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    Leaving Portugal and Selling my Dream Home?



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    Fresh Portugal is a leading law firm based in Lisbon with Portuguese, US and UK tax lawyers and they are are offering a “last minute tax residency” package:
    https://freshportugal.com/book_service/accelerated_tax_residency_from=daveinportugal

    The package is further explained in this article and Youtube video:
    https://www.fresh-portugal.com/blog/can-you-still-make-it-on-time-to-nhr

    Sign up for Dave’s Moving to Portugal Guide:
    https://www.daveinportugal.com

    47 Comments

    3. Marc Kidwell Pestana on

      You keep mentioning the customs and traditions of Portugal. What do you mean? Which customs and rituals are you talking about that would make a difference for a foreigner living in Portugal? Specifically, an American?

    4. Jack Ocean on

      Dude….youre a roll model for us Americans. I tell my 2 American kids “be like Dave.” But hey Dont let that compliment go to your head. Keep giving us the good bad and ugly and funny content. Thanks Big Dave!!

    5. Wingnutt Geronimo on

      Why would you leave Portugal unless you wanted to? It wouldn't be because of the NHR going away because you would be grandfathered in until your 10 years are up. I'm not sure if you discussed this in previous videos.

    7. Dino m1815 on

      Thanks as always for the honesty and the "raw" vibe of this video. I would add, while Europeans may pay a "higher tax" on the face value of income … it SHOULD be considered that most Americans only calculate their Federal Rate and compare it to what they think they will pay here. If you ADD in your HEALTH INSURANCE costs in the US (my last year in California, I was paying $900/mo in premium for a family of 2)… that makes your total layout for a 28% tax bracket in the USA actually closer to a 48-50% effective 'TAX'… Then consider that Portugal has one of the best healthcare/cost ratio systems in Europe, and ranked 12th in the World to the US' 17th overall rank… This makes Portugal much more competitive… add in that: you cannot be bankrupted by medical bills here, cost of living is considerably lower, violence is almost non-existant.. and you can hop on a plane and be in Paris, Rome, London, Berlin, in a few hours.. final analysis,..quality of life, lack of stress.. is much better here.

    8. Sofia Maslanova on

      I absolutely love Portugal. It is thee best country I've been to, and I've traveled all over the world! But ita not perfect no place is! However I am wondering if you have a business thats registered in the U.S. and you are paid in U.S. dollars do you still have to pay Portuguese taxes as a foreigner considering your business and income is outside of Portugal?

    9. Mama Llama on

      Can you do a video on the tax price changes on normal day living purchases & a monthly cost without having the tax break? Did you apply for the tax break? How will it affect you after the agreed time is over?

    10. Stevon on

      I find this video somewhat misleading and not fully accurate. I understand the NHR program will be ending, but I have also read that if you are already enrolled for 10 years, which I completed last year, then there is nothing to worry about? If that's the case, why are you advertising a law firm to aid in a rush membership into a program that is being phased out? As an American expat living in Lisbon now for 1 year, I have been burnt my unscrupulous realtors charging high fees for services they are not qualified for, greedy landlords promising properties but in secret having multiple bids for a property and then informing you at the last minute, as you are about to sign a lease, that the property is no longer available!, I could go on…..together with false posts on FB and other sources lead me to utilise "recommended resources" not realising any better. Lisbon has now been deemed one of the highest expensive rental cities in the EU joining the list with Paris, London, Madrid and others. So many posts about the affordability of Portugal I think are no longer valid as it may have been 5-10 years ago, plus given the state of global inflation, etc., but I do agree its a safer country than the US for sure. Maybe I am venting too much, but I thought both the US and Portugal have a treaty in place for NO double taxation? The NHR caps taxes for expats that are retired like myself at 10% depending on capital gains income?

    11. Kalina Luz on

      Dave, I like your videos because your underline message was always, try to make effort to know the place and the culture, not going into the rabbit hole of criticism how the new country is so much worse from your place of birth. The truth is, if somebody does not like Portugal, it is his decision that is wrong and he is the only one with the power to change it! I admire the fact that you learn the language and seeing how different the mindset is, you embrace it! Let's not forget that one of the main reason Americans like Europe is the slow-pace life, the human connections and actually, having life 😊

    12. Paula Reis Gomes on

      Hi Dave. I am a Portuguese living in Japan for already many years now and I enjoy so much your videos, because I appreciate the real way in which you introduce my country. It helps me to learn from your vision. Thank you.

    16. Bad Request on

      just a small note. don't use the word "regime" too much. it brings "not so happy thoughts" xD because of the 41 years of dictatorship portugal went through, it kind of gave the word a negative meaning, as dictatorships in portugal are often referred to as regimes.

    21. Living-working Outside-box on

      Good luck with your project 👍

      Some good points about intergrating into the Portuguese culture.

      Unfortunately for our family it doesn't make sense to pay 48% tax and another 23% VAT.

      We couldn't make the move in time. NOTE: IF YOU ARE ABLE TO FINANCE OR HAVE SOME MONEY BUY A CHEAPER COMMERCIAL PROPERTY. YOU CAN NOW LIVE IN IT! WORKS FOR D7 RESIDENCE. 😮👍🌞💪

    23. Peer Gerber on

      The Portuguese NHR tax regime does not affect americans as much as tax residents from other countries because the US is one of only two countries worldwide that taxes its citizens no matter what country they live in and become a tax resident of. Also, because of the US-Portugal double taxation treaty, americans can claim a Foreign Tax credit on their US tax return for any Portuguese income tax that they paid. Regarding retirees who receive income from pensions, stock capital gains, dividends, interest, etc., under the current NHR regime, they only need to pay portuguese taxes on 10% of private pensions (such as those received from corporations), not on public pensions (such as state, county, city pensions), capital gains, dividends, interest, etc.

    24. Craft Brewer on

      The knee jerk reaction by the government is foolish. The fact that locals are happy the NHR is over, thinking why should there be breaks for others when they still receive the benefits like universal healthcare is short sighted. The D7 has a minimum passive income of around 800 euros a month. Guess what, removing the NHR isn't going to effect the people bringing in 9600 euros a year, in fact they don't even have to file taxes! So they will still be coming into your country and getting healthcare, they just won't be able to contribute to the economy with disposable income. On top of that, they're allowed to seek employment, taking jobs from the local Portuguese. That's a loose, loose for Portugal. A modified D7 with a scale of income and a restriction to work would justify the NHR for people bringing outside cashflow into communities without taking anyone's job. Now that would have taken a little thought by government officials, a tiny bit of actual work on their part to put together

    25. pedro mendes on

      At first i loved watching videos of youtubers that was moving and talking about my country and the culture shock. Was fun but know, knowing that that interest of Portugal come, from most of foreigns, because of the tax incentives i lost faith on all good intentions of them. Sure some love Portugal but first they love their money and where can they leave without losing on even gain some much. If that didnt affect our existance that would be great but its affecting. Our natives are having a lot of dificulties to leave parents houses and generate their own family. We should achieve a reasenoble point.

    27. M Silva on

      Dave, thanks for ur down to earth videos on 🇵🇹.
      We are far from being perfect but we have so much potential, and are certainly very good people.
      U have adapted, gotten involved in our culture, customs, language, and I am so thankful. You have been utterly exemplary and I hope u stay with us for a very looong time… How about forever!? You are the type of human being we want and need living amongst us, so TY for giving 🇵🇹 a chance, for sharing yourself with us and accepting us as we are. 🙏😊❤️🇵🇹

    28. pedro mendes on

      The funny thing about all of this its that before the government talked about tax changes, everything was great and prety. Now its looking everyone act like rats abonding ship and searching for the next one where they can live on their advantage.

    30. Thomas Mwangi on

      I realize you're videos are mostly targeted towards an American audience. And that's perfectly fine. You're an American and that's your perspective. I just wonder how different these videos would be if you took a more holistic, global approach. Maybe interview some people who have moved to Portugal from Southeast Asia, India, Vietnam? How about Africans from Mozambique and Namibia who are native Portuguese speakers? Love your content, looking forward to deeper content.

    31. Luis Fidalgo on

      Everyone wants to live the dream in another country because it's more affordable and be entitle to special tax reduction or program, my question is how fare is that for the locals?!?

    33. Laura Coelho on

      Off course you have to integrate, If one goes to a new country, one has to. I lived 7 years in London and I had to integrate otherwise I would not be happy or have friends. If I just wanted to have Portuguese friends I would never leave Portugal. 😉 Having respect for the culture where you live, it is a must! 😊

    36. Mike Abbott on

      Dave, great video – keep 'em coming.
      The end of the NHR has caused us to seriously reconsider a move to PT in retirement. I've seen some comments here that misrepresent the tax situation for US retirees. I've read "it's okay, you just pay the difference", which is true as far as it goes, but for us our effective US tax rate on SS and pensions will be ~10%. After adjusting for the progressive tax system in PT, our effective tax rate there will be about 35%, meaning we'd pay 35% to PT and take a credit against what we owe in the US. In other words, we lose 25% of our disposable income if we relocate. We might save a bit on cost of living, but houseing, buying and operating a car, and private health insurance will eat that up quickly. The idea was that we would retire, move, do some traveling and enjoy Europe for the duration of the NHR while banking some savings so that when the NHR expired for us, the consequences wouldn't be so hard. By that time we would have become integrated into society and would probably have attained citizenship. Unless PT reconsiders the impact on retired immigrants, we will be forced to explore other EU jurisdictions that offer incentives to pensioners, like Italy, Greece, or Malta. Those countries understand the value of attracting foreign money into their economies while receiving income tax payments which are as large or larger than what many citizens pay at the higher rates (i.e., 10% of a high amount > 35% of a much lower amount).
      We will be in PT in late November (that's a subtle hint to invite us over for Thanksgiving btw). I'm going to set up appointments with a couple of different tax accounting firms to see what our tax situation would be if we moved in 2026 – I'd strongly advise anyone contemplating a move to PT in the near future to do the same. Consult tax experts, that is, not drop in on Dave for Thanksgiving.

    37. Annelies Künzli on

      Just recently they did not want to let me in the swimming pool because of not having a full bathing suit & bath hat (I am bold due to autoimmune disease, so that makes no sense anyways and no hairs go into the water)….then I replied back, if Portugal is some dictatorship and why one cannot choose their bathing suit in the year 2023?!?!!! ….Portugal is not an Arabic country and one would expect such a rule maybe in an Arabic country….not in an European country like Portugal….it is just ridiculous and just be aware of such stupid old fashioned rules and stuff over here….it is conservative, rigidity is wide spread and in that sense Spain is way more modern, relaxed and open minded/flexibility is not much found over here. Also most restaurants close their kitchen after 21h and after 21h30 you hardly find any food anywhere….it is also normal to serve everything with fat fries and it is hard to find vegetables on a plate! Most restaurants deny the requests for vegetables and usually one has to put up with some odd steak or fish with 3rd class salad (very little and not very good) and the fries….it is hard to find nice food here. You are lucky when some town has an Indian or Chinese restaurant, where you can at least find good food with vegetables in it and something tastier than just these unhealthy fries!!!

    39. Mike Kim on

      Dave, I'm not sure if this was your intention, but you make it sound like that NHR is ending for you as well, but you've decided to stay in Portugal, regardless.

      Assuming that you are on NHR currently, you will not lose it. It is only for newer visa applicants. I think you know this.

      So for you to decide to remain in Portugal regardless of NHR ending has no bearing for you since you will not be losing it.

    42. Sidonio Soares on

      Portugal is better I live in Toronto Canada and if whoever moves there and does the same life they do here you can live comfortably problem is we start living the way they do there everyday cafe eat lunch out etc etc that’s why a lot after few years have to move back to Canada or USA etc etc.

    43. Zircon on

      Here in Portugal (central rural) also, retired able to buy land…no chance in Uk even better able to BREATHE and integrate with the WONDERFUL Portuguese people. We live in a very small village only speak a little português, but we have been made to feel very welcomed and accomodated despite our lack of language. Enjoying your videos.

    46. Lauren Wilson on

      Dave Im soo grateful for you!! My family will be moving there soon and your videos are soo helpful and authentic!!!
      Also thanks for linking us to Anita!! My 9 y/o and I are kicking ass at learning the language

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