Welcome to the forum and I can understand why you want to escape Brexit Britain!

If your son is an EU national, it might help but I would write to the EU for clarification, it's a bit of a grey area. This link might help:

https://eportugal.gov.pt/en/cidadaos...ir-em-portugal

I don't think you will have a problem transporting the hens and the cats will be reasonably straightforward although not as easy as it was pre Brexit. I used PetAir to move my parents' cat - they transport birds too! It was expensive (£2,000 but I wasn't paying the bill) but I'm sure there are cheaper options available.

Good luck with your search!

The OP's son is a UK national in the process of acquiring PT citizenship. As such, any provisions concerning family reunion come under national (as opposed to Community) law. That was how the UK, when an EU member, was able to introduce stricter financial requirements for spouses / families of UK nationals than could be applied to those of EU nationals.

My mention in a post above of EU nationals relates to the fact that in Portugal, the guiding principle is that requirements for PT nationals and their relatives shouldn't be any more complicated than those which apply to EU citizens.

You should only approach the relevant EU service if you want advice or assistance about Community Law - in this instance that would not be the case.

Thanks Eric, that makes sense. My son is going to try and get some clarification from his end.

I spoke to my vet yesterday, moving the cats seems fairly straightforward, TAP seem to be set up to be a carrier, their website says one person can bring one cat on board, that def won’t be happening, they will travel in the hold, if they can see or hear me they will just scream to get out the box!

They didn’t know about hens, but put me in touch with a company who do, nice chap said yep, up to 20 hens can travel as “companion” animals, he needs to check (checking will cost £62.50) but thinks it will be a blood test for each hen 30 days before travel, if that’s clear it’s then a fecal test for each hen one week before travel, if that’s ok it’s then a health check the day before travel. He didn’t know about actually transporting them, so I have contacted some pet travel companies to see what they say. I have a feeling these hens are going to turn out to be the most expensive pets ever.

So, next question, what practically do I need to do first, i think I need a PT bank account and some sort of reg number, is that my starting point and which first? Also can I do that from the UK?

Thank you all so much, such a lovely forum, I’m so glad I found you.

Just throwing this in the mix for consideration:

For Living in Portugal and Family Reunification – The Official Website of Portuguese Immigration (sef.pt)

• Documentary evidence of economic dependence by first-degree relative in the direct ascending line, under the age of 65

It might not be a case of showing he has funds to support you but requires actual evidence that he is supporting you and you are financially dependent on him. That might then look a bit odd when you suddenly have a few grand to buy a house?

Perhaps you have already looked at the HM Govt's website about moving to Portugal - if not, it is certainly worth reading through as they give an awful lot of information on do's and don't's and how to go about things!
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-portugal
Good luck in your endeavours and make sure you have a fox-proof henhouse ready for the chucks when you move! Incidentally they have some nice ones in Agriloja and all you need for hen-care ... Vet care is not too expensive here and most of them have English which helps when you first get here.

I'd suggest primary focus should be the visa and residency process, as that is a bit more complex and time-consuming now and is essential before starting actual move activities. I could be wrong (sorry, I don't know the new process well) but I think you may need to have your visa and be in Portugal before you get your NIF (fiscal number)

There's no need to have a Portuguese bank account right away, as long as you have a way of paying in euros without big bank costs. I'd suggest opening a Wise account for now https://wise.com/gb/multi-currency-account/ then worry about the Portuguese bank account later (but https://www.activobank.pt/en/ is good when you get to that)

There are some quite good overviews of things here, just to get an overall idea: https://www.aplaceinthesun.com/relocation/portugal

That is the point I was making in my post, if he is an EU national, it will make life easier for the OP as long as he gets his citizenship soon but I would seek clarity from the EU.

I'm not sure how it can be made any clearer but I'll have another shot.

EU law on free movement and family members only applies outside the member state of which the EU citizen is a national, so appealing to the EU for clarity on a PT citizen wanting to bring a non EU family member to PT is a non-starter.

​​​​​​OK , so it's a straightforward case then isn't it.

I would say so. Unless there's some more favourable provision for family of PT citizens that I'm not aware of.

Thank you, I think that makes sense.

I have been doing more reading and I’m curious about the LHR tax rules. I am of an age where I am able to draw my private pensions and wonder if that may be the answer for the visa and also sensible for tax purposes?

If I drew out the allowable 25% tax free whilst I am still in the uk as income for the first few years in Portugal would that be looked on more favourably than savings, or is it as long as it’s short? But would that entitle me to claim the LHR lower tax rate on it as income?

You might like to read the Blevins Franks guides and buy their book, it's not perfect but it's the best general tax and finance guide for Portugal that I've found
https://www.blevinsfranks.com/knowle...untry=portugal
https://www.blevinsfranks.com/knowle...untry=portugal

It's definitely worth thinking about whether you take tax free cash before you come, as it won't be tax free in Portugal. But where to reinvest it tax efficiently may then be the problem - be wary of anyone trying to sell you QROPS or insurance bonds - there are options out there which are useful in some cases but a lot of them have high costs for you, while generating high commission for the adviser.

It's worth taking financial advice because there are a few options but it's very dependent on your individual circumstances. I wouldn't necessarily suggest Blevins Franks for that because although they are fairly good they are very expensive.

NHR (not LHR) will entitle you to a reduced rate of 10% on pension income. But it you are just spending money that you have in the bank that won't be taxed at all (it isn't "income" in the tax sense, even though it could count towards the passive income visa). If you have a search you find quite a few recent threads on D7 visa here, also a recent one on NHR and allowances that might be useful: IRS - NHR - Allowances

From an evidence to the Portuguese Consulate point of view I can't see the difference as the 25% will effectively just become savings rather than a regular income. That said, as per my first reply, the Consulate will accept evidence of savings and future income. I was told this via email by the consulate in Manchester and as it's them who I'd need to satisfy I consider their info far superior to anyone else's. Your postcode determines which Consulate you use with a major difference being that VFS handle the whole process in London whereas in Manchester you go via VFS and then onto the Consulate.

You need to think carefully about what you do with your pension and not necessarily base it all around the tax free lump sum particularly if you have a defined benefit pension. If you take a lump sum what will you do with it? stick it in the bank and it's eaten away by inflation. Invest it and any growth might be taxed at 28%. I thought I was reasonably financially savvy until I joined the Money Saving Expert (MSE) forum where there are sections on savings & investments and pensions with many contributors posting reasons for and against a particular course of action. I initially thought about taking my DB pension early but as a result of studying many of the responses on that forum I think I'm better leaving my pension as long as possible - that might not be the case for you. Do get your finances sorted before you leave the UK though as once you leave you won't have the same access to UK financial products.
An example of a simple thing to check is whether your bank will allow you to retain your account once you have left the UK - many will but some won't. What will happen to your pension(s)? Does your current provider offer the various ways of accessing your pension or do you need to switch it elsewhere.
Given your son has been in Portugal for some time he is hopefully aware of the financial services available to an EU resident so it might be less of a concern to you.

Hello, me again!

I now have lists, lists and lists about lists, but I am beginning to understand and make a plan.

The hens and cats are sorted ( hens can’t move until 3 months after last outbreak of avian flu, which is likely to be April/May, so hopefully after August).

House valued and apparently I need to allow four months from agreeing a sale to completion, I will be putting it on the market in May ( when the garden looks better), so that takes moving to September/October time.

pension and financial advise underway, seems fairly straightforward, I think I’m taking my 25% tax free from my pots then investing the remainder til I get my state pension, that 25% will be the basis of my “savings” proof for the visa, along with the equity from the house, once that’s sold.

so my next questions to you lovely people are…

I understand I can come over for 90 days under the Schengen Agreement, then four months on the D7, and then I need to apply for a residence permit when I arrive. So what triggers the D7 start date? Do I get 7 months from the date I move, or is the visa date stamped at issue?

If I apply for the D7 now, am I right in thinking I need to have a Portuguese bank account in place with the proof of funds, or will the pension statement be enough? I will not have anything until I release the pension and sell my house.

How long does the D7 process take?

many thanks

Sally1605, there's a useful thread on this forum headed " VFS D7 Visa Application Process" which you might find useful to read through. You can use the "Threads - Search Threads" box in the top right of your screen to locate it.