How She Got Portuguese Citizenship in 6 Months

Helen shares her inspiring journey of moving from Ukraine to Portugal with just one suitcase and €700, revealing how she navigated Portuguese bureaucracy, learned the language, built a successful creative business, and eventually became a Portuguese citizen in a remarkably short six months. This episode is packed with practical advice for anyone considering moving to Portugal, including insights on the cost of living in Lisbon, renting as a foreigner, integrating into Portuguese culture, and what life is really like for expats in Portugal. Helen’s website: diariesbyhelenv.com 🎙️ Welcome to the ExpatsEverywhere Podcast! Join us on the journey of learning about Portugal and expat life around the world. Each week, we bring you expert interviews, insightful commentary, and real-life stories to help you navigate your move abroad with confidence. 💼 Green Ocean Global | Financial Advisory for Expats Schedule a free 15-minute intro call with John, our trusted financial advisor: http://www.calendly.com/johnoceansgreen (Choose the ExpatsEverywhere Intro Call) 🎉 Love what we’re doing? Join the movement. Be a part of our community on Patreon and get early bonus content, behind-the-scenes updates, and connect with fellow expats moving to and living in Portugal: 👉   / expatseverywhere   🌍 About Us We’re Josh and Kalie, and we’ve been living abroad since 2009. Our expat journey has taken us through Spain, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and now Portugal. We share what we’ve learned to help you move abroad smarter and live abroad better. 📌 Portugal Visa Help We created two step-by-step courses to help you DIY your D7 or Remote Worker visa for Portugal. Podcast listeners get $10 off any course with code: PODCAST 👉 D7 Visa Course: https://expatseverywhere.thinkific.com 👉 Remote Worker Visa Course: https://expatseverywhere.thinkific.co... 🛠️ Useful Expat Resources Here are tools and services we use and recommend. Some links are affiliate links that support our work—thank you! 💸 Transfer Money Wise (formerly TransferWise): https://transferwise.prf.hn/click/cam... Spartan FX (speak to a specialist): https://www.spartanfx.co.uk/fx-partne... 📺 Watch Your Shows Abroad SurfShark VPN – Get 40% off: https://get.surfshark.net/aff_c?offer... 🛡️ Digital Security Aura – 2-week free trial: https://aura.com/expatseverywhere 🏦 NIF & Bank Setup in Portugal Bordr – $10 off NIF and/or bank account: https://www.bordr.com/?via=expatsever... 🌐 Insurance Abroad SafetyWing – Travel & expat health insurance: https://tinyurl.com/ykt5e73w 🗣️ Learn Portuguese Ling App – Yearly subscription offer: https://ling-app.com/offer-yearly-sub... Portuguese with Carla: https://journey.portuguesewithcarla.c... Mia Esmeriz Academy: https://school.learn-portuguese.org/c... 📬 Mail Forwarding World Post: https://worldpost.anytimemailbox.com/... 💰 Taxes for Expats Taxes for Expats – Get $25 off: https://www.taxesforexpats.com/ref/239 📬 Get in Touch Email: info@expatseverywhere.com Website: http://www.expatseverywhere.com Instagram:   / expatseverywhere   Facebook:   / expatseverywhere   Twitter:   / expert_expat   #ExpatsEverywhere #MoveAbroad #PortugalPodcast 00:00 — Intro: 00:30 — Weekly Welcome & Portugal Updates 08:27 — Podcast Sponsor 09:48 — Moving From Ukraine to Portugal in 2019 12:04 — Why She Chose Lisbon, Portugal 14:14 — Cost of Living in Portugal Then vs. Now 16:33 — Portugal vs. Ukraine: Prices & Cost of Living 21:08 — How to Navigate Portuguese Bureaucracy 25:41 — How to Learn Portuguese After Moving to Portugal 32:42 — What It's Really Like Living in Portugal as a Foreigner 34:44 — Do Portuguese People Treat Foreigners Differently? 39:00 — Building a Photography & Videography Career in Portugal 43:33 — Seeing Lisbon Through a Foreigner's Eyes 48:10 — How She Got Portuguese Citizenship in Just 6 Months 54:57 — Could AI Help Fix Portugal's Bureaucracy? 57:19 — How Moving Abroad Completely Changed Her Life