Kiwis who've moved to Portugal on the D7 visa?

Hi I’m a new arrival from New Zealand been in Portugal 4 months .. I applied D7 Sydney Consulate.. as we don’t have one in NZ.. They were very helpful attaining my D7..

If you go their their website you can print of the application form and will give you all the details you require

All the best
Vanessa

Hello!

Thanks so much for the information! Did you have to go in to Sydney at any point, such as to collect the visa, or was it all couriered to you? Also, did they hold your passport for the processing time?

Thanks again Super excited to get the ball rolling on this.

Anna

Hi Anna ..

I sent all relevant details by mail to Sydney.. If all is correct they Sydney issue your application to immigration in Portugal .. If your application is cleared at immigration then you will have to Submit your passport via courier to Sydney where they will attach the Visa, they will courier passport back to you …. THEN you will be officially booked for an interview in Portugal with SEF (immigration)

Gosh I hope that makes sense.. it’s actually quite straightforward as long as you have all the required documentation.. Sydney Consulate we’re very good & swift .. mind you I did have a 6 month email relationship with Sydney as I used them as my Portugal information centre 🥺 they probably thought I was a pain in the ass so quickly pushed me through ..

FYI the most difficult is having an address you will be staying for the first year ..

If you need any help info let me know ..

Best
Vanessa

Hi Anna, Welcome

Portuguese consulates:

NZ
https://portaldascomunidades.mne.gov.pt … a-zelandia

Australia
https://portaldascomunidades.mne.gov.pt … /australia

Best Regards

Awesome, thank you so much Vanessa! That's incredibly helpful.

And thanks to you, too JohnnyPT - all the information you've provided on this forum is invaluable! I have chatted with the consulate in NZ who confirmed that they do not handle any visa processing in New Zealand, and thus it needs to be done via Australia instead.

Hi Anna
My husband and I are currently in the UK and it looks as if he has to return to NZ to apply for his visa (I have a UK passport).
Can you tell me how long it took for your visa to be processed?
Many thanks 🙂

Hello Kiwi

It took 5 weeks fo D7 process, via Portugal Embassy Sydney

best of luck

vanessa

Thanks Vanessa
If I get approved from here then we may as well apply for family reunification.
If I’m not approved then we’ll both have to go home again and wait out the 5-6 weeks 🙂

@vanmac007 Glad its worked for you! I cant seem to locate the Application form! Any chance you have a link?

https://sidney.consuladoportugal.mne.go … dence-visa

@vanmac007 Thanks Vanessa! Calling them in a couple of hours, appreciate your time.

Hi my husband and I are Kiwis living in Australia and wishing to move to Portugal next year on a D7 visa. We would love to get some insights on which parts of Portugal most of the Kiwi's and Aussies settle? What are some of the challenges faced and generally has it been an easy transition? Any tips on locations etc would be greatly appreciated. We have been to Portugal twice and loved it. But living there would be different and it's hard to decide if a small town would suit us compared to the big city living which we love. Any insights would be appreciated. Thank you.

Hi Everyone

thanks for the info in this string

I live in NZ and am looking to move to Portugal in August next year.

We are coming to Portugal in January for reconnaissance, then back in March and beginning the application process.

A couple of questions: 

• While in Pt we plan to get our NIF number; open a bank account; and find a real estate agent to help us with getting a long term rental. 
• We are looking at Silver Coast, Aveiro area most, but are open to other areas too.  Can anyone recommend a good real estate agent they have worked with? Especially in the Aveiro area? 
• How long did it take to get your NIF? Is any particular Finanças office better than others?

Is there anything else we should do while we are there to get ready for our D7.

Also will we need a Police Check from NZ? How long does that generally take?

What banks did people choose, why?  Was it easy to transfer NZD to your bank? Did you use Wise?

TIA!

Patti

Hi Patti, Welcome

It is difficult to suggest real estate agents here. Always bear in mind that anywhere in the world, they want to sell, and sometimes it's not what's best for the client. What I suggest is that you go to a solicitor who will advise you, even about the city and property / rents procedures.

But if anyone knows a good one, please suggest.

The NIF application is quick. All offices are good, sometimes there are some black sheep there that make things harder, for locals and expats .... But there are also many friendly and helpful people.

Wise is good for transferring money, with exchange rates friendly.

About banks, there are many threads here that talk about it. You can use the search facility.

Solicitors, Lawyers & Administrative division of Portugal:

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=941009

Open a bank account in Portugal as a non-resident

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=933658

Best Regards

@NZPatti I assume that you have done your homework with respect to why you want to move to Portugal. I still find this initial work me and my wife did very valuable. Our reasoning still is great.

It is very hard to find good value rental accommodation in Portugal. There is very low availibility and the prices are usually very high. That may - or may not - be an issue for you. Prices for real estate are very high at the moment. This might change, but I wouldn't be willing to pay the current price for mor my current property.

The Silver Coast is definitely a nice part of Portugal, especially it one is used to having the beaches not too far from home. We lived in Taranaki for over 4 years and we loved that a lot. However, that was from 2004 and a long time ago. By now there might be good reasons to get away from NZ.

Cheers ...

Hi everyone,

Another Kiwi, nearly ready to submit my visa apps to Aus and wait patiently and 2 quick Qs for this helpful forum!

What's the average processing time for your visas? I'm hearing mixed stories of ages and like 5 weeks?

Also - which travel insurance provider and plan have you used to meet the visa requirements?

Thanks so much

Bel

Hi Bel, Welcome.

Maybe this will help you:

Experience sharing about Visas to Portugal (D7 & others)

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=971460

There is little information about Australia. Try contacting these Kiwi members here by private message. Maybe they will reply.

Best Regards

@Buzz 2023

Hello,  I immigrated to PT. (from NZ) in 2022, I was fortunate to receive my temporary stay visa within 5 weeks (Portugal embassy Sydney), with no problems.

I was fortunate to have already bought a property so admittedly did make the process much easier and faster.

Best of luck in your endeavors

Vanessa

@annamcphee Not sure if you're still on this thread but I wonder if you could share the reason he could not apply from the UK. I am trying to do the same and have  residence but not a BRP.  They've told me I cannot apply even though I can prove legal right to remain.