Browse by topic
Latest letters
Every step of the move to Porto, written up after I did it.

The AIMA visit, and what they asked for
What I took to the office, what they checked and why I was told to come back for the card.

What my first month in Porto cost
Rent, a deposit, groceries, a metro pass and every small thing I forgot to count.

How I found a flat in Porto in nine days
Where I looked, which listings were real and the viewing that finally worked.

Opening a bank account with a passport and an NIF
Two visits to a branch, one form I had to redo and the card that arrived a week later.

Getting an NIF as a newcomer
One office, one queue and the papers they asked for. It took an hour, not the day I had planned.

The D8 digital nomad visa: proving income
Contracts, statements and savings: what I showed for my own visa and what I would show next time.

Apostilles: getting my papers ready in London
Which of my documents needed the extra stamp, where I got it and what it cost.

A week of working from Porto cafés
Five cafés, five wifi passwords and the one with the good tarts and the bad chairs.

Why the visa takes the time it takes
The steps behind the waiting, and what I did with the weeks in between.

Learning enough Portuguese for the first month
Forty phrases, one app and a baker who never once rushed me.
Newsletter
Notes from Porto
One step of the move a week, what it cost and what I would do differently.