The First 30 Days in Portugal: Everything I Do for my Clients Before They Even Arrive
Moving to Portugal? Here's everything I do for my clients in the weeks before they arrive - from finding the right home to stocking the fridge on day one.
EXPAT GUIDESPORTUGAL SETUPRELOCATION
10/2/20264 min read
Most people think the hard part of moving to Portugal is the paperwork. The NIF, the visa, the residency application. And yes, that part is complicated.
But the paperwork is only one piece. What happens after - the actual building of a life in a new country - is where most people feel lost. And it's where I come in.
This is what I actually do for my clients in the weeks and months before they arrive. Not a generic checklist. The real work.
It Starts With a Conversation
Every client relationship begins the same way: a call. Not to sell anything, but to listen. What do they need? What's already done? What are they worried about? What does their life in Portugal need to look like from day one?
From that conversation, I build a plan. Every client is different - a family of four with dogs and a specific school district in mind is a completely different project from a single executive who needs a functional base and nothing more. The plan reflects that.
The Ideal Starting Point
The clients I want to tell you about today did something that made everything easier: they had their documentation sorted before they contacted me. NIF, visa, residency - all handled. That meant I could focus entirely on setting up their life in Portugal, rather than splitting energy between bureaucracy and logistics.
If you're planning a move, this is my honest advice: sort your documentation first. Everything else goes faster when that foundation is in place.
Finding the Right Home
These clients had a clear vision of where they wanted to live and what they needed in a home. My job was to make it happen.
I searched the market, visited properties, filtered out the ones that looked good online but didn't hold up in person, and presented only what was genuinely worth their time. When we found the right place, I managed the negotiation, closed the deal, and collected the keys.
They never had to step foot in Portugal to make it happen.
Setting Up the House
A set of keys is just the beginning.
Once the house was secured, the real work started. Utilities - water, electricity, gas, internet, and telephone contracts - all set up and active before their arrival. No arriving to a dark house with no wifi.
This particular home was partially furnished and decorated, but not finished. So I took on the rest: sourcing and purchasing the missing furniture and décor, coordinating deliveries, and making sure everything was assembled, placed, and out of its packaging before they arrived. Not stacked in a corner waiting. Actually done.
The fridge was stocked. The essentials were in the cupboards. The house was ready to live in from the first night.
The People Who Make a Home Run
A house isn't just furniture. It's also the people who help maintain it.
I found and hired a housekeeper - someone reliable, professional, and already known to me through my network. I don't recommend people I haven't vetted. By the time my clients arrived, she was already in place.
Everything Else
Here's a partial list of what else happened before they arrived:
Private health insurance researched, compared, and arranged
Car rental organised for the first weeks
Veterinary care and local services identified for their dogs
Private airport transfer booked - not a taxi, a proper service
And the transfer brings me to the moment I remember most clearly from this project.
The Day They Arrived
I was there when they landed. At the house, waiting.
I'll be honest - I was a little nervous. These were my first clients. I'd spent months preparing everything for people I'd never met in person, and I kept thinking: what do I say? How do I greet them?
And then I thought: my service is boutique. It's personal. A handshake felt too formal for everything we'd already been through together over months of calls and messages and logistics.
So when they walked through the door, I greeted them the Portuguese way - two kisses on the cheek. They were American. They weren't used to it. There was a half-second of surprise, and then they laughed, and leaned in.
That moment said more about what I do than any description I could write. This isn't a transactional service. It's a relationship. And it starts from day one - or rather, from months before day one.
They're still clients. We still greet each other with two kisses.
What This Looks Like for You
Every relocation is different. Some clients need the full setup - house, utilities, furniture, staff, insurance, pets, transfers. Others need something more specific.
What stays the same is the approach: I handle the details so you don't have to think about them. You arrive to a home that works, in a country that already feels a little less foreign.
If you're planning a move to the Cascais-Lisbon area and want to talk through what your first 30 days could look like, get in touch.
Sofia Peten is a trilingual personal and business assistant based in Cascais, working with expats and businesses across the Cascais-Lisbon area and remotely worldwide.
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