NataHH

I understand that an EU national, who wants to stay.longer than 90 days, should register with the SEF at the local town hall. I was also told that I don't have to unregister if I want to stay less than 180 days. My question is will the tax authority be automatically informed if a person registered because I do not want to become a resident filling in annual tax returns and, worse still, having to exchange my British driving licence.

RichardHenshall

The registration of residence at the Câmara (in the 4th month of stay) would be the trigger for the process to register and/or exchange your licence. You are also supposed to update your address with the tax authorities after 60 days (?).

The simplest for you would be to break your stay into two stays of less than 90 days, thus avoiding the initial requirement to register residence.

NataHH

This is the dilemma I am facing. I am a fully settled resident of the UK and do not want to jeopardise my current status there. All I want is to spend 5 months (May to September) holidaying in the Algarve. I thought you need to spend 183 days in Portugal to qualify for residency. The only option is to live under the radar like the Brits did before Brexit. So much for free movement - farcical.

RichardHenshall

As an EU national you have the right to move to an EU country but are obliged (in Portugal's case) to register your residence after 90 continuous days (you have 30 days to comply). You don't qualify for residency as such. Either you're resident or you're not.

m2m2012

Registration, residency and tax residency are all different things. Where are you staying? With friends, a hotel or signing a 5 month lease?

NataHH

our house which we bought 20 years ago but the house is in a UK company name.

m2m2012

Okay. With an EU passport an option is you could halfway through your 5 month stay go to Spain and stay in a hotel for a couple of nights then return. This will mean you have not spent 90 consecutive days in Portugal so no need to register (keep the hotel receipts).

Red Eric

I don't thnk its farcical at all.

As an EU citizen, you've got complete freedom of movement with no restrictions at all throughout the member states. It's only of you stop moving for a rather long time in a state that isn't either that of your nationality or of your normal residence that you potentially have any quite minor obligations to fulfil.

The information on what it's all about is all published on the EU Commission's website.

If you think that's too onerous, where else do you think you have that sort of freedom and how do you compare your situation to that of UK nationals in exactly your position?

SgtTroy

Out of curiosity - have you considered obtaining a British passport?

NataHH

An EU national can come to the UK for 6 months holiday. A Brit can come to Portugal for 90 days then has to leave the country for 90 days before he/she can come back for another 90 days....

I, as an EU national, have to register after 90 days for residency and, unless I leave Portugal, have to exchange my UK driving licence for a Portuguese one which means I am not permitted to drive my UK registered car to Portugal. I also would have to renew the licence every 2 years and attend a medical.

However free movement means after 90 days in Portugal I drive over to Spain and stay there. The result would be that I spend my money in a different country. The Portuguese government has a choice throw out the tourists or come to a reciprocal agreement with the UK.

I wonder how many French, German and Scandinavians are living under the radar?

NataHH

For your info I could have applied for a British passport prior Brexit but that ship has sailed. British nationality would allow me to vote in national elections and return to the UK after 5 years' absence.

SgtTroy

No, s/he can't.

On everything else - my feeling is that PT government would be more than happy to carry on without all thouse "tourists" who think that spending up to €2,000 a year in Portugal makes them a vital and indispensable contributor to Portuguese economy.

There are many other places in the world where one may seek the red carpet being rolled as soon as they arrive there. Whether that expectation would ever materialize anywhere is, of course, a completely different matter.

Finally, the same rules (90 days, etc) on free movement apply throughout the EU. Anyone thinking they should get preferential treatment simply for being UK resident, not even UK citizen, should get a reality check

NataHH

From the UK Website

https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa/y/portugal/tourism

Red Eric

Freedom of movement is not unconditional. It comes with certain obligations but the burden of those is very much lower for EU citizens exercising the FoM rights as established in the EU treaties than it is for 3rd country nationals. In the EU, up to 3 months is a holiday. The UK is obviously less industrious, allowing for much longer holidays.

There is no need whatsoever for Portugal to make any arrangement with the UK or to harmonise their visa-free periods - Portugal's arrangements are aligned with the EU's Schengen rules and the UK, as is it's right as a sovereign nation which was never a member of Schengen, diverges from those.

NataHH

Red Eric
You are right Portugal will implement whatever Brussels tells them to do. We'll see what is going to happen in the future especially after the German election on Sunday and the French one in April next year.

SgtTroy
I doubt if the PT government is more than happy to lose all those "Tourists". Tourism plays a big part in the PT economy and the UK and Spain are the largest contributors. I would have thought it would be beneficial to both countries. There have always been reciprocal arrangements well before the EU existed.

For your info I do not expect the Red carpet treatment. Whenever I am in Portugal I volunteer for two charities so I find your last sentence rather insulting.