Why second-homers are buying in Portugal

In recent years Portugal’s been pulling away from its image as a place for golf-playing retirees. Now it’s a fashionable and increasingly upmarket destination for home buyers who are drawn by its tax benefits coupled with its unspoilt coastlines and low-octane lifestyle.

As of December 2021, there were 42,071 Britons resident in Portugal, according to the SEF, the Immigration and Border Service, the second largest group of foreigners behind the Brazilians. It is extraordinary that although the figure has fallen a little since 2020 – the pandemic has played its part – prior to Brexit, Britons made up only the sixth largest group of foreign residents in Portugal.

But the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce estimates that up to 60,000 Britons own a first or second home there, and there’s an unusually high level of pre-registrations for a Moving to Portugal Event they are holding in London on 31 March. According to the Chamber’s General Manager Christina Hippisley, ‘It’s a mix of early retirees, families and entrepreneurs moving to a better climate, or just people keen to change their lifestyle.