Guides

Long-form, sourced, dated. Every load-bearing number links to the primary document it came from, and carries the date we last checked it.

Healthcare

Does Medicare cover you in Portugal?

No — and the Part B decision you make on the way out follows you for the rest of your life. What the SNS and private cover really cost at 55, 60, 65 and 70.

Property

The 7.5% purchase tax on non-residents

A flat 7.5% IMT on residential property for non-resident buyers, already in force since May 2026 — plus the two documented ways to recover the difference.

Tax

Portugal ended NHR — what you pay now

NHR is closed and its replacement excludes retirees. What a US pension and US Social Security each cost you now, and why the treaty treats them differently.

Citizenship

Portuguese citizenship now takes 10 years

Who the 2026 law actually affects, what still counts toward the clock, and what to do if you were counting on five years.

Visa

D7 vs D8: which visa fits you

The two routes most Americans choose between, the income each really demands, and the trap hidden in each one.

Money

The real cost of living for a US retired couple

Itemised for 2026, with sources: rent, health cover, utilities, food, transport and the line items other budgets leave out.

Reality check

The downsides nobody puts in the brochure

Bureaucracy, damp winters in unheated houses, salaries, the tax break that ended, and the resentment a decade of foreign money has built.