Living in Lisbon for 3 months or more: a checklist

A few months in Lisbon is closer to moving than a holiday: paperwork, a place to live, a monthly budget and a routine. This is the list we'd start from.

Before you go

• Check visa and time limits for your passport with an official source. Portugal is in the Schengen area, so check how days elsewhere in Schengen count for you.
• Get health insurance that covers the whole stay. Many travel policies cap trip length.
• Ask whether you'll need a NIF (Portuguese tax number) for a lease or phone contract, and how to get one.
• Book the first two to four weeks short-term, then look for a medium-term rental once you've walked the areas.
• Tell your bank you'll be away and carry a card without foreign transaction fees.
• Decide what happens to your home, mail and car while you're gone.

First week

• Get a local SIM or eSIM.
• Get a Navegante card for the metro, buses, trams and trains.
• Save 112 as the emergency number, and find the nearest pharmacy and health centre.
• Walk your shortlist of neighbourhoods at different times of day. The hills are real.

While you're there

• Log spending by month against a budget. Rent is usually most of it.
• Keep an eye on the date your permitted stay ends.
• Plan side trips while you have time: Sintra, Porto, the Alentejo, the Algarve.

Wrapping up

• Give notice on your rental in writing and agree how the deposit comes back.
• Cancel the SIM, utilities and any local subscriptions.
• Book the flight out before your permitted stay runs out.

Neighbourhoods people look at

Arroios · Campo de Ourique · Estrela · Graça · Príncipe Real · Alvalade · Cais do Sodré

Which suits you depends on budget, noise and how you get around. Cojourn's assistant can compare them for your stay.