Do you wonder what are the benefits of EU permanent residence in Portugal? Well, the benefits of EU permanent residence in Portugal can vary from a quality lifestyle to a warm climate.
Here, we dive deeper into most of the benefits of EU permanent residence in Portugal.
What is an EU Residence Permit?
A residence permit issued by a government enables you to live in that country after you have decided to move to that country. If you are a national of a third-world country, you may want to apply for an EU residence permit to upgrade your living standard.
However, to apply for an EU residence permit, you will have to be physically present in one of the EU countries. You can apply for a residence visa from the consulate that is closest to you. Furthermore, you can choose between the two residency options:
- Temporary Residentship: The temporary residency permit in EU countries can vary between 1 and 5 years, depending on the EU country you are in.
- Permanent Residency Permit: A permanent residency permit enables you to live in EU countries for as long as you want or for an indefinite period. However, you will have to renew your residency permit every five years. Furthermore, the renewal process is easier than applying for a temporary residency permit.
Also, there are EU countries that won’t grant you permanent residency on the go. However, first, you will have to apply for temporary residence. On the other hand, there are some countries that offer you permanent residency after you have invested in the economy. For instance, Cyprus and Malta issue you permanent residency after you have invested in the economy of these countries.
Temporary Residence
For most EU countries, you will have to apply for temporary residency before you get permanent residency. The temporary residency can last between 1 to 5 years. For instance, the very first residency permit you get in Malta lasts for a year. Meanwhile, the Greek government will issue you a five-year permit after you have applied for residency by investment.
In addition to this, you can also take your family with you while moving to any of the EU countries. However, the requirements for permanent residency can vary for different jurisdictions for your children and common-law marriage.
Mostly, you can sponsor your children who are not married and are financially dependent on you. This is one of the many benefits of EU permanent residence in Portugal. Furthermore, the ones who have invested in the economy can also include their relatives in their residency application. In addition to this, you can also use residency to reunify your family.
However, residents should also follow some rules, like being obliged to live in the country and pursue their professional lives in that country.
Permanent Residency
After you have lived in any of the EU countries, you can get your hands on permanent residence in that country. To be specific, in most European Union countries, you can get permanent residency after more than five years.
The law of a certain EU country may have eligibility criteria for permanent residency permits. For example, some countries oblige you to live in that specific country for six months to gain permanent resilience. Here are the eligibility criteria for permanent residency in most of the countries:
- You should have a place to stay.
- You should have enough money to support your lifestyle and your family’s as well.
- You should buy healthcare insurance
- Your criminal record should be clean
- You should pass the local language test.
After you have met the eligibility criteria of that particular country, e.g., Portugal, you can enjoy the benefits of EU permanent residence in Portugal.
In addition to this, the people who can apply for EU residency for longer than 9 days are:
- Seasonal workers
- Students
- Researchers
- Trainees and Volunteers
- Highly qualified workers
- Non Eu nationals with a job contract in EU countries
Benefits of EU Permanent Residence in Portugal
After you have moved to Portugal, you can then reap many benefits of EU permanent residence in Portugal. Here are some of the benefits of EU permanent residence in Portugal:
Safety
Most EU countries are considered safer places to live in compared to other countries in the world. According to the report of the 2022 Global Peace Index, Portugal is one of the top ten safest countries in the world. It ranked sixth on the list of safest countries in the world.
However, according to the Outlook India, Portugal is the 7th safest country in the world
Political and Social Stability
One of the benefits of EU permanent residence in Portugal is that it is politically and socially a stable country. The power exchange is peaceful and predictable, which gives the country its political stability.
In addition to this, other countries in Europe are also politically and socially stable. For instance, Malta is politically one of the most stable countries with the lowest crime rate. Moreover, the European countries are also inclusive of diversity and respect all the communities.
Visa-free Traveling
If you have a Portuguese residence permit, you can travel to all other EU countries visa-free. You can travel to all other Schengen countries for nine days every 180 days without having to apply for a visa. With a Portuguese residency visa, you can visit 22 countries visa-free.
In addition to this, you can enter Portugal if you have its residence permit card, even when the borders are closed.
Cost of Living
One of the benefits of EU permanent residence in Portugal is that the cost of living here is quite affordable. For instance, with a family of four, you can survive on 2,316.9€ per month with home rents excluded. However, a single person can survive with a monthly budget of 656.3€in Portugal with rentals not included.
Here is the break down of living cost in Portugal:
| Restaurants | Range | |
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant | 10.00 € | 7.00-15.00 |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course | 40.00 € | 30.00-70.00 |
| McMeal at McDonald’s (or Equivalent Combo Meal) | 7.50 € | 7.00-9.00 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5-liter draught) | 2.15 € | 1.20-4.00 |
| Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) | 3.00 € | 1.80-5.00 |
| Cappuccino (regular) | 1.65 € | 0.75-3.00 |
| Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) | 1.52 € | 1.00-2.00 |
| Water (0.33-liter bottle) | 1.09 € | 1.00-2.00 |
| Markets | ||
| Milk (regular), (1 liter) | 0.92 € | 0.80-1.12 |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) | 1.40 € | 0.87-2.70 |
| Rice (white), (1kg) | 1.35 € | 1.00-2.00 |
| Eggs (regular) (12) | 2.76 € | 1.69-3.60 |
| Local Cheese (1kg) | 9.76 € | 6.00-20.00 |
| Chicken Fillets (1kg) | 6.81 € | 3.00-9.00 |
| Beef Round (1kg) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) | 11.67 € | 7.50-17.00 |
| Apples (1kg) | 1.97 € | 1.00-2.96 |
| Banana (1kg) | 1.24 € | 1.00-2.50 |
| Oranges (1kg) | 1.58 € | 1.00-3.00 |
| Tomato (1kg) | 2.19 € | 1.00-3.00 |
| Potato (1kg) | 1.45 € | 0.72-2.50 |
| Onion (1kg) | 1.69 € | 1.00-2.80 |
| Lettuce (1 head) | 1.33 € | 0.75-2.00 |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) | 0.67 € | 0.28-1.68 |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) | 4.50 € | 2.99-8.00 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) | 1.11 € | 0.70-2.00 |
| Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) | 1.98 € | 0.90-4.00 |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) | 5.30 € | 5.00-6.00 |
| Transportation | ||
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) | 1.98 € | 1.30-2.60 |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) | 40.00 € | 30.00-40.00 |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) | 3.50 € | 3.00-5.00 |
| Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff) | 0.80 € | 0.50-1.20 |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) | 15.00 € | 14.80-25.00 |
| Gasoline (1 liter) | 1.79 € | 1.63-2.03 |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline | 29,250.00 € | 26,000.00-30,000.00 |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) | 30,801.95 € | 28,200.00-34,380.00 |
| Utilities (Monthly) | ||
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment | 109.94 € | 80.00-180.00 |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data | 19.17 € | 12.50-30.00 |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | 36.46 € | 29.00-50.00 |
| Sports And Leisure | ||
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | 35.83 € | 20.00-55.00 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 12.08 € | 7.00-20.00 |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat | 7.50 € | 6.00-10.00 |
| Childcare | ||
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child | 388.62 € | 300.00-600.00 |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child | 9,268.16 € | 5,285.00-19,420.00 |
| Clothing And Shoes | ||
| 1 Pair of Jeans | 75.82 € | 25.00-120.00 |
| 1 Summer Dress | 31.55 € | 15.00-50.00 |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) | 70.66 € | 47.00-100.00 |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes | 81.61 € | 45.00-140.00 |
| Rent Per Month | ||
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 911.24 € | 600.00-1,500.00 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 706.63 € | 500.00-1,000.00 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | 1,642.77 € | 1,000.00-3,000.00 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | 1,180.05 € | 800.00-2,000.00 |
| Buy Apartment Price | ||
| Price of an Apartment in City Centre per Square Meter | 3,162.42 € | 2,000.00-6,000.00 |
| Price of an Apartment Outside of Centre per Square Meter | 2,041.98 € | 1,200.00-3,881.00 |
| Salaries And Financing | ||
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) | 1,033.85 € | |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 4.37 |
Warm Climate
One of the benefits of EU permanent residence in Portugal is its pleasant climate. However, it can vary with the region. For instance, it is arid in southern Portugal while it is rainy in the northwestern part of Portugal. In addition to this, the northeast of the country is known for its long and warm summers.
August is the warmest month throughout the year. Likewise, these are also warmest in months like August and September. The average daytime temperature in Lisbon is more than 27.8 degrees Celsius.
On the other hand, the winters are mild and the average temperature in January in Lisbon is more than 14.7 degrees Celsius. Snowfall is rare in plain areas whereas it is common in mountains.
Tax Benefits
One of the benefits of EU permanent residence in Portugal is that it offers leniency to foreigners with a residence permit. The Non-Habitul Residence status in Portugal exempts the expats from an international income.
The NHR tax status reduces the tax burden on the expats who are investing in Portugal. For professionals like engineers, artists, programmers, and entertainers the tax exemption can range between 20% to 48%.
Quality of Education
One of the benefits of EU permanent residence in Portugal is access to quality living standards. The higher and secondary education in Portugal is up to the mark and degrees from Portuguese universities are recognized by the European Union. This implies that with these degrees, you can get work in any of the EU countries.
You can opt for the medium of education in Portuguese institutes between Portuguese and English language. However, English courses are not available throughout Portugal and are typically more expensive than Portuguese courses.
For instance, you can do a bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Oporto on an annual budget of 6,340 euros.
All in all there are multiple benefits of EU permanent residence in Portugal. Ranging from warm climate to visa-free tours to quality life, Portuguese permanent residence card has a lot to offer.
Also read about, Documents Needed for Portuguese Citizenship by Marriage>>
