How to Get From Here to Portugal

While the travel ban for Americans to go to Europe is in effect, the only way to get there is to obtain a visa. There are a lot of moving parts to this process. The aforementioned Facebook Group, Americans & FriendsPT, has been a critical. They have lots of documents posted which list all the details. Did I mention that there are a lot of details? We decided to work with a consultant in Portugal just to be absolutely sure we get it right. We are very pleased that we did this. Working with her has allowed us to get a NIF (Portuguese equivalent of a social security number), a bank account, private health insurance, and an apartment. There has been a nerve wracking amount of paperwork to sign, scan, and return. We also had to obtain an FBI background check and will be providing lots of financial information.

We are applying for a D7 visa which is a resident visa for retirement purpose. Evidently they really want retirees to go over there and spend freely of our money. Other types of visas, e.g., for work or student, are harder to get.