeping too many civil servants in work?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 6:01 pm

Hi shanagarry....was waiting for a response to your question with interest...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 9:08 am

Please can anyone tell me....

if you have to have evidence you can support yourself to become a resident...how much in euros would that be per anum??

shanagarry · Post by **shanagarry** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 10:50 am

I am somewhat surprised not to have received a response to the question I posed last week on here. It is customary for some of the contributors to have an opinion on most matters but this one seems to have 'hit the wall'.

Having just returned from a weekend in Cvo and asking a number of our friends for their view on the matter - there appears not to be an answer. If you are self-sufficient and pay your way then nobody is any the wiser. We met 3 such people (Irish, British and Dutch) on Saturday who have been in Cvo 3, 7 and 13 years respectively - and they have never attempted to take out/register for Resedencia and have never been troubled by any bureaucracy as a consequence.

They have private healthcare and have no reason to seek state aid. One has a Portuguese registered car the others have cars from their home countries. They travel frequently and satisfy the requirement to only have the car(s) in Portugal for the requisite 183 days at a time.

Not being an authority on this sort of thing - how right or wrong is their way of doing things?

kteee · Post by **kteee** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 10:57 am

Personally I prefer to know that I am 'legit' - also to work here on a contract (as opposed to cash in hand) it is necessary to have residencia.

We showed we had between 10-15.000 euros in the bank which was enough for self-supporting residencia, we also own a property outright, but I don't think they asked about that.

As we are both working and paying tax etc, there was no need to prove private health insurance (although we do have it) I think the health insurance issue is only if you are retired. The tax concessions here tend to be more generous than in the UK and some people may actually be better off being assessed for tax in Portugal.

Obtaining residencia was not such a nightmare - although they did knock 30 years off my age on the first one! - there are worse bureaucratic nightmares to endure out here

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 11:00 am

ITS against the Law......You MUST register by law (for residentiao).......I have been here for 5 years ..never registered .......buy my MOT's at the local pub ....and nobody says a thing...but.....recently they have these Fiscal police...who have demanded from a friend of mine previous bank statements.( Proved that he was paying his builder a non VAT cash amount each month...now they are both in big S ) ..and have checked and found out that he has used up Electric and Gas....AND his Internet has been used much of the year...etc etc ....Its not hard for them to find out IF they go after you that you have spent more than 183 days here....Big Brother is here and from July 1st all Bank transactions Via UK ...Portugal etc are reported (Unless you opt for a witholding Tax).........So ..dear friends ..I'm getting residenciao and puting in a tax return from nxt Jan......

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 11:35 am

Many Thanks Guest

I think you are right...the days of being anonymous are over....big brother has arrived.

Kteee, was it difficult to transfer your business from the UK? Or did you start from scratch?
I can work from anyway in my job as long as I have phone and internet.
So my business can be registered in the UK or Portugal...

Sharongarry...I think people were a little shy to respond to a very tricky topic...but I have learnt a lot. Cheers

residency

Health Insurance for Residencia

Residencia et al

Hmnnnn!!!!!!