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Guides

Guides

Comprehensive practical guides for living in Portugal. Taxes (IFICI/NHR), visas (D7, D8, Golden Visa), healthcare (SNS + private), housing, banking, bureaucracy, and daily life essentials for expats.

Recognition of a Foreign Academic Degree in Portugal in 2026 — The Three Routes (Automático, Nível, Específico), the New IES Platform, the €32.20 Fee, and How Foreign-Educated Residents Get Their Diploma Across the Counter

Recognition of a Foreign Academic Degree in Portugal in 2026 — The Three Routes (Automático, Nível, Específico), the New IES Platform, the €32.20 Fee, and How Foreign-Educated Residents Get Their Diploma Across the Counter

Portugal recognises a foreign degree through three routes: Automático (€32.20, 30 days, fixed list), de Nível (90 days, all countries), or Específico (90 days, course-specific). DGES handed the file to the new IES, I.P. in March 2026; the professional orders run a separate inscription on top.
The Portugal Brief
Importing a Car to Portugal in 2026 — The Transferência de Residência ISV Exemption, the DAV Customs Declaration, the Modelo 112 Inspection, the IMT Homologation, and What the Process Actually Costs

Importing a Car to Portugal in 2026 — The Transferência de Residência ISV Exemption, the DAV Customs Declaration, the Modelo 112 Inspection, the IMT Homologation, and What the Process Actually Costs

Bringing a car when you move to Portugal can be tax-free under the transferência de residência exemption — six months abroad, six months ownership, a 12-month application window, and a 12-month sale ban. Outside that, ISV plus legalisation runs €750 to €10,000-plus. The procedure walked end to end.
The Portugal Brief
Exchanging a Foreign Driving Licence in Portugal in 2026 — IMT Categories, the 90- and 185-Day Windows, the Atestado Médico, the Country-by-Country Reciprocity Table, and What Actually Happens at the Espaço Cidadão Counter

Exchanging a Foreign Driving Licence in Portugal in 2026 — IMT Categories, the 90- and 185-Day Windows, the Atestado Médico, the Country-by-Country Reciprocity Table, and What Actually Happens at the Espaço Cidadão Counter

Every new resident in Portugal eventually has to convert a foreign driving licence to a Portuguese carta de condução. The IMT runs three reciprocity tiers, the deadlines are tight, and missing them throws you back to a Portuguese theory and practical exam.
The Portugal Brief