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Christmas in Portugal
If you are thinking about doing something different for this Christmas, you could consider seeing something of Portugal and taking in some of the festive atmosphere that abounds across the country. It"s a great time to think about a min...
Seasonal caution
Once again the festive season is upon us and many of us will be buying presents for our friends and families. People may well have already started and will be hiding away sometimes fairly expensive items around their homes. This then is the...
IRS Seminar Dates
In a slight change to the annual afpop Tax Seminars, in association with EuroFinesco, they will now take place March 2020. The dates for the seminars are:
Cleaning chimneys
As summer comes to a close each year, we are often asked if we have a chimneysweep in the Advantage Directory and we are pleased to tell Members that we now do have a sweep, Neill Bailey, offering services to Members. We asked Neill if he h...
Civil Protection flooding advice
We have been contacted by the Portimão Bombeiros regarding advice they have to help avoid flooding over the winter, particularly as some rain has begun to fall and started to cause blockages in the drainage system.
What to do if you lose your wallet with the documents
We know what to do if we lose our bank cards or find that they have been used fraudulently, but what about other documents? Passports and identity cards for example. Did you know that you can report those to the Bank of Portugal (BdP), or w...
Bonfires
The critical period for fires, which is determined by the Bombeiros and Civil Protection Agency (CPA) runs from the 1st July to 30th September in 2019, but may be extended until the end of October by the authorities due to abnormally dry co...
Hunting Season
The general hunting season for 2019-2020 began in August and runs through until February. However hunting for fallow deer, buck, mouflon and boar, are permitted all year round as these are only allowed in very restricted areas. Hunting is o...
National Health Care - Foreigners rights ensured
In Portugal it is a crime to refuse health care to anyone at the National Health Service. Foreigners who are here, whether they are residents or not, can go to the health centre or hospital, just like any Portuguese citizen. However, not ev...
Identity Theft
Do you casually discard your letters and receipts? If you don't usually worry about issues like identity theft, it's time to pay more attention. Sadly identity theft is becoming ever more insidious as we are being forced to live more of our...
Receiving parcels from abroad
From time to time we may decide to purchase items via the internet for delivery to an address in Portugal, or we may have family members and friends who send us parcels with or without our knowledge. Sometimes these parcels arrive seemingly...
147 Help line
One of the ways we decide on articles for UPDATE is after receiving calls from Members about things they have either read about in the press or heard about on the grapevine, asking if we can give more information. One such topic that has ca...
How long to keep an invoice
Whether for guarantees, claims or proof of payment, invoices can have different purposes and it"s important to know how to manage them.
ECE - Em Caso de Emergência (In Case of Emergency)
Members may already be aware of the ECE system for highlighting a person in your phone"s contact list for emergency services to contact if you are unable to respond to them through illness or accident. Basically you should choose the pe...
Prevention of burglary in the home
Earlier this year officers of the GNR visited home owners across the region, and afpop Members may have been visited as part of the operation, to talk about their home security and offer advice on how to avoid being victims of burglary, but...
Damage to unattended vehicles
Recently a Member returned to their car which was parked in a carpark, to find that someone had reversed into it, in fact still was reversing into as she entered the carpark. Fortunately she witnessed the damage and was able to take details...
Chave Móvel Digital (CMD)
As we mentioned in the June UPDATE, the website for the Portuguese national health system ("S.N.S"), which is used mostly for booking appointments for consultations with your family doctor and for prescriptions, has now changed and ...
Be vigilant when using credit cards
It seems that this edition of UPDATE is focussed on credit and debit card issues, but we have heard of a possible scam that Members should be aware of when using their debit/credit cards in stores. The good news is it is very easy to avoid ...
IUC change for imported vehicles
The Portuguese Government is reviewing the annual vehicle tax (IUC - Imposto Único de Circulação) tables for imported vehicles. Thousands of people have paid more IUC than they should, due to a serious fiscal irregularity tha...
New cat registration legislation
Members may have read in the press that there is a project of the Ministry of Agriculture that requires all cats are to be fitted with an identification microchip by 2021 (Dec. Lei nº 82/2019), as has been the case with dogs since 2008...
Condominiums
Some Members live in condominiums and might know how difficult it can be where there are no clear and well defined rules. It's important to know your rights and your obligations so that everything can run as smoothly as possible. Living in ...
Drones in Portugal
The use of Drones, or Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), is growing and many of us will have encountered them and probably been annoyed as they fly over us while we're at the beach. Perhaps you are interested in buying one and want t...
Charging an electric vehicle
The demand for electric cars is increasing for varied reasons: environmental, economic and even tax. One of the factors for consideration is how to recharge the vehicle at home. Of course when you buy an electric vehicle you'll be given all...
Local Accommodation
One of the ideas people have when they purchase a house or apartment, particularly if it's an investment for the future, is to let it out for periods of the year as a holiday rental accommodation, or in Portuguese Alojamento Local. Much has...
Chave Movel Digital (CMD)
-- Excuses, geen Nederlandse vertaling beschikbaar -- For foreigners this means that you must go to an Espaço Cidadão office near you and take with you your passport, fiscal number and mobile phone. The staff will register you ...
Wat is afpop?
Een vereniging die in haar 30 jarige geschiedenis al meer dan twintigduizend leden van dienst heeft mogen zijn en die nog steeds elke dag duizenden leden helpt. Ons team van gespecialiseerde medewerkers werkt om antwoorden op vragen te vinden [...]
