How we check facts

Moving your family to another country means making big decisions from what you read. So we take checking seriously, and we show our work.

1. We only publish what official sources state

For any rule, requirement, deadline or fee, we use only what the official Portuguese source states, such as:

• gov.pt, the government's services portal (the old ePortugal address now opens here)
• AIMA, the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, for residence
• Portal das Finanças, the Tax and Customs Authority's website, for the NIF
• SNS 24, the national health service's digital front door
• vistos.mne.gov.pt, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa portal, and other official sites such as Social Security, the Diário da República (where laws are published) and local councils, where relevant

Blogs, forums, social media and other guides (including other relocation sites) can point us to a question. They are never our source for a rule.

2. We say where each fact comes from, and when we checked it

We attribute facts to their source ("AIMA's website says…", "According to gov.pt…"). Every guide shows a "Last checked" date at the top and a list of the official pages we used, with the date we opened each one. Where an official page shows its own "updated" date, we note that too.

3. If we can't confirm it, we leave it out

Sometimes an official page is unclear or won't load. When that happens, we don't fill the gap with a guess: we leave the point out and link to the official page instead. If an official page is marked as under review, we say so next to anything we quote from it.

4. Legal topics: we link, we don't interpret

On legal topics such as residence and visas, we report what the official source says, attribute it, and link to it. We don't interpret the rules or say how they apply to your family. We don't cover tax.

General information, not legal advice. Always check the linked official page for your own case.

5. We re-check regularly

Portuguese rules change, often at the start of the year or when a new law is published. We aim to re-check each guide at least every three months, and straight away when we hear of a change. When we update a page, we change its date.

6. Schools live on our sister site

School facts, such as fees, curricula and enrolment dates, are checked against each school's own pages by our sister site, the Portugal School Guide. We link there rather than repeat them, so there's only one place to keep up to date.

7. No invented numbers, no paid opinions

We don't publish testimonials, ratings or statistics we can't source. If we ever earn money from a link or a product, we'll say so clearly next to it.

8. Spotted something?

If you see something out of date or wrong, please tell us at hello@portugalfamilyrelocationguide.com. We'll check it against the official source and correct the page, and change its "Last checked" date.