At the end of 2021 I got intrigued with Pieter Levels' Rebase project. He's a Dutch solopreneur, known for successful web projects. And Rebase was an “immigration-as-a-service” for foreigners interested in Portuguese residency. Furthermore, Pieter was going through the process himself, so it was great to see all the steps.

The first steps of my NHR residency in Portugal

In February 2022, Russia invaded in Ukraine, and I knew I had to act fast. Even though, I was still staying in Tenerife, Spain, I know Polish history. For over 1000 years Polish fought with Germans and Russians. Therefore, there was and still is a risk of another military conflict. The Portuguese residency became my insurance plan.

Indeed, I wasn't the only person thinking that way. Many Russians, Ukrainians and other nationalities were booking calls via Rebase. Due to the demand, I needed to pay a higher fee to be connected with Westonbridge, the agency facilitating the immigration service. But the investment was worth it.

This video call gave me confidence. Becoming a resident is a long, multistep process. But it was clear that if I complete them all, I'll be eligible to become a Portuguese citizen. And having a second EU passport is my primary goal. It can preserve my travel freedom and secure me against Polish geopolitical situation.

That's how the Rebase site looked like by the end of 2023 (from Web Archive)

Further developments of the Portuguese residency with NHR benefits

Westonbridge handled most of the paperwork remotely. Then, I visited Portugal a few times to address matters requiring my personal presence. Such as:

  • Receiving stamped confirmation that I am an EU citizen
  • Requesting social security number
  • Registering an account in Banco Best

Meanwhile, significant changes happened in the Portuguese immigration domain. Due to influx of foreigners and political changes, the NHR program was ended in 2023. That affected Rebase project, which Levels decided to shut down.

Furthermore, the people who ran Westonbridge decided to spin up a separate agency called Relocatenow. However, I was not pleased with their transition and communication issues. Now, my Portuguese taxes and social security fees are managed by LX Accounts. And I'm satisfied with their services.

Banking system

The aforementioned Banco Best was at the time recommended by Westonbridge. They also helped me with the registration process. Sadly, like many other traditional banks around the world, it's dreadful to use their services. The user experience of their app and website is slow, prone to errors, and poorly translated.

I still use it, only because the Portuguese Social Security and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) require a Portugal-based bank. The former accepts payments only via Portuguese Direct Debit or Multibanco. While the latter prefers Multibanco, and optional SEPA bank transfers.

The Multibanco is a payment system widely used in Portugal, and I'm glad that even governmental institutions are backing it. But why would they not accept bank transfers? Indeed, every country has its own quirks.

The most convenient solution would be to manage all these payments via my Revolut account. Thanks to EU regulations they do operate in Portugal with a European-wide banking license. Yet, only after they receive Portuguese specific papers, will they be able to offer:

  • local IBAN bank accounts that start with PT
  • Multibanco (aka MB Way) payments
  • Direct Debit for Social Security and other local institutions

Transition from Polish to Portuguese Revolut branch

Regardless of the above limitations, Revolut is my everyday bank account. And the transition from the Polish to the Portuguese branch was the smoothest operation ever. Previously, when I was living in Poland, I had my fair share of using Polish bank services. They were and still are on the low level of Banco Best.

Thus, I was blown away with the ease of changing my tax residency status. The Revolut app only asked to provide my Portuguese tax identification number, and that's it.

All my sub accounts, payment cards and everything else remained the same. I didn't need to re-register, file paper documents or perform any other KYC checks. The switch was instant and painless.

Freelance invoicing and government sites

In general, I'm fine with the IRS and Social Security websites that I need to visit every month. Portal de Financias, run by the IRS is a central hub where I generate government-recognized invoices. They're required for tax accounting.

Similarly, I access Segurança Social Direta, the Social Security site, to verify if the monthly fees were correctly calculated and deducted from my account.

What's crucial is that both of those sites work when I access them during my travels. No need to use a VPN with a Portuguese IP.

Portuguese Passport cover | Arenawise, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Towards citizenship

As mentioned, my primary reason for pursuing this residency is to become a Portuguese citizen. Therefore, I'm really pleased that the current requirements are being lowered. Firstly, residents after 5 years could request a passport. Now, it's just 4 years. Which means that I'll be eligible in 2026.

Secondly, the language proficiency required a certificate. Now, it's enough to prove completion of an accredited A2 language course. Currently, I learn vocabulary via Drops and Mondly apps. However, I do want to hone my Portuguese at one of those government-recognized courses.

On the final note, the Russia-Ukraine war seems to be heading towards a peace treaty, but that doesn't change my situation. I don't want ever to be a pawn in geopolitics. Thanks to nomadic lifestyle, I strengthen my individual sovereignty. And becoming a Portuguese citizen is a major step in that journey.