Many Americans have decided to pack their bags and move to Portugal and Spain. Here’s why and how apostilles are essential in the process.

Making preparations to travel to Europe (euros, passport, and a camera are a few essentials)

How Many Americans Are We Talking About?

In 2023, over 14,000 U.S. Citizens were legally living in Portugal. This may seem like a small portion of Americans compared to the country’s population of 10.6 million (2023), but this number has increased in the last couple of years.

In 2019, just 835 residence permits were given to U.S. Citizens, but that number increased to 2,859 in 2024 according to official data

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As for Spain, there were 50,623 U.S. Citizens registered as residents as of January 2024, according to Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE). This number reflects a 26% increase since January 1, 2022, when the U.S. citizen population stood at 40,159. This means that within two years 10,400 Americans became residents in Spain!

What Is Drawing Americans To These Eastern European Countries?

Is it the delicious Paella dish luring seafood lovers to cross the Atlantic? Is it the scenic views of the colorful hillside villages on the Madeira island off the coast of mainland Portugal? Or is it the desire to escape the stressful work environments and political turmoil of the U.S. in search for a more relaxed, slower way of life?

Here are a few reasons in no particular order:

#1 Safety and Political Stability: Portugal ranked #7 in the Global Peace Index of 2024 as one of the safest countries in the world. Unlike the U.S. and other Western nations where political polarization and social unrest are far more than common, Portugal holds a reputation for stability in part due to its centrist and balanced approach to issues such as taxation, business regulation, and immigration.

#2 Affordable and High-Quality Healthcare: Portugal prides itself in its dual healthcare systems that combines free public healthcare with affordable private healthcare options, the latter being very accessible and inexpensive in comparison to those of the US.

#3 Lower Cost of Living and Affordable Real Estate: Turning over to Spain, where property is often 3-4 times cheaper than in U.S. major cities, remote working professionals and retirees find Spain’s real estate market much more affordable than in their home country. For example, the average price per square foot is €186 in Valencia, compared to Miami where the average price per square foot is €836.

Paella, typical Spanish seafood dish.

What’s The Process Like To Migrate To Portugal Or Spain?

Portugal: All U.S. Citizens are able to visit Portugal for up to three months freely without any visa required. If you wish to stay for more than three months, you have various residence visas to choose from with the main difference between them being the financial requirement for each. If accepted and after five years of living in the country, you can apply for permanent residency and eventually Portuguese citizenship.

Spain: The Spanish Golden Visa for U.S. Citizens has ended as of April 3, 2025, which allowed U.S. Citizens to obtain residency by investing at least €500,000 in Spanish real estate. Currently, the process for U.S. Citizens to move to Spain is very similar to that of Portugal in that if you wish to stay for more than three months, you have multiple residence visas to choose from including a non-lucrative visa (ideal for retirees), a digital nomad visa (for remote workers), a work visa, a self-employment visa, and a student visa. All may be extended and once you have lived in the country for five years, you can apply for permanent residency and then apply for Spanish citizenship.

For both countries and for any type of residence visa, you will need to get an apostille for certain U.S. documents such as:

-          Birth Certificates for the main applicant and family members included in the application

-          Marriage certificates (if applicable)

-          Criminal background checks from the FBI and/or state agencies

-          Bank statements and financial documents proving investment capacity (if applicable)

-          Power of attorney documents (if using a legal representative)

-          Educational credentials (if relevant to your application)

If you’re considering moving to either of these countries even for a few years for whatever reason it may be, we at Make It Legal Apostille & Translation Services hope that you will keep us in mind to assist you in your apostille needs. We take you through the entire apostille process from start to finish. Please don’t hesitate to contact us via the information below with any questions or to get started!

katie.carvajal@makeitlegalnotary.com 914-805-8901 (WhatsApp only) www.makeitlegalnotary.com

Professional, efficient apostille services.