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Settling in

Settling in Lisbon

No visa for a French family in Lisbon, but a series of numbers to obtain in the right order: the NIF, the Câmara residence certificate, social security, the health centre. Add a tight rental market, and getting the order right becomes your best ally. Here is what we would have liked to know before arriving, checked against official sources.

Verified on 31 October 2026

Arrival and first steps

As an EU citizen, you need no visa to live in Lisbon, nor do your children. There is still paperwork, and it comes in a chain: the tax number first, then the residence certificate, social security and the health centre.

Good to know

  • French citizens settle freely in Portugal, with no residence or work permit. Beyond three months, however, you must apply for an EU citizen registration certificate (certificado de registo) at the Câmara Municipal where you live, within 30 days after those three months. Source
  • The certificate is valid for up to five years. You show your ID card or passport and a sworn statement: employment, sufficient resources with health insurance, or enrolment in an educational institution. Your partner and children each get their own, with proof of the family relationship (family record book). Source
  • After five years of residence, you can apply for the permanent residence card from AIMA, by appointment. AIMA's delays are AIMA's alone: the French embassy cannot speed them up. Source
  • Registration with the French consular register is free, valid 5 years and done online on service-public.fr: French ID, proof of residence in Portugal and a recent photo. You can attach your children and name relatives to contact in an emergency. Source
  • Week 1, in order: tax number (NIF) at the Finanças or online, essential to sign a lease, open an account or enrol a child; then a bank account, Segurança Social registration (through your employer or directly) and, once your rights are open, registering the whole family at the local health centre. Source
  • Remember to report your departure to the French bodies (health insurance, CAF family allowances, France Travail, pension funds) and to check your health cover on the CLEISS website before leaving. Your European Health Insurance Card covers urgent care until your Portuguese rights open. Source

Addresses

  • Section consulaire de l'ambassade de France au Portugal

    Consulate

    Rua Santos-o-Velho 5, 1249-079 Lisboa

    In the Santos palace, between Santos and Madragoa. Open by appointment only; tell the taxi "Rua Santos-o-Velho n°5". Access: Cascais line train (Santos stop), trams 15E and 25E. For general questions, the Service France Consulaire answers Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00 (Paris time).

    Website Source

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Where to live and how to rent

Housing is Lisbon's real challenge. Choose the school first, then the neighbourhood: the city is hilly, school-run traffic is real, and most French families live within twenty minutes of their children's school.

Good to know

  • The embassy sums it up: the destination's success has created a shortage of rental housing in Lisbon and steep rent rises in the most sought-after neighbourhoods. Listings are found mainly online, on the big portals and agency websites. Source
  • The lease requires your NIF. The landlord usually asks for a deposit and one or more months' rent in advance; without a Portuguese payslip, you will often be asked for a guarantor (fiador) or more months upfront. These amounts are capped by law, which was recently reformed: have the contract checked before paying anything. Source
  • Before signing, check the lease length and early-exit penalties, the landlord's details and the exact rent, and keep at least one signed copy. Visiting in person remains the safest way to judge a property: never pay a booking fee remotely. Source
  • The local trap is winter indoors: many older flats have neither central heating nor double glazing and suffer from damp. Ask about orientation, insulation and heating, and visit after a rainy day if you can.
  • On the Cascais, Estoril and Carcavelos side, you gain the ocean, houses with gardens and the international schools, but you depend more on the car or the Cascais line train to reach Lisbon.

Addresses

  • Campolide et Amoreiras

    Neighbourhood

    The neighbourhood of the Lycée français Charles-Lepierre (Duarte Pacheco avenue): recent buildings, the Amoreiras shopping centre, quick motorway access towards Cascais. Practical to avoid long school runs.

    Source

  • Campo de Ourique

    Neighbourhood

    The quintessential family neighbourhood: flat grid streets, a covered market, local shops, tram 28 and Redbridge School. Very popular with French families, so competitive.

    Source

  • Estrela, Lapa et Santos

    Neighbourhood

    Estrela garden, the embassy, the Institut français and its media library nearby: a neighbourhood of fine old houses, on slopes, close to the Tagus. Larger homes but often older.

    Source

  • Restelo et Belém

    Neighbourhood

    Quiet villas and residential blocks, gardens, museums and the Tagus waterfront, with L'École trilingue for preschoolers. Further from the centre but well served by the Cascais line.

    Source

  • Parque das Nações

    Neighbourhood

    The modern Expo 98 district to the east: recent buildings, flat riverside promenades, the Oceanário, Pavilhão do Conhecimento and CUF Descobertas hospital. Far from the French lycée.

    Source

  • Cascais, Estoril et Carcavelos

    Neighbourhood

    The expat family coast: beaches, houses with gardens and international schools such as St. Julian's in Carcavelos. Allow 30 to 45 minutes by train or car to Lisbon.

    Source

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Phone and insurance

A phone line is activated quickly with ID; a contract plan follows with the NIF and an IBAN. On insurance, only the car's is required by law.

Good to know

  • Phone: the main operators are MEO, NOS, Vodafone and DIGI. A prepaid SIM is bought with ID; a contract usually requires the NIF and an IBAN. Bundled internet, TV and mobile deals are the norm for families.
  • Car insurance is compulsory for any vehicle on the road. Home insurance is not legally required for tenants, but many landlords ask for it in the lease. Source
  • Local private health insurance is not compulsory but very common, often through the employer: it opens the big private groups (CUF, Luz, Lusíadas) with short waiting times. Check the waiting periods, especially for maternity.

Banking and money

With your NIF in hand, a Portuguese account is opened quickly. You stay in the euro area: your French account keeps working, and many families keep both.

Good to know

  • To open an account at a Portuguese bank, bring ID, proof of address and your NIF, the Portuguese tax number; the bank may also ask for a tax notice. Source
  • The NIF is requested from the tax administration (Finanças); the public ePortugal portal explains the procedure, including for foreigners who are not yet resident. Source
  • Until you have a Portuguese account, your French bank card works just as it does at home: a payment or withdrawal in euros in another EU country must be charged as it would be in France. Still, check your card's terms before you leave. Source
  • Day to day, MB WAY, the Multibanco network's app accepted by the major Portuguese banks, is used to pay in shops and online and to pay other parents back by phone number. Bills and many public services are paid with a Multibanco reference, at a cash machine or in your banking app. Source
  • Since 2025, MB WAY has been gradually linked to Bizum in Spain and BANCOMAT in Italy: you can send money by phone number from one country to another, depending on whether your bank has switched it on. Source
  • To send or receive money with France, a euro transfer is enough: since 2025, euro area banks must offer instant transfers, at the same price as a standard one, and check the payee's name before sending. French school fees can therefore be paid from your French or local account. Source
  • Your French IBAN is valid throughout the SEPA area: an employer, landlord, school or energy supplier is not allowed to refuse it because it is not local. If it happens, point to the rule; it is European law. Source
  • Keep your French account, useful for taxes, insurance and holidays back home, but tell your bank you are moving: it becomes a non-resident account and some terms may change. Check before you leave. Source

Addresses

  • Caixa Geral de Depósitos

    Bank

    Portugal's state-owned bank, a large branch network and the Caixadirecta app.

    Website Source

  • Millennium bcp

    Bank

    Major private Portuguese bank, branches and a mobile app.

    Website Source

  • novobanco

    Bank

    Major Portuguese bank, part of the French BPCE group since 2026.

    Website Source

  • Santander Portugal

    Bank

    Portuguese arm of the Santander group, branches and a mobile app.

    Website Source

  • BPI

    Bank

    Portuguese bank of the CaixaBank group, branches and a mobile app.

    Website Source

  • MB WAY

    The Multibanco network's payment app: shops, online purchases and transfers by phone number.

    Website Source

  • Revolut

    Bank

    Online bank (Revolut Bank, EU licence): Portuguese IBAN for recent accounts, card and app. Can be your main account.

    Website Source

  • N26

    Bank

    German online bank open to residents: euro account with a German IBAN, card and app.

    Website Source

  • bunq

    Bank

    Dutch online bank open to residents: euro account, app; physical card with the paid plans.

    Website Source

  • Wise

    Multi-currency account (Wise is not a bank): receive money from France, pay with the card, exchange currencies.

    Website Source

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Setting up your home

Lisbon has two large IKEA stores, in Alfragide to the west and Loures to the north, and almost everything can be delivered. For the rest: hypermarkets and neighbourhood supermarkets, large shopping centres and an active second-hand market, from OLX to the Feira da Ladra.

Addresses

Getting around with children

Metro, buses, trams, funiculars, suburban trains and Tagus ferries: the network is dense and children travel free until 12. Only the hills and cobbles make the pushchair hard work.

Good to know

  • The navegante 12 pass is free for children until the last day of the month they turn 13, on all regular public transport in the 18 municipalities of the Lisbon metropolitan area (Carris, Metro, CP, Fertagus, ferries…). It is loaded free of charge onto a Lisboa Viva or navegante card with a child profile, at a Carris office. Source
  • Under 4, children travel free and without a ticket as long as they do not take a seat; carry ID showing their date of birth in case of an inspection. Source
  • On Carris buses and trams, an open pushchair is allowed with the child in it: place it on the central platform, facing backwards, against the dedicated backrest. Empty, it must be folded. Old trams such as the 28 are narrow: a baby carrier is easier. Source
  • Pupils aged 13 to 18 and students up to 23 get discounted passes (4_18 and sub23), with larger discounts depending on social circumstances. Source
  • Driving licence: your credit-card format French licence remains valid, but you must inform the IMT of your address within 60 days of settling. An old pink licence with no expiry date (issued before 2013) must be exchanged for a Portuguese one within two years. Source
  • Car or not: in the centre, many families do without. If you bring your car, you have six months to register it in Portugal and pay any taxes due, which are often high. Source

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Admin and taxes

Three numbers follow you everywhere in Portugal: the NIF (tax), the NISS (social security) and the utente number (health). Once you have them, most procedures are online.

Good to know

  • The NIF (tax identification number) is the key to everything: lease, bank, phone, school, bills. It is requested at the Finanças or online, and each child can have one, often asked for at school enrolment. Source
  • The NISS, the Segurança Social number, is obtained through your employer or directly. Once your health cover is open, register at the health centre for your area to get the utente number. Source
  • Taxes: France and Portugal have a treaty that avoids double taxation (1971, amended in 2016). The Portuguese return (IRS) is filed on the Finance Portal; for a first year or French income, an accountant is often a good investment. Source
  • What the consular section does: French register, passports and ID cards, civil status (transcribing births and marriages), elections. What it does not do: AIMA residence cards, Portuguese tax matters or deleting a SIS alert. Source
  • A birth in Portugal is first registered with the Portuguese civil registry, then transcribed into the French civil registry through the consular section: this is what allows the child's French documents to be issued. Source

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Budget: what changes

Lisbon is no longer the cheap capital of ten years ago. Housing weighs heavily, but daily life, nursery and children's transport noticeably lighten the bill.

Good to know

  • Rent is the biggest item and has risen sharply in sought-after neighbourhoods: relative to local salaries, it is often comparable to large French cities, Paris aside. Source
  • Cafés, simple restaurants, markets and fresh produce cost noticeably less than in France; the afternoon pastel de nata remains a small treat.
  • Nursery is free for children born from 1 September 2021 in the solidarity network and, when there is no place, in participating private nurseries under the Creche Feliz scheme. Source
  • Public school is free from 6 to 18; meals, school transport and textbooks remain. The French lycée and international schools charge fees: see our School fees page. Source
  • Public transport is free until 12 with navegante 12, which changes everything for family outings. Source
  • More expensive than in France: cars (purchase and import taxes), electronics and, in winter, heating a poorly insulated home. Electricity and private healthcare with insurance remain comparable, or cheaper.

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A place has closed, something has changed? Tell us: the mums of Lisbon will thank you.

Sources for this page

The public pages these landmarks come from. The official website always prevails.

  1. 1 Ambassade de France au Portugal, section consulaire
  2. 2 Ambassade de France au Portugal, formalités d'installation
  3. 3 gov.pt, certificat d'enregistrement des citoyens de l'UE
  4. 4 Ambassade de France au Portugal, permis de conduire
  5. 5 Carris, conditions générales de transport (mai 2025)
  6. 6 gov.pt, crèches gratuites Creche Feliz
  7. 7 lepetitjournal.com Lisbonne, se loger au Portugal
  8. 8 ePortugal, demander le NIF

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