Portugal Is One Of the Most Popular Destinations For UK Retirees

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Many people settle on the Algarve for their retirement home, and no wonder. Apart from the beaches, there are over 3,000 hours of sunshine every year and there are cool summer breezes off the Atlantic which help to moderate the heat of the summer. 

 

The local Portuguese people are friendly and many of them speak English, although if you are moving to Portugal, or any other non-English speaking country, it is always a good idea to learn the language. Britons have been moving to the Algarve for more than 30 years, and they are well established in local business structures, and there are now Rotarians, Lions, and an Anglo-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce, and more. 

 

The cost of living in Portugal is relatively low, with one website suggesting that a couple could live on 1,915 euros a month including 1,000 to 1,250 euros for rent. If you want to buy a home in the Algarve, you can find one for 200,000 euros or less (£170,000). 

 

Although traffic in Portugal is light outside the major cities, you will probably want to buy a car in order to get around and if you do there are some strict laws. These require drivers to carry with them at all times a valid license, vehicle registration, current vehicle inspection certificate, headlight converters, reflective jackets for every person in the car (within reach of the driver), spare glasses or contacts if you have a vision prescription, spare bulbs, and a first aid kit. The police can and do stop drivers in order to see these items, and if you are missing anything at all you will get an on the spot fine. 

 

 

The Golden Visa Programme 

 

Portugal has a Golden Visa programme, and it means that you can become a resident by investing 280,000 euros or more in property. You then have access to health care and public schools, not that you will want the latter if you are retiring. After five years of being a resident, you can apply for Portuguese citizenship, and you can include family members as well. If you don’t want to buy a property you can also become a resident by showing that you have enough income to live on. Oddly enough, the amount is not stipulated in law and is at the discretion of your immigration officer. However, 1,200 euros a month or more is normally sufficient. 

 

When it comes to food, the local restaurants all focus on seafood. Cod is on almost every menu, as is shrimp and tuna. You will also find sea bass, oysters, clams, mussels, golden bream, and stone bass. There is a wide range of cheeses, especially soft cheeses, cured hams, and the acorn-fed black pork. 

 

There are also locally grown vegetables including sweet potatoes, and fruits such as almonds, figs, olives, grapes, citrus, and pine nuts. There is a wide choice of local wines from boutique vineyards, and, of course, the port. If you eat out, they don’t do fast food, so the table service is slow and relaxed. 

 

The Algarve has no less than 35 different golf courses including some of the best-rated in Europe. In the Western Algarve there is the recently re-designed 27-hole Palmares course, with its links, holes, and magnificent ocean views, as well as Boavista and Parque da Floresta. There are also great opportunities for water sports including sport fishing, surfing, wind surfing, water skiing, scuba diving, and sailing. 

 

If you decide to move to the Algarve, then you will be delighted to know that, as one of the leading international moving companies, at Movers International we are very familiar with moving to Portugal, and especially the Algarve. We have runs there every two weeks or so, which is perfect if you only want to move a few items. 

 

Of course, it goes without saying that as one of the foremost UK international moving companies we can also move anything that you want to the Algarve, from a complete house full of furniture and other items to your business, including office equipment, machinery, and anything else that you want.