Great advice! 😊 Most newly retired Canadians are looking at Portugal for extended stay- January, February and March. Especially Algarve. Your tips and experience are helpful. 😊
Thanks for sharing this. Even more impressive than your hack is actually getting any kind of reply from the Portuguese consulate! Every time I go there it's a whole day ordeal. Thanks and take care.
Thank you for sharing some good information as we just have spend our first winter in Portugal after 50 years in Ontario Canada. We have invested in a new home in the Aveiro region.
Great advice. I have found over the years that there are a few good ways(legally) to get around visa restrictions. You just have to do your research and/or ask some long term expat in the country that you wish to stay in. I lived in an Asian country for ten years and used a tourist visa(2 month limit, extendable twice) for about 6 of the ten years simply by flying to a nearby country on inexpensive flights every 6 months. I liked just getting away for a week or so and indulging in duty-free shopping, sightseeing and enjoying the food in a British run colony(at the time). Eventually I broke down and got a resident visa which took a lot of paperwork and gave me the privilege of paying taxes in that country. 🤣. I had just gotten tired of the whole rigmarole of waiting a long time at the police station every two months and making sure that I had all of the necessary forms completed. The one problem with the resident visa was that you had to apply 3 days in advance for an exit visa to leave the country(the government wanted to make sure that your taxes were paid). You could get around that if you had a citizen of the country " sponsor" you. They then became legally responsible for making sure that your taxes were paid. Sorry to have gone on so long but my point is like yours, there are ways to extend your visa in foreign countries, you just need to search them out. Take care and have a pleasant week. 👍🤗❤🛫🙏🌎
I just wanted to leave you both a message. I'm a new subscriber, I just love your videos, they calm me and make me smile, as we are in lockdown here on Victoria Australia. Your videos uplift me, and give me some hope, that's a great gift. I've been catching up on all your videos and I'm just going to watch more tonight. I thank you so much. Your a beautiful couple. Love to you both..xx
Thank you so very much, it was wonderful to wake up this morning to your lovely comment. We hope Australia opens up again soon and your quality of life improves.
Great travel hack. Thanks so much. We are going to Europe next year and this is great info to have. Do you know of any other countries in Europe that have a similar extension policy like Portugal. Safe travels, John and Bev
Intriguing idea. Thanks for the tips. Does it work the other way round? Can EU citizens do the same for staying 6 months in the UK? Who could we contact?
Very important information. Thank you so much....first visit (60 -90 days) ...then go to ask for an extension from & in a particular country ( max ajother 90 days) & renting a car long term. Fabulous 💕
Have you guys ever thought about making one video a month similar to a travelogue? You could just show us photographs of different places you've gone and describe them to us I think that would be a great service for our future plans
This is really good to know. I work half of the year and was wanting to live in Portugal the other half, but the residency visa for Portugal required you to stay longer than that.
Great info. I am headed to Thailand in couple weeks, originally for 6 months but due to changes there likely only 3 so planned to hit up Portugual. Thanks.
Super interesting video, thanks! My wife and I live on the east coast of Canada and will hopefully be able to retire early in about 3 years. We were hoping to stay in Portugal for the winter months and also visit my native Scotland during our stay. It was really helpful to learn about the visa process. On another note, do you have any tips for how to go about finding accommodations for a few months?
Sounds great! We search AirBnB, VRBO, Hotels dot com and Google English sites as there are a lot of UK owners in The Algarve. If it’s your first trip then maybe consider buying a 4 week inclusive package from Air Transat to introduce you to the area and search local rental companies when there. Best of luck, we enjoy our winters in Portugal 🇵🇹 🇨🇦🏴
@@ThisIsOurRetirement Don’t you have to purchase a return air fare for a specific date of return with a Transat all inclusive package? Would you loose that money if you have decided to stay beyond the date on the return ticket?
@@Staronqueen We just made our return only one way ticket to Texas from Frankfurt - We came June 14th One Way ticket to Paris - 15 countries and about 100 days in Europe( we were outside Schengen for about 2 weeks.
Hey Tina and Norm!!! Great topic today on Tourist Visa and stay in Portugal. Getting in touch with the Consulate is definitely the way to go. They will have all the updated information on any policies/rules for travel. We have heard of the Schengen area before. That's good you can apply at the SEF service for a Visa extension. That's good the process isn't too difficult, you just need to be diligent and on top of it. Great video and love you guys to the mother effin' moon. 💖🥰🌛😘
Thanks for dropping by , yes we are looking for the ways to escape the Canadian winters 🥶 this sounds like a great plan . Hope you are both well and having a great weekend Cheers 🍷🇺🇸🍺🇨🇦
Thak you for this informative video. I also come from a non EU country (Australia), although I had "Right of Abode' in UK. I thik this is so useful, even though I doubt I will ever get to use it. In Melbourne, Australia we are still in lockdown, on curfew and mask-wearing inside and out all the time. We can't leave the country without a special permit so we all feel like very bored prisoners!!
Thanks for sharing! yes we have heard it’s a really tough lockdown with you , in Canada 🇨🇦 Ontario we have to wear masks indoors but can freely go out and about also our vaccination rate is over 70% for people with two shots we saw that with you it’s a lot lower . It’s very surprising how being so strict with you all your numbers aren’t better, hang in there things will hopefully get better soon have a wonderful week .We got to visit Melbourne and New Zealand on a cruise we did in 2016 we loved it glad we did before Covid . Cheers 🇦🇺 🍷🇨🇦🌺🇵🇹
this must mean you can go to Portugal for the Canadian winter time I know you like Portugal so nice for you we in Australia cant do that as our governments wont allow permission to leave Australia and if we did might not get back in again *a well deserved like👍Au👍fully viewed*
Wow that’s very interesting to know , yes we can leave Canada for max 7 months to still keep our provincial healthcare, thanks for watching hope you are feeling better 🍷🌺enjoy your weekend 🤗
Sorry to bug - I may have missed something. During your video you talk about extending your tourist visa (the 90 day one). I thought that you didn’t have to get a visa for the 90 days? Or do you get one with the intention of extending it?
Lovely to see you both again Good tips you have given I thought you might like to hear this story of ours its really related to one of your previous videos My husband and i met on a blind date and went on to get engaged for 4 years we got married and the reason was was that I used to give my mum 2 pounds a week keep and my husband used to give his mum 5 pounds a week We found we could have a mortgage for 4 pounds a week so we thought let’s get married 4 years later our brand new home was paid for That was 50 years ago next year We have lovely children and grandchildren and we took early retirement For me it was 10 years and my husband 7 years ago We moved home 7 times all new houses and our recent one was 3 years ago to another brand new property Life is good Who would have thought all that from a blind date especially as my husband nearly had to work late on that night of January 19 th 1968 Just thought I’d share with you Take care xx🧡💛🧡💛
What a lovely story thanks for sharing Norm and I met at a photo club and our life story grew from there . We hope you have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🍷🌺🍺
That is an awesome juicy bit of information!! Not all schengen countries do this extension - perhaps if your viewers know of other countries that are offering a similar stay-in-place extension they could comment and include their hack?? Getting closer and closer to travel being a very real possibility.
We are currently looking into the process of extending in France. From what we read it is possible, but as we are nomads we are still unsure of whether it is possible to do it from a French embassy in a country different from our passport country.
Hi , so good to see you . I would just love to stay in Portugal for months. To go right now would be so wonderful. Goodness knows when I shall get back . Have a great weekend. See you next week. Take good care 💖 🏴🍷🍺
Hi Carol, yes we would love to have a winter trip to Portugal planned but we are just waiting for better times. So good to hear from you, have a nice weekend. 🏴🇨🇦🥂🍻
Great tip, me and my wife due to Brexit might take up residency in Portugal when we retire but this is an option. Its not full freedom of movement and if we were to drive over I suspect returning via Spain and France using this method would be disallowed.
Brexit has made it difficult but a Portuguese residence permit would allow you overland travel through Schengen countries. Maybe check out the Portuguese consulate. Thanks for watching. 🇵🇹🇬🇧
What about using the typical snowbird trick of traveling back to Canada? Our retirement health plan (RTIP - ontario teacher's plan) only covers 90 days out of country. We would have to fly back after that. A bit expensive but you could go home, deal with household maintenance, etc, then go back.
Thanks for the video! A few questions maybe you guys have the answer to: if someone is intending to stay for 5 months only in Portugal, should they buy a flight with a departure date 5 months later assuming this will all be approved? Same for accommodation? Also, how soon before the 90 days expire should someone schedule an appointment with the SEF? is this something that could/should be done before arriving? last question, it seems like they ask for a reason on why you need an extension - what would you say is the reason (outside of just tourism)? Thanks!!
We don’t really have an answer for this but we have heard that getting appointments with SEF is very difficult so you could be in a difficult situation. That’s why staying just 90 days does appear to be the answer Good luck Cheers 🇵🇹🍁🥂🇨🇦
I can see a couple of problems. Once you start this visa the only way out of Portugal is plane or boat. You could not enter another country eg to drive home. Also when you next 3ant to travel to Schengen there will be no record that you "logged out" from your previous visit. This could cause problems.
The Portuguese Border Service will log you out of Schengen as they are a member country when they extend your Portuguese visa and yes it’s pretty much fly or sail home.
Great video! Quick question though - according to my research, you need to provide a good reason for extending your stay (sickness, natural disaster etc.) rather than just wanting more time in the country. Did you encounter this? Or did you not need to provide a reason? Thanks!
We haven’t heard it’s been a big problem, but you could say you are trying to learn the language or visit significant historical monuments and buildings.
Guys. As informative as this is, one of your commenters pointed out that there is a tax consequence after a certain amount of days ~183, and a tax residency test. Now, a double taxation treaty with your home country and Portugal pretty much determines the consequences of rest of this test. So, if you cannot prove that you have a permanent tax residence elsewhere, then the tax man is going to hold his hands out towards you. P.S. Portugal loves to tax you. Even though you don't have American accents, I would like to mention that with a US passport you can stay an extra 90 days in Poland, Latvia or Estonia (I don't remember which one exactly), Ireland, and France for an extra 90 days due to pre-Schengen treaties. You can also just spend 4 months in a non-Schengen European country like Croatia, and afterwards you'll be permitted another 90 days within the Schengen area because the 180 day rule looks backwards, and isn't fixed. However, there are obvious disadvantages to being a perpetual tourist, mainly crisis, health, and tax wise. EU residency is very easy to obtain (Bulgaria, Estonia, Spain), and it is even easier for retirees or someome with a fixed passive income stream in Portugal, esp. if you'll be doing this for 10 years. If you go the residency route, you can also work obtain citizenship, after 7 years. Residents and citizens have more rights than tourists. In my opinion, Portugal costs as much as WV in the US, so costs are very low, comparatively speaking. If you're British, then it should be a steal.
We are not looking for anything other than a long stay, 90 days, so we can travel to other places while maintaining our access to Ontario Canada universal healthcare and we like being in Canada during our wonderful summers, we have a recreational trailer on a campground with a lake. If we wanted to stay in a country longer then USA and the UK offer 6 months stays for us as well as many other places.
If you are planning to stay in Portugal over the 90 day period on a regular basis I would first apply for your short stay visa through the portuguese consulate in canada at least a couple months or longer before your planned departure. This will allow you to apply after you arrive in Portugal for temporary residence. After one year you can then extend online for an additional 2 years. This what I did in 2019 before the pandemic . we were not able to return to Portugal til this year but they extended the deadline to apply for extention to this December. I now have my temporary residence permit til 2024.
Sounds great thanks for sharing , can we ask have you bought a property or are you renting ? Also is there time restrictions on how long you can visit 🇨🇦 Canada when you have the visa🧐Thanks for watching have a great week Cheers 🍷🇵🇹🇨🇦🍺
Hi, In speaking to the Portuguese consulate here in Canada, they do not process short stay visas as discussed in the video. You must apply to the SEF office locally. However, there is an issue currently with SEF and it appears that they are in a state of either being shut down or reorganized. We just returned from Portugal in March and they were having big issues with all visa extensions. Does anyone know of someone who has actually secured this type of visa and I would love to speak directly with them. My wife and I also live on the East Coast - Moncton and want to spend 5-6 months a year in Portugal.
@@jimstiles9901 hi Jim. We are planning on trying this for the first time this winter. We are leaving in january and hope to stay for 4 months. Hoping slower winter season will have SEF less busy. I follow many Portugal expat FB pages and have read that some SEF are not busy at all, so need to be flexible and not count on one office. Prepared for this to work out or not. Just need to know for myself as like you, haven't come across anyone who has done this lately. Will know by the Spring! Happy travels
Thank for the informative video. As your Canadian medical covers you for only 3 months when out of Canada. What do you do for medical coverage for the additional 3 months?
Very informative video, thanks Norm and Tina. We love Portugal - the people, the weather, the country - the lot! Our first trip was to the Algarve. We stayed in Albufeira and travelled out from there across the Algarve. We hired a private driver for 3 days trips - Gabriel Lima of GL Tours - he’s fantastic! You can find reviews and contact information on Tripadvisor. We enjoyed our stay but found the excessive drinking, stag and hen parties, got really tiresome in Albufeira. We were warned about this before we went but decided to stay there anyway. The carry ons at night got so annoying that we left a few days early and took the train to Sintra. Absolutely spectacular, completely different landscape and microclimate. Highly recommend. We hope to go back in 2022 for a long stay perhaps locating somewhere else along the Algarve and travelling out from there.
We are glad you enjoyed Portugal 🇵🇹, were you there in the summer 🧐 Albufeira is a lot louder with drinking parties etc it is quieter when we go in Winter . We have been to Sintra a lovely place we also visited Cascais that was beautiful too. We too are looking to go 2022 perhaps Lagos, Alvor or Tavira might suit you better , thanks for watching have a great weekend Cheers 🍷🇵🇹🍺🌺
@@ThisIsOurRetirement We were there in May and honestly it was horrible. We’re not prudes by any means but the drunkenness went on all night, every night. Really irksome. There are other areas along the Algarve that would likely suit us better. We visited Lagos and Tavira and they are also lovely spots. Such a beautiful country!
@@ThisIsOurRetirement When l heard sintra remember me 1975 when l was in army and militar excersises in that beautiful mountains . I hope the politicians keep that as it was for centuries and don,t built atrocities buildings ! Never is too much saying this !
Now that is something I would have liked to have known earlier, when friends from New Zealand were over a couple of years ago. Still, this is useful even now. Thanks for that bit of information. Great stuff! 💖 👍 🇳🇿 🙋♀️ 🇳🇱
We thought for many people this might be a great way of staying in Portugal for the winter for non EU residents, we are glad you enjoyed it, have a fun weekend. 🇳🇱🇨🇦🇵🇹🍷🍻
I am so glad to be both - Canadian citizen and E.U. citizen. The U.K. should not Brexit from the Union! 😭 I am, recently, staying home for winters, because I have a rescue dog, now 13.5 years old, that cannot travel anymore, in spite of having her own E.U. passport.😎 Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us! 🌴🌴🌴 Sending love from Edmonton!❤
Thanks for watching although we are Canadian Citizens 🇨🇦 we still have dual citizenship with the UK 🇬🇧 Like you we are staying home 🏡 while all this Covid is going on Cheers 🍷🌺🍺
If the U.K. was still in the Union, you would not have to worry about visa. 😉 Your E.U. passport would allow you to stay in Portugal as long as you would wish, right? (up to 6 months, no longer, to avoid losing Canadian benefits)! COVID-19 is a time-eating monster for retirees.
Madame ,Sir thank you for this video ,is really helpful ,I saw this in SEF website *Documentary evidence of the motives for extending the validity, or the duration, of stay must be delivered. How did you prepare this ? thank you :)
We will take out a 6 month policy, a friend has recommended a broker and we will meet with him before we go hopefully for Winter of 2022 . Enjoy your weekend Cheers 🍷🇵🇹🍺🇨🇦
@@ThisIsOurRetirement Hello from pretty Kincardine...Look forward to that update video, as we are hoping to go to Portugal for part of the winter..Thanks for the great info...
I find your videos very Informative. Retirement is a few years away for me but Portugal and Spain are places we are strongly considering spending some time. Much milder winters than Nova Scotia. Can you comment on what service you recommend for long term rentals? Thank you
Thank you Tina and Norm. As a UK resident I was led to believe I could only visit Portugal for a 90 day period.I could then enter Portugal again for another 90 days 3 months after I had left. A total of 180 days within the calendar year. However, by doing this, I would not be able to visit any other country with the EU during that year. Thanks to you I can now stay in the Algarve region from mid Sept - mid March. No more depressing chilly winters in the UK for me.
great stuff. i'm wondering - if you were to drive from uk to portugal and extended the visa there how would you get home in your car? can you drive straight through spain and france before the extension ends even though it's only a portugal extension?
We aren’t sure but there is no customs to go through from Portugal 🇵🇹 to France 🇫🇷 so maybe 🤔 you can maybe someone else can answer this Cheers 🇬🇧 🍷🇵🇹🍺🇨🇦
If my memory is correct, the Schengen visa is 90 days in a 12 month period. I don't know if it a a calendar year or a 12 month period. If you go using this plan for lets say January-May, do you think there would be a problem for January-May the following year?
Good point the Schengen visa is 90 days in every 180 days but that’s why the Portugal extension is great as it’s a Portuguese visa not a Schengen visa for the last 90 days, that’s why you can only travel within Portugal. Great question thank you. 🇨🇦🇵🇹
@@ThisIsOurRetirement That's very interesting. Essentially what it seems like you could do is be in Portugal for almost six months, leave for 90 days, then return for another six months, and do that indefinitely. I bet there are other countries in the EU where you could do something similar. It's quite normal practice around the world to be able to extend visas.
I believe It's 90 days in the last 180 day period starting from the day you want to re-enter a Schengen country. There's an online calculator that's useful but unofficial. It's not as straightforward a calculation as one thinks.
Is that place a memorial? Captured? I thought the people of Africa were taken from their peaceful way of living and transported to different parts of the world and used as slaves. They weren’t wild animals to be captured. At the age of 69 I am still living the trauma of my ancestors. Sorry, I just couldn’t ignore the way your comment was pharsed.
@@Staronqueen … the way I understand it , the Africans were captured by the Portuguese Sailers in Africa …brought to a holding Fort in Lagos and them marched across the street to the “ slave market “ where they were sold ! You can google it on the internet and it will go into detail with the market’s name ( the market is now a type of business and unrecognized by the eye ! However at the entering of the building in a small plaque.stating in Portuguese “ Slave Market !” Sad that those things happened in the past ! 🇨🇦
@@Dutchy-1168 You ignored @Esther De Souza’s points that “captured” refers to wild animals, which makes it a disrespectful way to refer to human beings, and that the traumas of the past can and do impact the present. Maybe an apology for being inadvertently disrespectful rather than doubling down on the disrespectful word choice?
@@tobirates916 my opinion regarding a human being hunted down by a group of Slavers , then captured like an animal is “ spot on ! “ ….then loaded onto a Boat and brought to the America’s in a captured state, is again “ spot on “ ‼️‼️ Your play on words is nothing more than “ nit picking “ …..So, Do you think I should have used the word “ detained ? “
Great video guys. We have a small house in Spain and would like to increase our stay in either Spain or Portugal. If you use the 6 months using your method how long do you need to wait before starting the 90 day rule again? Is it possible to end the 6 months in Portugal then go back to Spain to start the 90 day rule again? Colin
Hi Colin the rules to visit the Schengen area is you can go for 90 days in 6 months , to stay for 6 months in Portugal 🇵🇹 you would need to have it extended check the website for each country , also Spain 🇪🇸 might not have the extension available 🤔 Thanks for watching hope your plans work out maybe you need to look a long term visa for your situation Cheers 🍺🙂
Could you leave Portugal and the Shengen countries by traveling briefly to some close non Shengen country like Morocco, Switzerland, Croatia for a visit then return to your home in Portugal for a further 90 days?
Interesting idea we just heard that Switzerland and Croatia are covered by the visa , you have to Google as although they aren’t a member state but have joined the Shengen visa authority. The Shengen visa is 90 days in 180 days , that’s why the extended visa works , think we will try this in Winter 2022 Cheers 🍷🇵🇹🍺🇨🇦
Hi, thx for the helpful video. It needs a lot of patience to call SEF for an appointment. It took us 3 days calling non stop. What was the reason you gave to SEF for visa extension? Thanks.
I also have some suggestions for content. 1. It appears that you have a lot of experience with cruises. Your opinions on where it has worked best for you I think would be invaluable and probably more than one video. I've never been on one but my initial view is that it seems like an economical platform to cover accomodation and food while covering a lot of ground. And an enjoyable way to get there. 2. Some of your strategies by region as far as getting around and accomodation you found worked best. Like land based travel in Europe. I'm undertraveled and the virus has put us all back on our heels. Covering some of the above you could give everyone a jump start to begin planning. Thank you in advance.
Great video! You provided some very useful information on this subject. We’re Americans and we spent the first 3.5 months in SE Asia last year when COVID hit. We hunkered down on the little island of Koh Muk in the Andaman Sea of Southern Thailand where the kind people there were so kind to us. We would love to return this year but the COVID restrictions make it very complicated. So this winter we’re going to travel around Mexico for six months. Your information about Portugal is so nice to know as Portugal is definitely on our list one day but the pesky Schengen rules do get in the way. Thanks for your wonderful video. I love all your videos. By the way, we’re not too far from you in upstate New York, about 2.5 hours south of Montreal. 🙂
Thanks for this BUT.....Does this method mean that you do not have to have a 3 month break before returning into a Schengen area? or does this trick add up to your whole 180 day per year allowance used in one go?
Hi! Is this still valid in 2023? And what happens after the extended 90 days are up? Do you then have to go back to the UK for a certain period of time before repeating the same process?
If you do this and spent, say 5 months in Portugal, what is the waiting period before you can go back to the Schengen Zone? It's usually 90 days out of 180, so 90 in and 90 out. Does that still apply?
The tourist visa in Portugal and Schengen area is good for 90 days in any 180 day period. Knowing that, if you are extended by Portugal’s visa extension, at the end of your 6 months, can you leave and re enter the shengan zone (being that your visa was only extended in Portugal not outside )?
Thanks for adding that , do you mix your time between both countries ? We are still trying to see how and if we can make this work as the Canadian winters are too cold 🥶 for us 🌺
GOOD for you guys .... but I must ask, why don't you go to Florida where it's a LOT warmer THAN PT ? AND it's probably 50% less expensive too I see so many Canadians in FL all the time
@@ThisIsOurRetirement Not when you add in the flights I am a beach guy and need warm water, that's why I'd pass on PT, am used to temps in the 90's, that is real summer weather
We will take our own health policy, we are talking to a broker so it will cover us for the 5-6 months that we are there , thanks for watching enjoy your weekend Cheers 🍷🇵🇹🍺🙂
We have bought insurance from our credit card for 30 days and a top up insurance for another 30 days. We have not been away in winter for more than 60 days continuously. We have been referred to a broker who specializes in long stay insurance, so will find out more once travels resume and we stay for up to 5 months.
What rental car insurance was included for 12 euro per day? In Italy my liability is covered by my USA car insurance and damage to rental car is covered by credit card with $500 deductible, but does not include tires or windshield.
Could you try to clarify for me please? Whilst doing this "hack" and you've extended to 6 months, does this allow you to "drive" to Portugal and back home rather than fly in and fly out? You say that one has to stay in Portugal for the extended 90 days (or however long, less than) but if you've still say 20 days still left of your 90 in Shengen, can you leave Portugal and cross Europe for the rest of those days?
We don't know as we fly out of the country, the Schengen visa will be running down at the same time your Portugal extended visa is running down as Portugal is a Schengen country.
What if you have to go back to the states at some point during that extension? Can you come back to Portugal or does it terminate the extension? (For example you’re there Jan-March, then you extend for April-June, but sometime in May you have to go home for a couple weeks, can you come back to Portugal, and still have the remainder of your visa extension in place?)