Portugal is known for sandy beaches, pretty cities and year-round sun, so it is no surprise many Britons look to move there.
One expat who relocated to the country shared her advice for anyone thinking of doing the same.
She explained she loves living in Lisbon but one thing that is particularly frustrating is doing paperwork.
The Briton spoke about bureaucracy on YouTube channel Talk the Streets. She said completing any sort of paperwork “is going to be a nightmare”.
A woman shared advice for living in Portugal
GETTY/YOUTUBE/TALK THE STREETS
She added: “If you have any paperwork that needs doing you need to get started as early as possible. Don’t be leaving it anywhere near the deadline because, particularly post-Covid, the length of time it’s going to take you to get anything done is running into months.”
Moving to another country inevitably means there will be paperwork to fill out and appointments to make and the expat explained this is a lengthy process.
She continued: “If you do have an appointment to get something bureaucratic done, make sure you go as early as possible in the morning.
“Don’t be think you can cram it into your lunch break or that you’ll pop along when you have time. You need to actually dedicate an entire day to this.
“Write off the rest of the day and really focus on getting this thing done.”
She added it is wise to get there early as well as to leave plenty of time for it to run over.
Another thing expats may be surprised to learn about moving there is the weather. While Portugal is warm year-round, homes are not necessarily built to retain heat in the winter months.
The woman explained winters are not too cold but can feel colder inside than out as buildings “are not built for the cold, they are built for the heat.”
While she installed a heating and cooling system, she added: “It’s still not perfect because houses are generally drafty and they do let heat escape and electricity is expensive.”
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