Retiring to Portugal - from The Netherlands
Jul 10th 2017, 8:35 pm
#1
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Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 5
Retiring to Portugal - from The Netherlands
My wife and I have planned to retire to the Nazare region end Q1 2018.
We bought a house 5 years ago and started planning our move from Holland where I have lived in The Hague for the last 25+ years. We thought we had covered the basic information, until Brexit....
We are now uncertain about two main area's:
1. Medical Care ( as EU citizens we would be entitled to healthcare cover. However when the UK leaves the union I as a UK citizen I assume, would require private healthcare cover, whilst my wife as a French citizen would still be covered under the EU reciprocal arrangements between member states) is that the general opinion of the forum members?
2. Pension :A bit complicated as we have built up pension contributions in different Countries.
My contributions, 22 years in the UK and 21 years in The Netherlands.
As a UK citizen I was hoping to apply for the Non-Habitual Resident regime whereby my UK old age pension could be paid into my Portuguese bank account free of tax.
I believe my Dutch pension will still be taxed at source as the contributions were built-up in Holland ( Although I have heard that Dutch Nationals are also receiving their pensions free of NL tax, not sure how that works as no one at the Belastingdeinst (tax authority) owns-up to having any details ).
My wife has build up pension contributions in France and Holland and so faces similar uncertainty of exactly what we can expect as a monthly pension when residing in Portugal.
Would anyone in the forum be able to provide any clarity in the situation I have outlined?
Appreciate any possible advice.
Thanks
We bought a house 5 years ago and started planning our move from Holland where I have lived in The Hague for the last 25+ years. We thought we had covered the basic information, until Brexit....
We are now uncertain about two main area's:
1. Medical Care ( as EU citizens we would be entitled to healthcare cover. However when the UK leaves the union I as a UK citizen I assume, would require private healthcare cover, whilst my wife as a French citizen would still be covered under the EU reciprocal arrangements between member states) is that the general opinion of the forum members?
2. Pension :A bit complicated as we have built up pension contributions in different Countries.
My contributions, 22 years in the UK and 21 years in The Netherlands.
As a UK citizen I was hoping to apply for the Non-Habitual Resident regime whereby my UK old age pension could be paid into my Portuguese bank account free of tax.
I believe my Dutch pension will still be taxed at source as the contributions were built-up in Holland ( Although I have heard that Dutch Nationals are also receiving their pensions free of NL tax, not sure how that works as no one at the Belastingdeinst (tax authority) owns-up to having any details ).
My wife has build up pension contributions in France and Holland and so faces similar uncertainty of exactly what we can expect as a monthly pension when residing in Portugal.
Would anyone in the forum be able to provide any clarity in the situation I have outlined?
Appreciate any possible advice.
Thanks
Jul 11th 2017, 7:06 am
#2
Polished expat
Joined: Jul 2014
Location: Arcos de Valdevez "Onde Portugal se fez"
Posts: 16,829
Re: Retiring to Portugal - from The Netherlands
Hi and a very warm welcome to the forum from me. You're off to a flying start - you've made absolutely the right choice of country to retire to 
It's all a bit early to say anything with any certainty at the moment regarding how Brexit will affect your plans. However, it sounds as though you're probably not aware of the EU position on future rights. They are saying that all current rights, both for EU citizens already established in the UK and for UK citizens established elsewhere in the EU, should be preserved in perpetuity.
This means they want you, as a UK citizen already resident in Holland, to continue to have the right to move to any other EU member state at any time in the future and to retain all the rights you currently have, including those for healthcare and pensions.
It remains to be seen whether there will need to be any sort of compromise as the UK's stance is some way from ideal as far as the EU goes at the moment. Citizens' rights are supposed to be one of the matters to be settled before anything else, though.
With regard to what you each ought to be able to expect state pension-wise, at least in terms of how the calculations should work, here is a link to a page from the official website of the EU which you might find helpful as a starting point : State pensions abroad
With regard to the NHR tax regime, whether you can benefit with regard to your Dutch pension income will depend on the dual taxation treaty between Holland and Portugal. The normal arrangement is that all pensions are taxable only in the country of residence as opposed to the country in which the pension arises except in the case of pensions for government service, which are taxed in the source country.
It's all a bit early to say anything with any certainty at the moment regarding how Brexit will affect your plans. However, it sounds as though you're probably not aware of the EU position on future rights. They are saying that all current rights, both for EU citizens already established in the UK and for UK citizens established elsewhere in the EU, should be preserved in perpetuity.
This means they want you, as a UK citizen already resident in Holland, to continue to have the right to move to any other EU member state at any time in the future and to retain all the rights you currently have, including those for healthcare and pensions.
It remains to be seen whether there will need to be any sort of compromise as the UK's stance is some way from ideal as far as the EU goes at the moment. Citizens' rights are supposed to be one of the matters to be settled before anything else, though.
With regard to what you each ought to be able to expect state pension-wise, at least in terms of how the calculations should work, here is a link to a page from the official website of the EU which you might find helpful as a starting point : State pensions abroad
With regard to the NHR tax regime, whether you can benefit with regard to your Dutch pension income will depend on the dual taxation treaty between Holland and Portugal. The normal arrangement is that all pensions are taxable only in the country of residence as opposed to the country in which the pension arises except in the case of pensions for government service, which are taxed in the source country.
Jul 11th 2017, 8:13 pm
#3
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Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 5
Re: Retiring to Portugal - from The Netherlands
Hi Eric,
Thanks for the welcome, we have enjoyed several visits a year to the house and delighted with what we have bought and the pleasure (and hard work) it has given us creating the garden and pool area from a new build....
Your post has been very helpful, filling in a lot of detail where we had only sketchy information..Especially the EU position on future rights. If those proposals are honoured by all parties we should be able to move with little pain.
Regarding the Personal Tax laws in Holland, it states in "State Pensions Abroad" link that you kindly forwarded that "You'll have to apply to the pension authority in the Country where you are living or you last worked"
Given that the application should be made six months before retirement age that means we will need to apply here in Holland, by default we will be taxed at source. However, after transferring to Portugal we should be able to apply to the Portuguese authorities and have them make application for us to receive our pension in Portugal (from the Dutch, British and French pension authorities). Would you read it that way?
The NHR tax benefit needs further investigation..but you have been a great help.
Should you find any further tit-bits of info that you think would be useful please do not hesitate to forward them..
Many thanks your post most appreciated..
Regards
John
Thanks for the welcome, we have enjoyed several visits a year to the house and delighted with what we have bought and the pleasure (and hard work) it has given us creating the garden and pool area from a new build....
Your post has been very helpful, filling in a lot of detail where we had only sketchy information..Especially the EU position on future rights. If those proposals are honoured by all parties we should be able to move with little pain.
Regarding the Personal Tax laws in Holland, it states in "State Pensions Abroad" link that you kindly forwarded that "You'll have to apply to the pension authority in the Country where you are living or you last worked"
Given that the application should be made six months before retirement age that means we will need to apply here in Holland, by default we will be taxed at source. However, after transferring to Portugal we should be able to apply to the Portuguese authorities and have them make application for us to receive our pension in Portugal (from the Dutch, British and French pension authorities). Would you read it that way?
The NHR tax benefit needs further investigation..but you have been a great help.
Should you find any further tit-bits of info that you think would be useful please do not hesitate to forward them..
Many thanks your post most appreciated..
Regards
John
Jul 11th 2017, 9:53 pm
#4
Joined: Feb 2012
Location: Not in Paris
Posts: 18,193
Re: Retiring to Portugal - from The Netherlands
If your wife is a French citizen then you may wish to investigate whether you are eligible to apply for French citizenship through marriage.
https://www.service-public.fr/partic...osdroits/F2726
Do you have any Irish-born parents or grandparents?
https://www.service-public.fr/partic...osdroits/F2726
Do you have any Irish-born parents or grandparents?
Jul 12th 2017, 6:39 am
#5
Polished expat
Joined: Jul 2014
Location: Arcos de Valdevez "Onde Portugal se fez"
Posts: 16,829
Re: Retiring to Portugal - from The Netherlands
Regarding the Personal Tax laws in Holland, it states in "State Pensions Abroad" link that you kindly forwarded that "You'll have to apply to the pension authority in the Country where you are living or you last worked"
Given that the application should be made six months before retirement age that means we will need to apply here in Holland, by default we will be taxed at source. However, after transferring to Portugal we should be able to apply to the Portuguese authorities and have them make application for us to receive our pension in Portugal (from the Dutch, British and French pension authorities). Would you read it that way?
Given that the application should be made six months before retirement age that means we will need to apply here in Holland, by default we will be taxed at source. However, after transferring to Portugal we should be able to apply to the Portuguese authorities and have them make application for us to receive our pension in Portugal (from the Dutch, British and French pension authorities). Would you read it that way?
My reading is that when you become eligible for your pension(s), you apply to whichever country you are living at the time and they co-ordinate the request to the other pension authorities where applicable, making them the responsible authority at that stage. In the case of never having worked in the country in which you reside, you apply to the country where you last worked, in which case, even if you weren't eligible for your pension prior to settling in Portugal and therefore had to go through the process from there, it would still be the Netherlands who'd be responsible for co-ordinating your request and to whom you'd therefore make your application.
If you move countries after that initial request being processed (as you are doing), as far as I know, you'd simply notify each of the paying authorities of your change of address etc. rather than going through a whole new application process from Portugal. You could probably do with asking the Dutch Social Security people about that when you apply for your pension(s), though, just to be sure.
I presume that, as a separate matter, you'd inform the Dutch tax authority of your change of country of residence. The matter of where you pay tax isn't dependent on where the pension is paid in terms of the physical location of the receiving bank account - it's where the pensioner resides that matters.
Last edited by Red Eric; Jul 12th 2017 at 6:41 am.
Jul 12th 2017, 7:09 am
#6
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,032
Re: Retiring to Portugal - from The Netherlands
All residents of Portugal now get public health, it is not limited to EU citizens.
Even if you don't work in Portugal or pay social pension contributions you can have the public health if you're a legal resident.
The tax and pension situation can be daunting to figure out, but it only has to be dome once. You will not be taxed twice, but you might [or might not] pay more tax than if you lived elsewhere.
This sort of thing really needs professional advice to figure out, since it can vary depending on your particular circumstances. All EU countries are not equal; tax treaties are bilateral and tax laws are still made differently by each country.
If you make a sit down appointment at Eurofinesco, they'll be able to figure it out for you. This is what they do; there are a lot of retiring French and Dutch people coming to live here with similar pension situations. It's not rocket science, but you need someone who works in this niche.
My neighbor is a Dutch pensioner and is struggling with the same questions; neither [Dutch] belastingdienst nor [Portuguese] financas workers know what to tell him. I gave him the same advice.
Even if you don't work in Portugal or pay social pension contributions you can have the public health if you're a legal resident.
The tax and pension situation can be daunting to figure out, but it only has to be dome once. You will not be taxed twice, but you might [or might not] pay more tax than if you lived elsewhere.
This sort of thing really needs professional advice to figure out, since it can vary depending on your particular circumstances. All EU countries are not equal; tax treaties are bilateral and tax laws are still made differently by each country.
If you make a sit down appointment at Eurofinesco, they'll be able to figure it out for you. This is what they do; there are a lot of retiring French and Dutch people coming to live here with similar pension situations. It's not rocket science, but you need someone who works in this niche.
My neighbor is a Dutch pensioner and is struggling with the same questions; neither [Dutch] belastingdienst nor [Portuguese] financas workers know what to tell him. I gave him the same advice.
Jul 12th 2017, 1:57 pm
#7
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Joined: Jul 2014
Location: Arcos de Valdevez "Onde Portugal se fez"
Posts: 16,829
Re: Retiring to Portugal - from The Netherlands
Surely the Dutch authorities could tell him if, by moving to Portugal and becoming resident here, he remains liable for Dutch tax on pension income from Holland?
I can understand them being reluctant to appear to be giving any advice on the Portuguese NHR even if asked directly - if for no other reason than that it's simply not their brief. But surely they'd be the very best source for info about where the liability for tax lies in the case of someone in receipt of a Dutch-sourced pension moving abroad?
That's where the EU's website directs you in case of doubt :
If you have retired to another EU country and spend more than 6 months in a year there, that country may consider you a tax-resident. If so, you may have to pay tax to that country on your total worldwide income - including pensions you receive from other EU countries.
Exception: public sector pensions are usually taxed only in the country of the administration that employed you.
Sources you should check
This is only a summary of what usually happens. To find out what the rules are in your case:
â—¾ask a local tax office
â—¾check the double tax agreement between your host country and the country where you are tax-resident
â—¾if you are a civil servant working abroad, check the applicable international law and any special international diplomatic/consular agreement - to find out if, as a civil servant, you are entitled to any tax privileges in the country where you work
Exception: public sector pensions are usually taxed only in the country of the administration that employed you.
Sources you should check
This is only a summary of what usually happens. To find out what the rules are in your case:
â—¾ask a local tax office
â—¾check the double tax agreement between your host country and the country where you are tax-resident
â—¾if you are a civil servant working abroad, check the applicable international law and any special international diplomatic/consular agreement - to find out if, as a civil servant, you are entitled to any tax privileges in the country where you work
Also, there's nothing too complicated, to my mind, about the dual taxation agreements when it comes to personal income tax, provided your arrangements are fairly straightforward. For example, sorting out who has a claim on your pension if it's a normal state, company or private pension should be quite easy. It's just a matter of finding that particular section in the document and reading a couple of paragraphs.
Jul 12th 2017, 2:27 pm
#8
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,032
Re: Retiring to Portugal - from The Netherlands
The Dutch know Dutch stuff; theoretically they should know how things work for people who leave.
In reality, the people who man the phones simply don't, and say things that may or may not be correct.
The same applies for the Portuguese workers. In the case of my neighbor, the advice of the two authorities simply contradicts completely.
Someone is wrong, but how do you figure out who? And how can you tell a tax inspector that he/she is wrong?
We are in a niche situation the requires a person who knows how it really works.
Those tax treaties need interpretation, things seem to mean one [simple] thing to us regular people can be misleading. A tax accountant knows what those words mean legally.
Expert advice is surprisingly cheap; I hesitated to dive in, afraid of high costs, thinking that's just for rich people.
The hesitation cost me a lot of money.
I'm a massive DIY man, I don't pay other people to do my work, handle my money, build my websites or my house.
But my tax advice is; get professional tax advice.Especially before emigrating.
It's cheap!!!
Sometimes the timing of your move, home sale, home purchase, can make a monster tax difference.
In reality, the people who man the phones simply don't, and say things that may or may not be correct.
The same applies for the Portuguese workers. In the case of my neighbor, the advice of the two authorities simply contradicts completely.
Someone is wrong, but how do you figure out who? And how can you tell a tax inspector that he/she is wrong?
We are in a niche situation the requires a person who knows how it really works.
Those tax treaties need interpretation, things seem to mean one [simple] thing to us regular people can be misleading. A tax accountant knows what those words mean legally.
Expert advice is surprisingly cheap; I hesitated to dive in, afraid of high costs, thinking that's just for rich people.
The hesitation cost me a lot of money.
I'm a massive DIY man, I don't pay other people to do my work, handle my money, build my websites or my house.
But my tax advice is; get professional tax advice.Especially before emigrating.
It's cheap!!!
Sometimes the timing of your move, home sale, home purchase, can make a monster tax difference.
Jul 14th 2017, 1:57 pm
#9
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 6,313
Re: Retiring to Portugal - from The Netherlands
Hi Rodski,
My OH will answer this:
Medical Cover
With no contribution to PT tax system, as a proposed resident you have to confirm that you will not be a burden to the PT state.
As a Brit having paid in the UK and NL within the EU you have the choice of claiming Medical Cover from the UK state or the Dutch state for your costs in PT. From March 2019, when the UK is out, those having left UK before that date will PROBABLY still get coverage in EU. Almost certainly not after that date.
Your safest option thus is to claim on the Dutch system for your state medical cover in PT.
This means that, having completed the appropriate forms, you will have NL state medical charges deducted at source from your NL pensions. The amount will be less than you would pay in NL as they apply a country factor to adjust to the actual medical costs in PT.
These charges are deducted by the NL tax authorities from your pension supplier but are then paid to the CAK ( www.hetcak.nl) which is the state medical insurance organ.
With them, you can arrange to get an annual card useable in PT to illustrate that you are covered for medical cost in PT.
In arrears,you get an annual statement from the CAK stating what you have paid and what you should pay/refund in case of variance.
Finally , you might want to take out private insurance too for instant service. By far the best bargain is through the AFPOP ( afpop: afpop, expats society, Algarve, Portugal society) organisation who are connected to MEDAL Insurance who offer packages at a fraction of the cost from BUPA etc.
Pension
You can apply for Non Habitual Residence but the NL tax authorities do not like it at all.
In any case , you can get your pension paid gross from UK and PT.
You then of course must pay tax in PT.
You need to get a Declaration from your Gemeente in NL stating that you have emigrated from the country and which states that from a certain date you are a resident of PT
Then you need to fill in the NL form: Verzoek vrijstelling inhouding loonbelasting/premie volksverzekering.
Here you provide the details of all your NL pension suppliers with the supporting evidence that you have left the country
You then get letters from the Belastingdienst related to each pension stating that tax will not be deducted from that pension.
Then you send these letters plus the same evidence to each pension supplier and you will get your NL pensions paid gross to your PT bank account or indeed any bank account in EU
A similar process applies to your UK pensions except there is no emigration form since they have no central file.
Form DT/ Individual from HM Revenue & Customs (+441512102222) provides the release.
If you apply for NonHabitual , I suggest you contact a financial-tax advisor in PT.
The NL tax office for non residents is in Heerlen. Your local office indeed will not know any detail of what is possible.
Go to belastindienst.nl - hypotheek,credit Resources and Information. for further details of contacts in Heerlen etc
Your wife is in a similar position. Since she is registered as living in NL , the fact that she is French should be irrelevant. Each member of the family receives their own Emigration Form and can then follow the same process.
Finally , be aware that every year, you will get letters from each pension supplier asking for proof that you are still alive.
They often have very short reply times which makes a risk of the pension being stopped temporarily only because you were away on holiday! Typically they arrive in the two months around your birthday.
Good luck
My OH will answer this:
Medical Cover
With no contribution to PT tax system, as a proposed resident you have to confirm that you will not be a burden to the PT state.
As a Brit having paid in the UK and NL within the EU you have the choice of claiming Medical Cover from the UK state or the Dutch state for your costs in PT. From March 2019, when the UK is out, those having left UK before that date will PROBABLY still get coverage in EU. Almost certainly not after that date.
Your safest option thus is to claim on the Dutch system for your state medical cover in PT.
This means that, having completed the appropriate forms, you will have NL state medical charges deducted at source from your NL pensions. The amount will be less than you would pay in NL as they apply a country factor to adjust to the actual medical costs in PT.
These charges are deducted by the NL tax authorities from your pension supplier but are then paid to the CAK ( www.hetcak.nl) which is the state medical insurance organ.
With them, you can arrange to get an annual card useable in PT to illustrate that you are covered for medical cost in PT.
In arrears,you get an annual statement from the CAK stating what you have paid and what you should pay/refund in case of variance.
Finally , you might want to take out private insurance too for instant service. By far the best bargain is through the AFPOP ( afpop: afpop, expats society, Algarve, Portugal society) organisation who are connected to MEDAL Insurance who offer packages at a fraction of the cost from BUPA etc.
Pension
You can apply for Non Habitual Residence but the NL tax authorities do not like it at all.
In any case , you can get your pension paid gross from UK and PT.
You then of course must pay tax in PT.
You need to get a Declaration from your Gemeente in NL stating that you have emigrated from the country and which states that from a certain date you are a resident of PT
Then you need to fill in the NL form: Verzoek vrijstelling inhouding loonbelasting/premie volksverzekering.
Here you provide the details of all your NL pension suppliers with the supporting evidence that you have left the country
You then get letters from the Belastingdienst related to each pension stating that tax will not be deducted from that pension.
Then you send these letters plus the same evidence to each pension supplier and you will get your NL pensions paid gross to your PT bank account or indeed any bank account in EU
A similar process applies to your UK pensions except there is no emigration form since they have no central file.
Form DT/ Individual from HM Revenue & Customs (+441512102222) provides the release.
If you apply for NonHabitual , I suggest you contact a financial-tax advisor in PT.
The NL tax office for non residents is in Heerlen. Your local office indeed will not know any detail of what is possible.
Go to belastindienst.nl - hypotheek,credit Resources and Information. for further details of contacts in Heerlen etc
Your wife is in a similar position. Since she is registered as living in NL , the fact that she is French should be irrelevant. Each member of the family receives their own Emigration Form and can then follow the same process.
Finally , be aware that every year, you will get letters from each pension supplier asking for proof that you are still alive.
They often have very short reply times which makes a risk of the pension being stopped temporarily only because you were away on holiday! Typically they arrive in the two months around your birthday.
Good luck
Jul 15th 2017, 5:53 pm
#10
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 5
Re: Retiring to Portugal - from The Netherlands
Thanks everyone I will reply in the order of your replies to my post...Thanks a lot to everyone that took the trouble to do so..
BritInParis: I could apply for Dutch Nationality on the basis that I have lived here more than 20 years and am now 65 years of age..so that angle is covered. I really did not
want to give up my British Nationality unless there is no other choice.
RedEric: The State Pensions abroad sheet states that "You'll have to apply to the Pension authority in the country where your living OR you last worked.If you've never worked in the country where your living, your host country will forward your claim to the one you last worked in" So if we have already moved to Portugal before we claim our pensions I understand that to be Portugal, as we have not started any process to claim our pensions as yet, a timing issue I believe...
yes you are of course correct as soon as we relocate we will inform the Dutch tax authorities.
Liveabroad: Thanks for your advice on using Eurofinesco...I will look them up. regarding the medical care I believe that is limited..
RedEric: The Dutch authorities are clear you pay tax in the country where the pension is built up...i.e Holland...But I have heard of Dutch people living in Portugal who receive the NHR concession.
I do not have any fears that double taxation will be levied as the Portuguese are clear on the treaty with Holland...It's just whether NHR is possible IF the Portuguese make the request for pension on our behalf.
GeniB: ( From your post I think you are Dutch, correct?) Dutch healthcover for everyone in Holland is an obligatory private insurance scheme for those earning above a certain level..If I leave Holland I also leave the healthcare system as I am after all a foreigner..And a big thank you on the Insurance provider details.
Pension, This is where I have doubts.. I do not think that the Dutch Authorities will pay my pension gross to Portugal..If they did that would make life a little clearer..IF they did however, and the Portuguese made my pension application surely I could apply to them for the NHR and the Dutch Authorities would have no say in the matter?
I will of course write myself out of the Gemeente when we leave otherwise we are also liable for many other taxes..But your information and the process to follow allows me to check the validity and prepare....thank you so much..
BritInParis: I could apply for Dutch Nationality on the basis that I have lived here more than 20 years and am now 65 years of age..so that angle is covered. I really did not
want to give up my British Nationality unless there is no other choice.
RedEric: The State Pensions abroad sheet states that "You'll have to apply to the Pension authority in the country where your living OR you last worked.If you've never worked in the country where your living, your host country will forward your claim to the one you last worked in" So if we have already moved to Portugal before we claim our pensions I understand that to be Portugal, as we have not started any process to claim our pensions as yet, a timing issue I believe...
yes you are of course correct as soon as we relocate we will inform the Dutch tax authorities.
Liveabroad: Thanks for your advice on using Eurofinesco...I will look them up. regarding the medical care I believe that is limited..
RedEric: The Dutch authorities are clear you pay tax in the country where the pension is built up...i.e Holland...But I have heard of Dutch people living in Portugal who receive the NHR concession.
I do not have any fears that double taxation will be levied as the Portuguese are clear on the treaty with Holland...It's just whether NHR is possible IF the Portuguese make the request for pension on our behalf.
GeniB: ( From your post I think you are Dutch, correct?) Dutch healthcover for everyone in Holland is an obligatory private insurance scheme for those earning above a certain level..If I leave Holland I also leave the healthcare system as I am after all a foreigner..And a big thank you on the Insurance provider details.
Pension, This is where I have doubts.. I do not think that the Dutch Authorities will pay my pension gross to Portugal..If they did that would make life a little clearer..IF they did however, and the Portuguese made my pension application surely I could apply to them for the NHR and the Dutch Authorities would have no say in the matter?
I will of course write myself out of the Gemeente when we leave otherwise we are also liable for many other taxes..But your information and the process to follow allows me to check the validity and prepare....thank you so much..
Jul 15th 2017, 6:26 pm
#11
Polished expat
Joined: Jul 2014
Location: Arcos de Valdevez "Onde Portugal se fez"
Posts: 16,829
Re: Retiring to Portugal - from The Netherlands
RedEric: The Dutch authorities are clear you pay tax in the country where the pension is built up...i.e Holland...But I have heard of Dutch people living in Portugal who receive the NHR concession.
I do not have any fears that double taxation will be levied as the Portuguese are clear on the treaty with Holland...It's just whether NHR is possible IF the Portuguese make the request for pension on our behalf.
I do not have any fears that double taxation will be levied as the Portuguese are clear on the treaty with Holland...It's just whether NHR is possible IF the Portuguese make the request for pension on our behalf.
Jul 15th 2017, 7:23 pm
#12
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 5
Re: Retiring to Portugal - from The Netherlands
I do read Dutch
Jul 15th 2017, 11:17 pm
#13
Joined: Feb 2012
Location: Not in Paris
Posts: 18,193
Re: Retiring to Portugal - from The Netherlands
The loss of your British citizenship is why I didn't mention becoming a Dutch citizen particularly with the consequences of Brexit. It's good that you are considering all your options however.
Jul 16th 2017, 6:22 am
#14
Polished expat
Joined: Jul 2014
Location: Arcos de Valdevez "Onde Portugal se fez"
Posts: 16,829
Jul 16th 2017, 6:44 am
#15
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,032
Re: Retiring to Portugal - from The Netherlands
You get the same public health cover as everyone gets; some people say it's great, some say it's terrible. It's not limited but the waiting times are sometimes really bad. Many on this forum have reported total satisfaction with the Portuguese health system.
We also have private cover, but that IS limited, with annual spending cap that could easily be exceeded if you get into a serious health issue.
If you can afford it, the private [AFPOP/ Alianze] cover is excellent, with the public health as a backup plan in case you hit the spending limit. The systems will cooperate with each other I'm told, you can jump across as necessary.
Also, although the public system is overstretched, there are some facilities they have that the private hospitals don't; high end cancer stuff. You need the public health number to check in [Ukram found this out].