About PortugalSetup

Why we exist

Moving to Portugal starts with a chain of admin: the right visa, a NIF, maybe a fiscal representative, a bank account, insurance, a social security number, a health registration. The information is scattered across blogs, forums, and provider sales pages, and a depressing amount of it is out of date. Fiscal representation rules changed in 2022. Visa income thresholds move every January. Banks quietly close their non-resident programs and don't announce it. We track all of that in one place, keep it current, and — unlike most content sites — actually help you get it done.

What we do

Two things, and we're upfront about both. First, the information: deeply researched guides, calculators, and provider comparisons built on verified prices and reader-reported processing times — all free. Second, the doing: visa application support, AIMA appointment guidance, NIF and bank account setup, document legalization, insurance, and settling-in help, handled through us and our vetted partners. See our immigration services for the full list.

What we're not: a law firm, a tax consultancy, or a real estate agency. For legal opinions, tax planning, or property purchase, we connect you with licensed professionals we trust — we don't improvise outside our lane.

How we compare providers

Every provider in our comparisons is scored on the same published criteria:

• Price as you'd actually pay it — discount codes included, and exclusions noted (like the €20 Finanças password one provider charges on top).
• Fiscal representation terms — how many months are bundled, and the renewal price. Year two is where the real cost hides.
• Advertised vs reported delivery times — we publish both, and we're building the reader-reported dataset nobody else has.
• Independent reviews — Trustpilot and the like, read with skepticism rather than quoted at face value.
• What's missing — rush options, password inclusion, support quality. The cons matter as much as the pros.

No pay-for-placement. Providers can't buy a ranking. When we earn a commission or referral fee, it's disclosed on the page — and our quote-matching recommends based on your situation, not on who pays us most.

How we make money

Three ways, all free to you: referral partnerships with providers (disclosed wherever they appear); our quote-matching service, where providers pay us for qualified introductions; and our immigration services, where you pay for the admin being done for you. The guides and tools stay free either way.

How we stay current

Every guide carries a "last checked" date, and we mean it. Prices get re-verified against provider sites — Visas.pt and Novomove both changed theirs in 2026, and our tables moved with them. Thresholds like the D8's €3,680/month update when the minimum wage moves. And when rules change, affected pages get rewritten, not patched.

What we're building next

• Reader-reported NIF processing times, published per provider
• Fiscal representation and health insurance comparisons
• Accountant matching for expats (recibos verdes, IRS, IFICI)
• Country-specific guides — starting with the Nepali and South Asian corridor

Contact

Questions, corrections, or a provider we should review? Email hello@portugalsetup.com. Corrections are especially welcome — accuracy is the entire product here.