residency

Share experience regarding ownership of property and/or living in Portugal.
shanagarry
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Post by shanagarry »

I am not advocating anything other than the right way. We have a good 10 years before we can make that permanent move - and while not wanting to wish our lives away - are really looking forward to it.

From the 2 communications - it appears that those who do register for Resedencia are of a working age. The people we met at the weekend - were sub 60 (only just). They all have business interests in their respective countries but operate from Cvo - thanks to the Internet. They do have a base in their native countries and probably meet the requirements - sort of.

The one significant factor that emanated from those conversations last weekend is that a great many people have not conformed and are probably living a clandestine existence. That cannot be comfortable.

If you draw a parallel between the UK and Portugal in that regard - it is not difficult to see why the 'Black Economy' here is so attractive - despite the attention of the IR and others. The numbers of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants who do not pay taxes etc has never been higher despite our so-called sophisticated processes. In reality we pay them, give them houses or put them up in hotels while our old people freeze and have to make do - a disgrace. (Apologies for the political stance)

Portugal, with a smaller population must be easier to police and control? I know where we would rather be.
kteee
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Post by kteee »

Guest, we both started again from scratch here having sold our business in the uk. It's much harder to start up here and you need a lot of patience and tenacity, but for us - so far so good!
piglet
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Post by piglet »

shanagarry wrote:
If you draw a parallel between the UK and Portugal in that regard - it is not difficult to see why the 'Black Economy' here is so attractive - despite the attention of the IR and others. The numbers of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants who do not pay taxes etc has never been higher despite our so-called sophisticated processes. In reality we pay them, give them houses or put them up in hotels while our old people freeze and have to make do - a disgrace. (Apologies for the political stance)

Portugal, with a smaller population must be easier to police and control? I know where we would rather be.
Shanagarry this is a subject very close to my heart....no appology necessary for me. We pay into a medical system for years..WE are denied free medical treatment if we reside outside the UK for over 183 days, but you can just walk in from timbuck too and gain treatment.
The conditions many of our old people are forced to endure and they cant even gaureentee us pensions now......brrrr humbug. It is a sad disgrace....we treat animals better and asylum seekers to :oops:

P
e-llen
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Post by e-llen »

Not all people who opt for residéncia are of a working age. My husband and I have retired here, after many years of being regular visitors and we have residéncia, Portuguese driving licences etc. It suits us very well, if we are living here we want to know where we stand and we feel being 'legit' is to our benefit. We also know other people who have not only residéncia but have taken Portuguese nationality.
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Post by Gambrinus »

Keeping a car with foreign plates here for longer than allowed bears a risk if the police decide to monitor the vehlices whereabouts. They will set out to proove that the vehicle was in the country for longer than 6 months at which point they will fine you and they may also try to enforce registration by impounding it untill it is legal.

Living here without residency is not a problem.
shanagarry
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Post by shanagarry »

Piglet - I share your disgust with this appalling UK system and as looks likely will probably get worse if this shower get re-elected.

e-lien - You appear to think that I am in favour of people remaining in Portugal on an illegitimate basis - I am not. My question is and I will probably never get it answered - If you are not 'legit' how long are you likely to get away with it and what would have to happen for you to be found-out. I am assuming that the 'offenders' is/are self sufficient in all respects. As far as taking Portuguese Nationality - if it suits - why not!

Gambrinus - your last sentence answers my question. During last weekend I conducted my own 'straw-poll' in Cvo. Portimao and Lagoa. I saw 7 UK registered cars - all of which had registration numbers ranging from 7 to 12 years old (the old type number plates with a letter prefix). Three of them had current tax discs for the registered number of the car they were attached to - 2 had current tax discs but not for the cars they were attached to - one had a disc that was 2 years out of date and the other had no disc at all. Clearly the Police have more important 'fish to fry'? Is this a true representation of the way it is?

By way of a final question would anybody like to hazard a guess at the % of 'legit' British residents (in all respects) as opposed to the opposite?

I am not in any way involved with any Government body of any persuasion - merely a curious observer.
e-llen
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Post by e-llen »

Excuse me Shanagarry, I have no idea how you have come to a conclusion regarding what I think. What others think or do is none of my business and frankly I don't give a hoot, we do what suits us. I was merely putting in my 2 euros worth in answer to your comment that people who opted for residéncia were of a working age, when I know many people of different nationalities who have retired here and are residents
shanagarry
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Post by shanagarry »

e-llen - good for you
Guest

Post by Guest »

I would say over 50% of my 'mates' are not ligit.......all have UK cars..one of them has been here 19 years and has three UK cars..and lives here 90% of the year.....He runs a business but it is in his wifes name..and she is ligit....
SO...???????!!!!!
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Post by piglet »

Hi Shanagarry

In fairness this appears to be a very difficult question to answer..its almost like the old adage..."how long is a piece of string?".."depends where you cut it"

And whether you are out of the country for 183, 220 or 365 days at some point like everything else, BIG brother will be watching you.

You probably feel frustrated as there is not a clear cut answer but in a way people have responded. I was interested in your post and waited for the replies as I was wondering the same thing.

Kind Regards
Piglet
shanagarry
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Thank You

Post by shanagarry »

Dear Piglet et al

Thank you all for being as forthright as you possibly can - I am grateful.

I suppose the conclusion to be drawn from this little exercise using the little pieces of information provided is:

1. 43% of the 7 cars I saw at the weekend were 'legit'.
2. Guest claims that 50% of his mates are legitimate residents.

If that % was applied to all British and other non-nationals living and maybe working in Portugal it answers the question as to whether an estrangeiro can remain in Portugal for more than the allotted time of 183 days without the need to register - is an unequivocal YES.

I don't want to kick-off another statistical quest, BUT would anybody like to hazard a guess as to what that equates to in numbers of people. If, as I suspect it to be a considerable number it is not hard to see why the Portuguese economy is not in the best of shape and that's a great shame.
piglet
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Post by piglet »

Hi Shanagary

I think you will have to think of Portugal like.....trying to get a parachute back into the bag on a windy day. :lol:

You will end up having a nervous breakdown if you try and pigeon hole it with statistics and percentages etc.......

Enjoy Portugal as it comes...I am not even living there yet but already I have learnt you have to bend in the wind, nothing is cast in stone and urgent is not part of the vocabulary....unless there are penalty clauses which will cost money.
In my experience the Portuguese are so kind and will bend over backwards to help you and in return...we chill and go with the flow and dont make waves and embrace their culture.

Otherwise you will end up on medication for stress. :lol: :lol: says she who is on her third bottle :shock: :lol:

I came to this conclusion on my last visit, just last week. I was so strung out and wound up like a top trying to get things organised. Alll the plans we made in my carefully organised schedule, changed by the hour. :lol: but hey it all came together...but not in the order we expected or at the day and time.

Forget statistics they are for politicians...just think what they ahve done to our NHS system with their damn lies and statistics :lol:

Piggles
shanagarry
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Post by shanagarry »

Hi Piglet

You are absolutely right. After 21 years of Algarvian holidays we too have grown accustomed to the wonderful ways of the Portuguese - they are genuinely nice people and it is a real delight to be in their midst.

We are 10 years away from retirement, hence the questions about Resedencia etc.

We are very aware of the process frustrations that surround most things in Portugal and are hoping that if we start the planning and implementation early enough we should not encounter too many problems when the time arrives. That's the theory anyway.

Our most immediate hurdle is getting planning approval for an extension and improvement to our property - something that is not achieved without some 'pain'. For now we have put matters in the hands of the architects and I am 'happy' with the current rate of progress.

The building process, once it commences will be inconvenient but having had 2 complete bathrooms satisfactorily installed during the last 12 months we are a lot more comfortable with the building process and feel we can live with it. That might be something I might regret saying but for now - it's fine.

There is an alternative but with the property market in 'freefall', buying would seem to be the right thing to do - but going through the selling and buying process is, to our way of thinking, a stress too far.

Like you, we spent last weekend in Cvo and really struggled to motivate ourselves to get on the plane to come back here. We are returning on the 22nd March and it can't come quickly enough.
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Post by piglet »

Hi Shanagary

Trying to work out a way we can become residents. It all hinges on the medical situation. We wont be able to get cover for hubby privately so as far as I understand, if we are self employed and pay Portuguese taxes rather than UK we can use the Portuguese healthcare system... I have probably misunderstood this.

Pigs
Jake

Post by Jake »

I am opting for residency and what other people do is up to them - unless it affects me of course! So what I would like to know is whether all these people with their illegal cars have any insurance? Or is it just tax, MOTs etc. that they are without?

J
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