Cortiz

I'm assuming this is a bit of internet misinformation, but I have read that in order to get residency in Portugal you need to prove UK residency - not simply UK citizenship.

This seems wrong to me. It would mean that freedom of movement rights are based on your previous address rather than your citizenship. It would mean that a UK citizen living anywhere else in the world would not be able to gain legal residency in Portugal. I've lived in the US for the past 7 years, so proving UK residency is not possible for me.

Someone please verify that this is inaccurate!

qianh

Never heard of it.

mfesharne

Yes it is internet misinformation.

Diddion

....and this precisely explains the kind of difficulty that can be encountered, and which generated some heat in another thread, if words such as residency and citizenship are not used when completely correct.

Cortiz

Yes, and it just causes unnecessary uncertainty in an already complicated and stressful process!

The rumor originated in a facebook group, from a member in Portugal who recently gained residence. I had assumed the error was based on an assumption that the person receiving the advice was in the UK, but apparently the new PT resident was adamant that you had to prove a UK address.

Red Eric

Except that in that instance the allegedly contentious one was being used completely correctly

One has to allow for context. Also not being too selective about one's choice of dictionary.

wellinever

Typical of brits...............thrives on rumours and half truths

RichardHenshall

There are situations where proving (immediately preceding) UK residency could or would be necessary such as:

When importing a UK vehicle free of ISV as a new resident (you have to prove ownership/use in the country of origin).
When proving that the Portuguese address held by Finanças was wrong and that you shouldn't have been considered a Portuguese resident at all (perhaps because you're now trying to sign up for the NHR status as a new resident).
When applying for a NIF as a non-resident (while looking like you're a resident!), possibly just to prove that as an 'EU citizen' & EU resident you don't need a Fiscal Rep. An 'EU citizen' who is not an EU resident must have a Fiscal Rep.
Possibly to prove that health insurance isn't necessary (I'm not so sure about this point as I'm unsure whether citizenship or residency is the more important).

Most likely imho is that it's the usual facebook (and forum) problem of assumptions and over-hasty responses leading to crossed wires.

mfesharne

It also occurred to me that someone somewhere might have confused the car import affidavit with something else & that's certainly not impossible I reckon.

orangeblossom

Having registered as resident in December 2019 I can tell you that I was not asked anything about my address in England, just proof of address in Portugal (they didn't want the Cadernata, (which proves ownership) but utility bills, a photo and my UK passport.

Euroguy

That in itself could be almost impossible for Cortiz in his circumstances!
But here is something from the horse's mouth (Richard Lee actually) who sent me this via pm
"Today we got our residency cert. used Airbnb address and passport only. They might question income or savings so be aware. We get pensions so no issues. Didn’t need proof."
AND:
"Yesterday we got out NIF. Needed passport and two address IDs. Bank statement and uk driving license with address in was enough. It took maybe 15 mins. Get there by 8:30am to get a good number. We did and we’re number 7."

mfesharne

I've heard of 3 separate couples who achieved the same thing in the same time frame all to Lisbon airbnb or hotel addresses just this week.

Acute Variable Bureaucracy Syndrome at it's very best.

RichardHenshall

Getting your NIF as a non-resident has little to do with registering residency in Portugal. This is how people end up getting confused about the requirements.

Euroguy

I was informed by Richard Lee today quite the opposite, he said NIF is 1st thing to do, so who do I believe, a guy who did te procedure today or YOU???

Diddion

It is the country in which your NIF is registered that counts. It needs to be altered to the Portuguese address before you can apply for NHR. AlgarveAndy - did you not have this problem, when applying for NHR with a UK address?