Brits are still keen on a Portuguese life, if the turnout at the latest Moving to Portugal Show & Seminars in London is anything to go by. Organised by the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in the UK, the event packed out the Pestana Chelsea Bridge Hotel on Thursday, October 15, 2026, drawing would-be residents, property buyers and investors for a day of seminars, an exhibition floor and one-to-one consultations with advisers.
So what do people actually want to know before swapping the UK for the Algarve or Lisbon? The Chamber surveyed visitors, and the answers are telling. Residency and visa rules topped the list, flagged by 63% of respondents — unsurprising given the post-Brexit shake-up in how Brits can live in the EU. Taxation came second at 51%, followed by house prices and available properties at 40%, and legal matters at 37%. The picture is one of would-be movers who have done their homework: Chamber general manager Christina Hippisley noted that visitors are asking far more detailed, practical questions than they were even a few years ago.
The core pitch of the show is convenience. Because residency, tax, property, pensions, legal and financial decisions all feed into each other, the event bundles specialists from every field into one room for a single day. Attendees could choose a morning or afternoon seminar track — both covering the same ground — and then quiz advisers about their own circumstances in between. For the companies exhibiting, it's a chance to meet people across the whole journey, from the merely curious to buyers ready to sign on a property.
If you missed London, there's a second chance to get the same treatment. The Moving to Portugal Show & Seminars heads to Scotland on Thursday, November 12, 2026, at The Scotsman Hotel in Edinburgh, with the same mix of expert-led sessions and individual consultations covering property, tax, residency, legal and financial planning.
Even if a full relocation is a way off, these events are worth a look for anyone weighing a long stay, a retirement plan or a rental investment in Portugal. Entry is free, but you'll need to register in advance — the Edinburgh edition has its own Eventbrite page. And even if you can't attend, the survey results are a useful checklist in themselves: before you book a viewing flight, get your head around visa routes (the D7 and digital nomad visas are the usual starting points), how Portuguese tax residency works, and what the NHR-era tax breaks have been replaced by. Portugal Resident reported the story.
