Starting over is never easy. It takes courage, adaptation, and the will to create a life that feels safe and fulfilling. For many expats, Portugal embodies that opportunity: a calmer pace, security, and the promise of a healthier future.
Our series Life in Portugal shares the voices of those who made the leap, highlighting the choices, struggles, and victories that defined their relocation journey. After the first interview with our colleague Viviane, we now sit down for the second part with Teresa.
She left behind the uncertainty of life in South Africa to build a new chapter alongside her Portuguese husband. Her path took her first to Madeira, with its unmatched beauty but limited opportunities, before eventually leading her to Lisbon, where she found both stability and purpose.
Through Teresa’s story, you’ll see how resilience and openness can transform obstacles into stepping stones, and how Portugal, with all its quirks and challenges, can truly become home.
Background and Motivation
Question #1
Portugal Homes: Hi, Teresa. Thank you so much for joining us today. Could you start with telling us where were you living before Portugal, and what was life like at that time?
Teresa: Right, so before I moved to Portugal, I was living in Cape Town, South Africa, with my husband, who's Portuguese.
The rest of our family had already moved out of South Africa, so we decided we would move to Madeira, Portugal.
The reason being is because at that time, we were living in crisis mode.
Every day was: are you going to live to see tomorrow? Because in South Africa, there's a lot of criminal activity going around there.
Question #2
Portugal Homes: Why Portugal?
Teresa: As for Portugal - why Portugal? Because of my husband, because my father-in-law was born in Porto Moniz, and so therefore we decided we would move to Madeira.
Having visited the island before, knowing the whole ambience of Madeira, we thought, okay, this is a place we can relocate to.
Question #3
Portugal Homes: What challenges did you face in Madeira?
Teresa: Little did we know that, unfortunately, Madeira, whilst it's the most beautiful island, it's very difficult to find work there, and obviously the majority only speak Portuguese, so it became a little bit difficult in staying in Madeira.
So therefore, we decided we would move to Lisbon, which was wonderful, because coming to Lisbon, there were more job opportunities, obviously more English-speaking job opportunities, so we moved to Lisbon, and as you know, I now work for Portugal Homes & the Harland & Poston Group.
Question #4
Portugal Homes: Besides employment, what other factors motivated your move?
Teresa: A couple of the other motivations were that obviously there's good healthcare here. The cost of living is, how can I say, far better than South Africa. It's far easier to be able to find an apartment to rent. There's obviously a lot of medical care in Portugal.
For myself, if I think about it, having become Portuguese now, I don't think I've spent more than €50 on medical care, but then also I haven't been to the doctor much.
Question #5
Portugal Homes: And how about your husband’s experience?
Teresa: My husband also had his own business in Madeira. That was a little bit tricky and difficult, but the process at the Loja do Cidadão, where you go and apply, was very straightforward and simple.
Not only do they help you register your company, but they also give you help with leads of who to connect with to provide your services. So that was also amazing.
Question #6
Portugal Homes: Do you pay for private insurance?
Teresa: No, I don't pay for private insurance, because when I arrived here, I got associated with the NHS, because of my husband. And then of course Harland & Poston also provides medical care, so they took care of that.
Question #7
Portugal Homes: And what about education?
Teresa: Education, we don't have any children together. My daughter lives in Australia, but I do know that the education system in Portugal is also really good.
The Relocation Journey
Question #8
Portugal Homes: Walk me through, what was it like actually moving to Portugal? What was easy, what went wrong?
Teresa: Okay, so the relocation process is actually very tricky because when we arrived, obviously we had to go to SEF and apply for temporary residency for myself, since my husband’s Portuguese.
At that time, SEF was already behind in their processes, and were already lagging in getting temporary residency, but they gave me a certificate to say: you arrived in June, and you might get an appointment in October, which we did.
That process with SEF in Madeira was pretty straightforward, but we needed a lot of documentation.
Question #9
Portugal Homes: What kind of documents did they require?
Teresa: You need to have your police clearance certificate, most importantly. You need to have proof of address from South Africa, you need to have financial backing, you need to have a medical record.
So, there was a lot of documentation that they needed to make sure that you're able to come and stay in Portugal, before they'd give you temporary residency.
Question #10
Portugal Homes: Do you feel like it was more difficult because you were coming from South Africa?
Teresa: Absolutely, absolutely. I do believe that, and I can’t speak for Lisbon, but I do believe that Madeira and SEF over there were very concerned with our arrival in Madeira. Not being able to take care of yourself, even if my husband was Portuguese, and having to actually stay the stay.
So, they were very concerned and asked for a lot of documentation to back up that you can, for at least 12 months, support yourself in Madeira.
Because my husband didn’t have social security, didn't have the NIF number, another thing we had to get, and he didn't have a bank account. So those are all very important things that they needed from us.
Question #11
Portugal Homes: How long did it take before you actually got your residency card?
Teresa: Once that was all sorted out, I got my temporary residency card in about three weeks.
Question #12
Portugal Homes: From your perspective, what’s the number one thing people should prepare before relocating?
Teresa: So, that process, I think the most important thing is, when you're going to relocate, make sure that you check what now AIMA needs from you. Everything has to be in Portuguese and apostilled.
And I do mean everything: your birth certificate, your marriage certificate, whatever document comes from your previous country. All of it needs to be apostilled, and it has to be notarised, certified, to say this is the correct information.
And on that note, I already had to be married for three years before I could apply for my Portuguese nationality. it's very important that when you get to Portugal, you register your marriage here, if you are married or are going to marry a Portuguese citizen.
But if you have all your documentation together properly, and it is all notarized and apostilled, it's a very straightforward system. If you leave any of those documents out, obviously, it delays the whole process.
Question #13
Portugal Homes: What practical steps would you recommend to future expats preparing for Portugal?
Teresa: Well, what we did, and I suggest a person does do, is that you go to your nearest Portuguese consulate.
You sit down with them in that country and tell them this is what we would like to do, tell them exactly where you would like to go and live in Portugal, Madeira, Azores, wherever the case may be, and make sure that you do a checklist with them.
That way, they’ll you all the documents that you need, and that you have them ready before you relocate.
Please bear in mind that some of the documents have a three-month expiration, some six months expiration. So, it's quite… How can I say this? It's tense, all right, because you need to plan getting there, the documents must be all dated properly, presented properly. And the originals for when you go! Can’t forget about those.
Question #14
Portugal Homes: Did you already have a house in Portugal? How did that happen?
Teresa: No, we didn’t. When we arrived here, we started out quite nicely, staying at Airbnb's, and the moment my husband found employment, we then got a lease agreement, and then we stayed in Funchal.
And for that, you also need a NIF number, you need a bank account, and everything that you provide to the rental agent, again, needs to be in Portuguese, and if it's not, it needs to be apostilled. But if you've got all your documents originally, then it's straightforward.
Emotional & Personal Impact
Question #15
Portugal Homes: How did the move affect you personally?
Teresa: The emotional and personal impact. Huge, huge. In the first two years, I wanted to go home. It was very difficult. The climate, the food, the language, the culture, everything was extremely different to South Africa. And yes, I wanted to go home all the time.
Question #16
Portugal Homes:: What helped you adapt during that difficult time?
Teresa: But as I was going through the process, meeting new friends, finding my South African community, I started finding out. Okay, I can do this.
Question #17
Portugal Homes: How did you find dealing with Portuguese bureaucracy?
Teresa: There's one thing that I learned: whenever you went to any of the Portuguese offices and you applied for your NHS number or your NIF number or bank account, the immediate response you got was no. Then, okay, maybe. Then, finally, okay, yes.
And that became much easier because you started to learn that each department has their own criteria. So you need to research and say, all right, I'm going to the bank, what do they need? They're not SEF. I'm going to the NHS, they are not the bank. Each one has their own criteria.
Question #18
Portugal Homes:: Did you have any strategies that made the process easier?
Teresa: Yes. When you go there, I suggest, and I started doing that, is to take a Portuguese-speaking person with you. Because whilst everybody can speak English, sometimes you get lost in translation. And I'm not understanding correctly what I'm supposed to provide. And the person that's with me does, and it makes it much smoother to understand what's going on.
Question #19
Portugal Homes: Would you recommend learning the language before relocating?
Teresa: So on that note, I would strongly suggest that if you're going to relocate to Portugal, your first thing that you do is start learning the language. Yes, it is difficult because you have many apps that you can use to learn the language, but they're all Brazilian Portuguese. So, even if everybody understands Brazilian Portuguese, it's a little bit difficult. It's different.
You do have CAPLE. The cost is about €4,500, where they will teach you enough Portuguese to pass the A2 level so that you can communicate. I would suggest you do that. I would suggest the very first thing you do before relocating is learn enough Portuguese to be able to communicate with each other.
Question #20
Portugal Homes: What about the cultural differences? For example, food?
Teresa: Well, as all my colleagues and friends will tell you, I did not like the food in Portugal, because I found it not as eventful as the South African food, because the South Africans' way of food is very unhealthy. We add a lot of salt and sugar into all our ingredients, which makes it tastier.
Portugal's much healthier, so less of that. Now, six years later, after going to Australia and New Zealand and coming back to Portugal, I would not change my diet for anybody.
The Portuguese food is healthy. It's good. If you need extra salt and pepper and what have you, buy it and put it on top, but your skin starts to glow. You actually start to feel more energy, much healthier, and it's not the Mediterranean diet, but it's based on it. So that was quite a riveting change for me.
Question #21
Portugal Homes: Was there ever a moment when you questioned your decision to move?
Teresa: I must admit, I have not questioned my decision. Yes, I was very nervous. I was very scared at a particular time when I was living here, but I've never questioned my decision because ultimately, everybody that I've dealt with in Madeira and now Lisbon has been amazing.
But it’s an easy transition, all right? You just need to get over that “I can't communicate mindset.” You can. You can communicate.
Life in Portugal Today
Question #22
Portugal Homes: What does your everyday life in Portugal look like?
Teresa: Amazing, amazing. I wake up, it's very peaceful. I catch the bus. There are amazing friends that I've made on the bus. I go have coffee at my favourite coffee shop. They know me, they really know where I'm going to sit. I learn to speak Portuguese with them.
Question #23
Portugal Homes: And how do you find the weather and your work life?
The weather is amazing, especially in the morning. Then I get to come and work for Harland & Poston, which I personally love, I enjoy it. I work at an amazing office and I have fantastic colleagues.
Question #24
Portugal Homes: How accessible are shops and services where you live?
Any and all shops that you need to go to are literally on your doorstep. Continente, Pingo Doce, Aldi’s; they're all very close. One thing that Portugal does not lack is everything. There are butchers, there are pharmacies, every shop you can imagine, you think of.
Beautiful shopping centres: Vasco da Gama, Colombo, Amoreiras in Lisbon. There are amazing shopping centres where you can find everything in there. So we don’t lack anything.
Question #25
Portugal Homes: How would you describe the rhythm of daily life?
Teresa: Life is peaceful, everything’s in a three-hour shift. It's a really peaceful environment. You never feel pressured. Everybody is always there to help you.
We literally work, and then when we finish working, we live. We actually meet afterwards. We communicate with our friends, our colleagues, enjoy the sunshine, sometimes even in the rain.
Question #26
Portugal Homes:: Portugal is famous for its cultural events. Do you enjoy those?
Teresa: As everybody knows, Portugal is very famous for festivals, for celebrating religious holidays, bank holidays, and we really do that. As you know, when we had the electricity out for, what, 10, 11 hours, it was amazing because everybody was outdoors, enjoying each other. Peaceful.
Question #27
Portugal Homes: Do you feel safe living here?
Teresa: The other thing that I love about the life change every year is the police. There’s a huge police presence, GNR presence, generally speaking, security. There's a lot of, and so you always feel very safe. You know you can walk around at two o’clock in the morning and you're not going to be hassled by anybody.
Yes, we do have areas which are a bit dicey, every country does, but if you really stay in your own community, your own environment, it is safe, it is calming. Everybody's always there to help you.
Question #29
Portugal Homes:: And what about your neighbourhood and surroundings?
Teresa: The place where I live - all our apartment buildings are managed by condominiums - and they are all managed beautifully. It's always clean, it's always neat, it's always tidy. Our roads are tidy.
So if I have to compare myself to South Africa, to living in Portugal, the whole lifestyle is calm, peaceful. We are all very considerate towards each other. We make an absolute, how can I say, effort to respect each other and to understand each other's cultures. So my way of living here and my everyday is amazing.
I might even get to go to church on a Sunday where they have English mass. I've got a lovely community over there. So my life in Portugal has changed big time. It's much calmer. t's lovely.
Reflections & Advice
Question #30
Portugal Homes: What would you have done differently in your relocation process?
Teresa: I most certainly would have learned the language. That’s, I think, the most important thing I would have learned. Learn the language to be able to communicate as far as with everything you’re doing.
Question #31
Portugal Homes:Aside from language, what else would you have changed about your preparation?
Teresa: I definitely think that one of the things I would have done differently is made sure that before my relocation to Portugal I already set up a meeting with the various departments in Portugal to make sure that I had all the correct documentation for each department.
Because when I applied for my citizenship last year, the IRN let me know that I needed a new police clearance, a new this and a new that.
So if I had known that when they get to a certain stage in your process, they’re going to re-ask for those documents, in retrospect, I would have made sure that I kept all my documents up to date.
Question #32
Portugal Homes: Looking back, how do you think you could have approached the move differently on a personal level?
Teresa: What would I have done differently? I think I would have been a bit more calmer. Coming as a South African, I was all over the place. I think that when you move to Portugal, you need to study the culture, listen to the music, watch some movies, get to know the arts and culture, and there’s many, so that you can understand Fado, so you can understand everything that is about Portugal.
Question #33
Portugal Homes: What did you learn about Portuguese culture that surprised you?
Teresa: Because the Portuguese people do not enter into conflict. It’s just not one of their things. And I find that many foreigners that come over here and they want to live here, they bring your own culture here from your their country. Please don’t. Don’t.
Because this is not a country of conflict. Yes, of course, we fight and argue. We’re human beings. We get into arguments. But if I have to think over the last six years, how many arguments I have entered into with any person that is Portuguese. Maybe one. And it’s beautiful.
Question #34
Portugal Homes: So what’s your advice for newcomers in terms of mindset?
Teresa:So when you have any thought of coming here, do not come with, I am going to invade Portugal [laughs] and bring all my own goodies over here. Don’t do that. You need to come here and understand that you were not born here. But if you want to become a national, you don’t have to blend in. You have to adapt. You need to learn. You need to learn and be.
Yes, of course, you can introduce your skills and you can introduce your cultures. This is what we all do. I mean, please bear in mind that Portugal colonized Angola, Mozambique. So we are everywhere.
The first thing you need to do when you come here differently is realize that you’re coming from another continent to Europe, and not just Portugal, but the whole of Europe. It’s very calm. We’re calm. And that was a huge difference.
Question #35
Portugal Homes: What’s the myth about moving to Portugal?
Teresa: I would say that the myth of moving to Portugal is, for me: please do not think that the Portuguese community is going to welcome you with open arms if you are going to be aggressive. It’s a myth. They will be aggressive back to you if you come here and want to tell them how to do things. You’re welcome to share, but do not enforce it.
So it’s a myth when people say, Oh, Portugal’s beautiful. Oh, sunshine. Everybody’s loving it. Oh, arrive. No. Because unfortunately, when you come over here, you disrupt their economy. You disrupt their local housing. You disrupt their job opportunities. You disrupt their entire lifestyle. It’s like just think of an ant heap, and you send a bee in there. You disrupt everything.
So the myth is thinking that you can move to Portugal, and the Portuguese are just going to allow you to do whatever you want to do.
That’s a myth. They have a lot of dignity, a lot of respect for themselves, their cultures, and they will welcome you, but not with open arms if you’re going to disrespect them. And I should believe that’s for every country.
So other than that, yeah, you behave, and you do as the Portuguese do, and you’ll be happier. You’ll be very happy.
Question #36
Portugal Homes: What would you say to someone who’s thinking about taking the same leap?
Teresa: Big time: learn the language. One of my biggest downfalls. If I had known what I know today, I would have literally taken proper Portuguese classes in South Africa before coming here.
And I’m a very respectful person, but I have seen and noticed how many people that have come here, like our clients, that have been very disrespectful to Portugal. And it’s kind of like you’re not going to be given the same amount of love if you’re going to disrespect the Portuguese. It’s obvious.
So I would say to anybody that’s relocating here: do not think to yourself, a good example, I want to leave the United States of America because of X, Y, and Z, and I’m going to go to Portugal, and I’m going to be just great there.
Do some homework and say to yourself, "Okay, what is your agenda? What do you want out of Portugal? Is it just your EU passport so you can go live anywhere? Because that’s a bit intolerable for us.
Come with the understanding that if you intend to live in Portugal, learn. Learn everything there is. Just keep learning about everything there is.
We have libraries. We have the most beautiful beaches. We have public swimming pools. We have museums. We have theatres. There isn’t anything that Portugal doesn’t have. And every one of our buildings, our monuments, you think of it, there is a story behind it.
There’s a reason why we have our statues. There’s a reason why we have the tram. Everything has got a reason. And once you start to understand all those reasons, you start to realize a lot of blood, sweat, and tears has gone into building this country, especially after the earthquake in 1755.
A lot has gone into rebuilding Portugal. And it’s a very proud nation. And I’m actually very proud that I’m now part of it.
My colleague Margarida is teaching me.
Question #37
Portugal Homes: Looking back, do you feel it would have been useful to be associated with a company like Harland & Poston during your relocation?
Teresa: It would have been very useful to have been associated or known about a company like Harland & Poston because of the various important services that they provide, and one of them being tax representation.
Question #39
Portugal Homes: Why is tax representation so important in Portugal?
Teresa: Because with regard to tax representation, one actually doesn’t realize how important your NIF number is.
Okay, with your NIF number in Portugal, the most amazing thing is, is that the NIF number you can provide to any vendor, like Continente or Pingo Doce, you can provide to any NIF number because it automatically goes to the tax platform.
So, come the end of the financial year when you’re doing your own personal taxes, this is a great help.
But tax representation is very important because Harland & Poston not only provides a NIF number, what they also do is they teach you, okay, and manage for you not just property taxes.
Portugal Homes & Harland & Poston Group Connection
Question #40
Portugal Homes: What makes Portugal’s tax system different compared to other countries?
Teresa: What is important about knowing the difference in other countries’ taxes and our taxes? Because our taxes and another country’s taxes are similar, but we’re a little bit more complicated and involved.
And we are talking about taxes on your property, we’re talking about personal taxes. We’re also talking about taxes on your rentals, and taxes on everything else that you purchase in the country.
So, for me, if I’d known of a company that deals specifically like Harland & Poston does with tax representation, I would have made a connection.
Question #41
Portugal Homes: Beyond taxes, what other areas do you think Harland & Poston provides the most value in?
Teresa: Then the other thing that I find very important is, which I’ve now learned, is that our investment advisors, and I’m sure there’s many more, but specifically in Harland & Poston are very knowledgeable with regards to what visa you need to apply for.
We know there’s Golden, we know there’s D2, we know there’s D7, there’s D8.
There are many different visa applications, and the important thing about our investment advisors is that they really know.
If you sit down with them and say, I have €500,000 that I’d like to invest into Portugal, but I’d like to get my citizenship by the end of the day, they can sit you down and tell you nicely, step by step, from €250,000 to €2 million, what is the best vehicle route to follow and visa, if not for you, for your family, friends, etc.
Question #42
Portugal Homes: So for newcomers who aren’t married to Portuguese citizens, what difference does that make?
Teresa: if I think of the amount of people that I deal with from South Africa that would like to move here, and they’re not married to a Portuguese, the knowledge that our investment advisors can give you actually ends in you purchasing through us,
Because we can tailor make what you need that is going to suit you relocating from your country to ours.
And remember, we deal with the United States, we deal with Asia, we deal with Africa, we deal with everybody. We even deal with people from Europe that want to relocate here. They don’t need everything, but they come to us and they say to us, okay, can you help us just find an apartmet to purchase?
Question #43
Portugal Homes: And when it comes to legal and financial partners, does the brand have trusted connections?
Teresa: And then again, if I’d known about Harland & Poston earlier on, because also we have a number of reputable companies, like lawyers, that can deal with immigration.
They’d start in the beginning with your application, whether it’s the Golden Visa, the D2, the D7, the D8, whichever visa. So we have the reputable, correct lawyers in Portugal that deal with this, that we can work with.
Question #44
Portugal Homes: Why is choosing the right bank so critical?
Teresa: We also have reputable banks that we deal with that once again actually, it’s the niche market to deal with visa application clients, which is really important.
One should not just go to any bank and ask: what’s the cheapest service charges? You need to actually see, does this bank belong to the European Union? Because if they do, if anything goes wrong, you’re insured up to €100,000 with your bank account, which is really important.
Question #45
Portugal Homes: And what about rental or housing support?
Teresa: So then it comes to now you want to rent an apartment, you’ve got to work out who you’re renting with.
So we also have very reputable rental agents that we deal with, so that we can understand what is needed.
Question #46
Portugal Homes: So overall, how would you describe the Harland & Poston Group?
Teresa: So I think with Harland & Poston, because of all the various connections they have made throughout the years… We've made really good referrals. So when you’re dealing with our brand and you’re dealing with Harland & Poston, you know that you’re safe, you know you’re going to be looked after, and of course there’s after-sales, and we just do everything. I mean everything.
We will find, if you need a hairdresser, we’re going to find one for you. So I think if one has to say, why would you even look at Harland & Poston? Because you’re falling under a very big umbrella, and that umbrella, the departments that work underneath there.
From your tax representation, to your property management, to furniture, to needing proper investment advice on what to do with your money.
Five years later, what do I do with my property? Five years later, what do I do with this? Everything we are able to assist with, because we have had the experience. We’ve got the experience, we’ve walked the walk, and we know what can and can’t come.
Wrapping-Up
Teresa’s journey reflects the very essence of Life in Portugal: the courage to step away from uncertainty, embrace change, and gradually discover a sense of peace in a new country.
From navigating bureaucracy in Madeira to building community in Lisbon, she has experienced the very challenges our clients face and turned them into lessons that now guide others who choose Portugal as their home.
Today, Teresa is a proud Portuguese citizen, deeply connected to the culture she once struggled to adapt to, and an integral part of the Harland & Poston Group. Her resilience and perspective remind us that relocation is more than just paperwork or property.
Stay tuned for the next instalment of Life in Portugal, where another expat will share their unique path to calling Portugal home.
