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🇵🇹 Portugal · City guide

Moving to Porto: Language & First Steps

Riverside northern city, cheaper than Lisbon, with a fast-growing tech and expat scene.

Living in Porto

A riverside northern city cheaper than Lisbon with a fast-growing tech and expat scene; Cedofeita, Bonfim and Vila Nova de Gaia are popular. It's walkable and friendly, and a little Portuguese goes a long way outside the tourist core.

To settle into Porto you'll need Portuguese — and the practical kind: your NIF tax number and residency registration (and, from AIMA, your residence permit), opening a bank account, and seeing a doctor. Here's what to do first and the phrases to learn.

Sources: Language Lab's Portuguese curriculum & culture notes; city/official processes vary — confirm with Porto's local authority. · Join the beta →

What to do in your first week in Porto?

1. Register your address / residency — your NIF tax number and residency registration (and, from AIMA, your residence permit).
2. Open a local bank account so you can get paid and pay rent.
3. Register with a local doctor (GP) and sort health insurance.
4. Get a local SIM / mobile plan and set up any required digital ID.
5. Learn your transport options — tickets, passes and routes.

Portuguese phrasebooks for Porto

For the full country picture, see our guide to moving to Portugal.